Chicken Parmesan and Alfredo
There was a time in our family’s life when we couldn’t choke down another bite of Chicken Parmesan & Alfredo. When we welcomed our second child, we were blessed by a meal train of wonderful people willing to provide us delicious dinners. However, six out of the seven dinners that first week were all Chicken Alfredo. There may have been a glitch in the meal train communication. So we ended up eating four of those meals and then froze the rest to use at a later date. While we were blessed beyond measure to receive such thoughtfulness from our friends, we were Chicken Alfredo’d out! After that week I swore to myself that I would never eat another Chicken Alfredo meal as long as I lived.
But as fate would have it, one day my wife came home from the grocery store with two jars of Alfredo sauce. When I asked her why she would commit such a culinary faux pas, she simply stated that they were on sale and figured that I would be able to create a masterpiece with them. She had forgotten the absolute repulsion to Alfredo sauce that had occurred only a few years earlier.
So I searched the internet high and low trying to find a decent and competent recipe. There are thousands of recipes out there and each one had its own weird twist. I ended up using one that fused the ingredients I already had while also supplementing my own Original Cold Smoked Seasonings. The outcome at this particular dinner changed my mind forever regarding the venerable Chicken Alfredo. Now this Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo bake is requested several times throughout each month.
I don’t mind saying that I have spent a good amount of time perfecting this meal using The Original Cold Smoked Salt and Pepper Co.’s seasonings. I hope that if you have ever experienced any Alfredo apprehension like I have, then this recipe will be the turning point in finally creating an Chicken Parmesan & Alfredo meal that your family will enjoy throughout the years.
These are the ingredients that you will need for this recipe. It includes four of our best Original Cold Smoked products.
- 2 boneless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 heads of broccoli florets
- Olive Oil
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Italian Seasoning
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Maple Smoked Sea Salt (The Original Cold Smoked Salt and Pepper Co)
- Maple Smoked Peppercorn (The Original Cold Smoked Salt and Pepper Co)
- Hickory Smoked Paprika (The Original Cold Smoked Salt and Pepper Co)
- Butter
- Panko Breadcrumbs
- Cherry Smoked Garlic Salt (The Original Cold Smoked Salt and Pepper Co)
- Italian Shredded Cheese Blend
- Rotini uncooked Pasta
- 2 jars of Alfredo Sauce
The following steps can be done simultaneously to help speed up the cooking process. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grab a large 9x13 glass baking dish with 2 inch sides and prepare it with nonstick cooking spray on the inside. Set aside to be used later.
Cut the two boneless chicken breasts into small bite size pieces. Then take a medium size non-stick frying pan and add a small amount of olive oil and heat to medium heat.
In a small bowl, combine the following ingredients:
1/2 tsp of Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp of Red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp of Maple Smoked Sea Salt (The Original Cold Smoked Salt and Pepper Co)
1/2 tsp of Maple Smoked Peppercorn (The Original Cold Smoked Salt and Pepper Co)
1/2 tsp of Hickory Smoked Paprika (The Original Cold Smoked Salt and Pepper Co)
Place the chicken into the frying pan and add the contents of the small bowl over the chicken and stir throughly. Then add 3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese to the meal and continue to stir. Allow the chicken to cook until done. Remove from heart and set aside.
Fill a large pot 3/4 of the way full with warm water. Set the stove to high heat and bring to a boil. Feel free to add some salt to speed up the boiling process. Once boiling, add the rotini pasta. Add a dash of olive oil in with the pasta to prevent sticking. Reduce heat to slightly above medium to prevent boil over. Allow for 12 minutes of cooking time to ensure for tender pasta. After the twelve minutes, drain the water from the pasta and leave the pasta in the large bowl. Place on a hot pad and cover.
To cook the broccoli, I recommend steaming it in a medium sized stove pot. Add a half inch of water to the bottom and then place a steaming tray inside. Cut up the broccoli into small florets while removing the majority of the stocks. Place cut broccoli on top of the steaming tray and sprinkle some Cherry Smoked Garlic Salt over top. (The Original Cold Smoked Salt and Pepper Co). Cover the pot and place on the stove and bring to a boil. Once steam starts to emit from the lid, allow it to continue to cook for five to eight minutes. Feel free to test the tenderness of the broccoli with at fork around the five minute mark. If broccoli is tender and a fork can pierce through, it is done. Do not over steam or broccoli will start to get mushy. Drain the water and leave the broccoli in the pot and cover.
To make the topping for the Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo Bake, mix the following ingredients in a bowl:
1/2 cup of Panko Breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp of Italian Seasoning
1/4 tsp of Cherry Smoked Garlic Salt (The Original Cold Smoked Salt and Pepper Co)
1/4 tsp of Red Pepper Flakes
1/8 tsp of Maple Smoked Sea Salt (The Original Cold Smoked Salt and Pepper Co)
1/4 tsp of Maple Smoked Peppercorn (The Original Cold Smoked Salt and Pepper Co)
In a small sauce pan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter at medium heat. Once the butter has melted, reduce heat to low and take the breadcrumb mix and pour into the sauce pan. Stir the breadcrumb mix so the butter coats the breadcrumbs throughly. Continue to stir so that the breadcrumbs don’t burn and will the begin to get a darker toasted color. Once toasted, remove from heat and set aside.
Our next step is to take the cooked chicken and broccoli and pour it into the large pot of cooked pasta. Then take the two jars of Alfredo sauce and pour it over the large pot of pasta, chicken, and broccoli. Stir throughly. Add a cup of Italian Shredded Cheese and stir. Then add a half cup of parmesan cheese and stir thoroughly again. Continue to mix the ingredients until everything is completely mixed.
Finally, pour the mixture into your glass baking dish and evenly spread out the chicken and broccoli alfredo. Take your toasted breadcrumbs and sprinkle them on top of the chicken and broccoli creation. To finish out the meal, I will also add a bit of Italian seasoning on top as well. Once completed, bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
When baking is complete, grab a glass of your favorite white wine and enjoy!
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