Chicken Alfredo and Veggies

Happy Weeked! I am sharing my first recipe here on the blog. Yahoo me! I am in no way a cooking blog or a food photographer ha ha. But I love to share my take on simple recipes. Do enjoy and let me know if it turned out well for you, or if it wasn't your favorite, or if you changed it to ingredients your family enjoys. You can share on Instagram under the hashtag #theclarkcottagecooks

Chicken Alfredo Dinner

Serves: family of 4

Prep time: 30 min

Cooking time: 1 hour

Alfredo Sauce:
(prepare while chicken is cooking)

1 garlic clove minced
3 Tbls butter (if you like less butter use 1-2 Tbls, just experiment with what you like)
2 Cups heavy cream or milk
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 Cup grated parmesan cheese

In a pan melt butter on medium low heat. Add minced garlic, and turn heat to medium. Saute garlic until softened. The butter will start to brown a bit, and when it does, pour in the cream. Stir frequently so sauce doesn't burn, and  bring it to a light boil. Once you have, turn heat to medium low, and add all spices and the cheese. Simmer sauce until cheese is melted, and sauce is thickened. Turn off the heat, and add your cooked pasta to the sauce. Mix it all together. Serve with chicken and veggies.

Chicken:
2 thawed chicken breasts
1/2 bag of frozen veggies 
(or a fresh asparagus bunch or a fresh head of broccoli cut and prepared)
Ranch dressing of your choice or homemade dressing
1/2 large onion quartered
1 tsp garlic powder or 1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cajun spice

Add chicken breasts and vegetables of your choice to a casserole dish. Squeeze the ranch dressing of your choice over top of chicken and veggies. This acts as the oil or butter to keep things from sticking but also adds great flavor. Sprinkle with garlic powder, pepper, and a touch of cajun spice over top. Add the onion in the corners and cover. Bake at 400 degrees for one hour. Remove dish from oven. Remove chicken breasts and cut up chicken to add to your pasta and sauce. Strain out veggies and add them to the pasta and sauce as well. You can choose to leave the onion or add that in the pasta and sauce too. Incorporate all and serve in a large bowl. You may also choose to serve the chicken and veggie with the pasta and sauce as a side.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Veggies:
Another way to prepare the chicken is to add all ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on high for 6-8 hours or on low for 4-6 hours.

Saute Chicken and Veggies:
You can also choose to saute all the chicken in the ranch and spices and saute the onion and veggies in the ranch and spices and serve once its all cooked. I saute my cubed chicken in the ranch and spices on medium heat until white in the center. I pre steam my veggies then saute them on medium high heat in the ranch and spices until a bit browned.