Chicken Alfredo

This is not really a recipe, just an explanation of how we like to make Chicken Alfredo. It was our Christmas Eve meal this year and I have included it in this week's menu plan.

We don't make our alfredo sauce from scratch (horrible, I know), but instead purchase it from Olive Garden. For our small family, we find that this is actually a fairly inexpensive choice: certainly cheaper than eating out and also less expensive (and more fool-proof) than buying the cheese and cream to make our own.

A pint of alfredo sauce from Olive Garden is around $5 and is enough sauce for about 4 servings. If you have a bigger group, you would of course need to purchase more sauce and this is where making it yourself might make more sense (or cents, haha).

So, here's what you need:

Alfredo sauce
your choice of pasta (about 2 oz per serving)
boneless, skinless chicken breast (1 lb should be enough for 4 servings)
Italian dressing (we like to use Good Seasons, the kind that comes in the packet and you mix with oil and vinegar yourself, but really any Italian dressing would probably do)
parmesan cheese and black pepper (for garnish)

Marinate the chicken breast in Italian dressing for several hours, then grill it until cooked through. Wrap the cooked chicken in foil and let it sit for about 10 minutes (this will help keep it juicy), then slice it in thin strips against the grain.

Heat the alfredo sauce on the stove and cook the pasta according to package directions.

Plate the pasta and arrange chicken strips on top. Pour the alfredo over the pasta and chicken. Garnish with parmesan and black pepper.



Serve with salad and french bread. A restaurant-quality meal for 4 for about $12 (this price includes salad and bread). How easy is that?