chicken alfredo

By dette

As a kid, I didn't care too much for broccoli, I vividly remember when I was in high school and we sent to dinner at and Italian Restaurant where this pasta dish was on the menu. When I read the description fo the tender chicken and broccoli in a creamy cheese sauce, I figured I could just push the broccoli aside if I didn't like it. To my surprise, the broccoli was perfectly cooked-tender, yet crisp- and I lvoe ti. I realized what I had been missing and have been eating my broccoli ever since. A basket of soft, warm garlic bred sticks makes a nice addition

Ingredients

• 2 t. plus 1 t. kosher salt
• 1 head broccoli, separated into florets
• 12 oz penne or bowtie pasta
• 2 T. extra birgin olive oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2" strips
• 1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 T. dry, white wine
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 2/3 c. heavy cream
• 1/2 c. plus 2 T. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 c. (4oz) grated Italian Fontina

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water and 2 t. of the salt to a boil. Add the broccoli florets and cook for 1-2 mintues. Using a hand strainer, remove the broccoli from the boiling water and run it under cold water to stop the cooking.
Using the same boiling water, cook the penne until tender but still firm to the bite 6-8 mintues. Drain and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken witht he remaining 1 t. salt and the pepper. Working in batches, saute the chicken strips until just cooked through, about 4 mintues. Transfer the chicken to a bowl.
Add the white wine and garlic to the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 1 mintue scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in the cream. Slowly add 1 1/2 c. of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and all the Fontina,k stirring constantly. Cook over low ehat until the cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened slightly, 5-10 minutes. (The cheese shouldn't stick to the bottom of the pot0. Add the chicken mixture and any accumulated juices, the broccoli, and penne and toss untilthe mixture is well coated and heated through, bout 3 mintues. Taste for seasoning. Divide amoung pasta bowls and sprinkle with the remaining 2 T. Parmesan before serving.