Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Alfredo

Comfort Italian food? Yes, please! Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo is one of my all-time favorite dinners to make when I am allowing myself that rich and savory indulgence. I have been making this for years, but only within the last couple of years did I decide to start making my own Alfredo sauce. The first few trial runs were okay...not anything worth making again, in my opinion, but all of the trial and error led to a fabulous, creamy, delicious end result, which I will now be sharing with you.

If you are thinking about staying in and cooking a romantic dinner for you and your significant other (or for you and a group of friends who are boycotting the holiday!), this would be a perfect choice. It is simple and quick, but you would never know that once you taste it. You could easily fool people into thinking you are a gourmet chef of sorts... okay, maybe not so much, but it is REALLY good!

This is kind of a four-part process, with each part having its own instructions and own preparation, and then everything comes together into one at the end. The ingredients/instructions format will be a little different for this one. I am going to divide everything into its own respective sections... Hopefully, this is the most efficient for everyone else, too!

Roasted Red Pepper
- 1 large red bell pepper, washed and cleaned
- Olive Oil, for drizzling
- Aluminum Foil
- Plastic Wrap

The first and foremost thing you will want to do is roast your red pepper. Preheat your oven to the highest setting it will go to (for me, it was 550 degrees F or Broil). Wash and clean a red pepper (wholly intact), Place the red pepper on a small piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with just a little bit of olive oil. Place the red pepper (still on the foil) into the super hot oven. Let it roast for a good 15-20 minutes, or until at least 75% of the skin is blackened. Remove the roasted pepper to a small bowl, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. This will make the skin removal easier later on. Pop the bowl in the freezer to help it cool down so you can work with it when you need it. After it's cool enough to handle, peel it, then remove the stem and seeds and cut into small pieces or strips. Set aside.

Fettuccine 
- 1 lb. uncooked fettuccine noodles
- Water and salt for boiling
- Olive Oil

This part is the trickiest.... Cook fettuccine noodles according to package instructions. Drain, then toss with olive oil to prevent sticking.

Chicken
- 1 lb. chicken
- 1 tbsp. EACH butter and olive oil for pan
- Salt, black pepper, and garlic powder for seasoning

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter and add the olive oil to the pan, giving it a good swirl to mix the two. Add the chicken, seasoning to your tastes with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Cook on both sides until cooked through and chicken is no longer pink. The less flipping, the better- a little bit of a crust on the chicken is super tasty! Once cooked, cut the chicken into small pieces or strips. Set aside.

Alfredo Sauce 
- 4 tbsp. butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 1/2 tsp. garlic paste
- Dash or two of garlic powder
- Black pepper, to taste
- 5 oz. fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded or cut into small chunks

Melt the butter. Add the heavy cream, the milk, the garlic paste, the garlic powder, and the black pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat, being careful to scorch the dairy ingredients. Once the sauce is boiling, slowly stir in the Parmesan cheese until fully melted and you have a smooth, creamy sauce. Once your sauce is made, reduce the heat to as low as you can go, then stir in the chicken and red pepper pieces. Allow this to simmer together for just a minute or two- it really helps melt all of the flavors together, but this step is completely optional. Pour the entire mixture over the prepared fettuccine noodles and toss together to coat.

Even though this may look like a lot, it actually all comes together very quickly. I had dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes from start to finish since you can do so many of these steps simultaneously. It is also a very simple recipe, with very "pure" ingredients that come together nicely for a well-balanced combination of flavors. One of the other things I really liked about this particular Alfredo variation is that it didn't leave me with such a heavy feeling lingering in my stomach after I ate. The addition of milk in lieu of a sauce consisting almost entirely of heavy cream really lightens the sauce up a bit. This will be my go-to for Alfredo sauce now- no turning back!

Here is what your end product should look like! Sprinkle with a little Italian cheese blend and serve with a fresh salad and some yummy bread for a perfect dinner, whether it's for a special occasion or just a random Tuesday like ours was! Enjoy!

Creamy, delicious comfort. :)