baked beans in cast iron skillet with wooden spoon

Side Dishes

Homemade Baked Beans

Level:
Easy

Total Time:
45 min

Yield:
6 servings

This chicken alfredo recipe is so simple and delicious you wont believe you have not tried it before! The original blackening seasoning is inspired by one of my all time favorite sites Chili Pepper Madness. Making your own alfredo sauce is simple and beats store bought. If you enjoy the taste of store bought alfredo sauce or don’t have time to make your own, Rao’s Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce is my personal favorite. You can find a recipe for classic blackened seasoning here. I have offered ways of making it less spicy if like my wife you have less spice tolerance. If making your own blackened season is not your thing no worries! You can use any premade blackened seasoning. One of my favorite blackened seasonings can be found here.

Easy Blackened Chicken Alfredo

Print Recipe

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

1/4 white onion finely chopped
6 cloves garlic minced
2 cups whole milk 2% works as well
1 cup parmesan cheese finely shredded
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
4 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
For Blackened Seasoning
2 Tablespoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cyan pepper
1/2 Tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
For Pasta
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast thawed
2 Tablespoons cooking oil see notes
8 oz dried pasta any pasta will do
1/2 Tablespoon salt

Instructions

in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and cook until onion is starting to turn translucent.
Add the flour and continue to cook for about 5 minutes or until the raw smell of flour dissipates and the mixture starts to turn into light brown color (see notes).
In the microwave heat the milk until just below simmering.
Remove the pan from the heat temporarily and add the hot milk, stirring with a whisk to avoid clumps. Return to heat.
Add the garlic, garlic powder, salt, pepper. stir to combine. Return to a simmer.
in small handfuls add the parmesan waiting about a minute between handfuls to melt the cheese. Keep the sauce warm until serving, stirring occasionally.
For Chicken
Pat the chicken dry using paper towels.
Coat the chicken using oil or cooking spray. Add the blackened seasoning on one side, making sure to coat liberally. Leave the other side of the chicken unseasoned for now. Preserve some of the seasoning for other side later.
In a large cooking pan over medium high heat, add the oil. heat the oil until just starting to smoke.
Carefully lower the chicken into the pan season side down. Season the unseasoned side of chicken facing up with the remaining seasoning.
Cook for 5 to 7 minutes. flip and continue to cook adding a cooking weight if you have one.
Once internal temp reaches 165° F, remove from heat and cover with aluminum foil. Keep the chicken warm until serving.
Keep the uncleaned pan available for later use.
For Pasta
In a large pot….. I don’t feel like I need to explain how to cook pasta. If you don’t know how to cook pasta in salt water God help you! just make sure to cook it until al dente making sure to preserve come of the cooking water.
Add the drained pasta to the pan you used for the chicken. Over medium high heat, Add about of cup of the pasta water to the pan. Add the alfredo sauce one ladle at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
Bring the pasta to a simmer. remove from heat.
slice the chicken and add it to the top of the pasta and serve. Add parmesan cheese for garnish is desired.

Notes

The right type of oil is necessary to avoid a house full of smoke (unless you enjoy running around your house like a mad person trying to silence the smoke detectors. if you do more power to you!). I use avocado oil since it has a neutral flavor that is usable for many things and a high smoke point.
Cooking the flour for a few minutes before adding milk avoids your sauce tasting like a block of flour (if you like the raw taste of flour go ahead and grab a bag of flour and dig in! I just suggest microwaving your flour first… no judgement)
Tempering your milk in a microwave and removing it from the heat temporarily makes your sauce silky smooth. If you have problems with a slightly clumpy constancy it can be caused by 3 things:
- Adding the milk to a super heated pan that sizzles when it comes in contact can cause the milk to curdle and burn.
- Keeping the milk boiling for long periods of time or not stirring it occasionally can cause it to burn to the bottom of the pan.
- Adding cheese to a super hot pan can cause it to be slightly less smooth. Adding cheese slowly over medium heat can solve this.