Friday, December 10, 2010

Cajun Chicken Alfredo

Hi, remember me?  I missed ya'll and hope your holidays have been fantastic so far! 

Thank all of you who have been emailing me and keeping up.  My job and soccer have gotten in the way of blogging.  Oh yeah, you can't tell it by this recipe, but I have lost 38 lbs and have a little ways to go to get back down to my fighting weight.  But my family has to eat, so I still cook.

I found out the homegirlz have been cheating on me; yes the truth can be ugly.  I found out that they absolutely adore Chicken Alfredo that's been catered to their soccer team by a local restaurant!  Who doesn't like all that cream and cheese? Anyone can make a really good Alfredo, but how about one that pops?  How about one that can stretch two boneless, skinless chicken breasts that can feed six healthy appetites?



Rub a generous amount of Emeril's Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme




Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and sear the chicken for 5 minutes.



Turn and sear the other side for 3-1/2 to 5 minutes.  Basically, your are blackening the chicken.  I find Emeil's Essence has a much better depth of flavor and your food doesn't taste burnt.  Plus doing it this way, you cook this inside.  Transfer the skillet from the stove top to a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven to a platter or cutting board and allow to rest.



While the chicken is searing and cooking, rough chop 1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes.



This is the jar the sun-dried tomatoes came in. Do not throw this liquid gold away!!!!  We're going to put it to work.



Slice and cut the chicken into healthy bit-sized pieces.  The pieces of chicken don't have to be uniform in size, since this is a rustic dish.



Pour the leftover oil from the sun-dried tomatoes into a large pot and add in 2 tablespoons of butter.  Heat over medium -high heat. 



Add 3 tablespoons of minced garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, saute for about 5 minutes.



Add in the chicken and coat with the oil and garlic-tomato mixture.


De-glaze the pot by pouring in 1/4 cup of Marsala wine.


Pour in 3 cups of heavy cream and raise the heat to a gentle bubble.  


Reduce the sauce by about half.



Stir in 3/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese or I like to use a mixture of grated Parm and Asiago cheese.


Stir in 1/2 cup of sliced green onions and serve in a bowl topped with a little more grated cheese and a slice of crusty bread.


16 comments:

The Blonde Duck said...

You're back! HOORAY!

Debbie said...

So glad to see you are back!!!! I missed you old friend!!! And you're back with a great recipe too. Wow...you lost 38 lbs...that's fantastic!

John Roberts said...

How much weight did AJ lose during your sabbatical?

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Welcome back Katherine. We've missed you. Congratulations on losing weight. That's fantastic, but not easily done as I am trying to lose also. I hope you'll share some weight loss secrets with us in future posts.

Your cajun chicken alfredo looks wonderful and I adore sun-dried tomatoes. They really add a lot to a dish.

Give our best to your family. Again, it was wonderful to see your post on the dashboard this morning. It made my day and gave me a big smile. Welcome back.
Sam

Big Dude said...

Welcome back Catherine and a big congrats on the weight loss. This dish looks toooo good.

Plain Chicken said...

Welcome back! This dish looks amazing!!! I love blackened chicken alfredo.

gigi said...

Great recipe!
Good to hear from you!

Mary Bergfeld said...

Welcome back! You have been missed. That is a fantastic weight loss. Congratulations. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Anonymous said...

How wonderful to see you back online! Wow, congrats on your weight loss! This chicken alfredo sounds delicious for sure!

teresa said...

hey! welcome back katherine! and what a great comeback. excellent job on the weight loss.

the pasta looks SOOO good!

Claudia said...

Welcome back! And what a welcome back you bring with you! It is just scrumptious - and I want it. I guess you're not sending it to me so I will have to cook it. (You have smart girls). Congrats on the weight losss! I am counting "points" at Weight Watchers so anything named Alfredo seemed a thing of the past.... nah....

Chris said...

Ironically, I just gained 38 lbs from reading this post....thanks:( >:(

(ha ha)

The JR said...

You've got my mouth watering!

Penny said...

Glad you are back Katherine. Wonderful recipe. 38 pounds! WOW. I am struggling with 10. Keep up the good work.

Marguerite said...

Looks scrumptious, as always! Really a fab recipe and I am printing... Great to see you on the blog again! I've really missed your posts! Hope that you and your family have a wonderful Christmas! Cheers, cher!

Second Wedding said...

Looks wonderful. I am bookmarking this for future reference... landed here looking for something else... beau bonjour from the land of the Aucoins, old Acadie aka Nova Scotia
Julie