Chicken Alfredo

If you're ever at the grocery store and struggling for some meal ideas (hard to imagine, I know), grab a rotisserie chicken.  They are quite possibly one of the easiest ways to make dinner.  And they are surprisingly affordable.  We picked on up for only $5 this weekend.  

My dad and I have talked about how we can make 3 or more meals out of one chicken.  The simplest thing to do would be to eat rotisserie chicken, of course.  But you can also cut the meat off the bird, and make anything that would call for chicken ... which gives you a staggering number of dishes at your disposal.  Then after you have used all the meat, you can use the carcass/bones to make a stock for soup.  

We decided to make an Alfredo pasta with broccoli and crispy chicken breast.  As my wife said, "This meal was brought to you tonight by Hy-Vee."  You can clearly see that we are in favor of buying the store-brand whenever possible.   

Boil the pasta until it is al dente, and steam/boil the broccoli in another pot.  Drain the pasta, but don't rinse, and then continue cooking it in the Alfredo sauce.  This will help bind more of the sauce to your pasta.

Meanwhile in a non-stick skilled, place the sliced chicken breasts skin side down.  The meat is already cooked through; so you're just heating it up.  But this will ensure that your skin is nice and crispy.  That's one of the most flavorful parts of a rotisserie chicken.  And you would want it to be some rubbery slime that people ultimately throw away.  So take a few minutes to crisp it up!

Serve the pasta in a wide bowl with the breast served on top.  You can also garnish your pasta with a little bit of green onions, or even cherry tomatoes.  Alfredo sauce is really rich, though.  So be sure you taste everything before you start adding too much.  If you're going to add bacon, you could easily make this a super salty & rich dish.  So be sure to use some moderation.

Voila! Chicken Alfredo pasta for dinner.  

Now what will I make for nights #2 and #3? ... ...