Fettuccine Alfredo: Third Time's A Charm!

I typically don’t like Alfredo sauce. I didn’t even know what heavy whipping cream was until I met Jacob… so be warned that this is far from healthy.

The first time I attempted Fettuccine Alfredo I used Chili’s Cajun Chicken Pasta Copycat recipe. Jacob said it was OK but kind of bland.

The second time I picked a healthier recipe. I honestly don’t remember what the recipe was but I remember it used a can of some kind of cream soup. It was awful. We threw out the recipe with the leftovers.

Last Friday I decided to try to spice up the Chili’s Copycat recipe because that used to be Jacob’s favorite meal. I made Jacob look for recipes and he found one with shrimp and chicken. I ended up discarding that recipe because it used water in the sauce with almost two sticks of butter and cream cheese and it just sounded gross. However, I needed some tips on the shrimp part so here’s that recipe if you want to take a look. I had never cooked with shrimp before so I went with pre-cooked, peeled, tail-off frozen shrimp (shh, don’t tell Jacob!) I just poured about a third of the bag in a colander and ran water over it for a few minutes until it was thawed. I did this last so that it wouldn’t sit out long.

Then I basically just experimented with the Chili's Copycat recipe and it was AMAZING!!

Here's what you need:

8 oz pasta (just tape the package shut and save the other half) Start boiling your water first... it takes forever!! I haven't figured out the perfect timing so once your water boils put your pasta in.

2 chicken breasts (rinsed, fat cut off) {I put the extras in a ziploc in the fridge for another night}
2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
1-2 Tablespoon butter (it needs to coat the pan so that your chicken doesn't dry out)

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, sprinkle 1 tsp cajun seasoning, add the chicken (I cut mine into small strips so that they would cook faster)
Sprinkle another tsp cajun seasoning on top of the chicken.
Saute. I like to flip them when they turn white and then start cutting them in the pan when I think they're done so I know for sure. I realized today I have damaged my saucepan from doing this but since it's so much easier than waiting for it to cool and cutting it on a cutting board.

*Don't forget to cook your pasta!*

Sauce:
1 Tablespoon butter
1 cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning. Buy it. Yes, it’s not much but it’s strong. Don’t leave it out!
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup parmesan cheese

After you sauté the chicken use the same pan (don’t clean it out you want that flavor!) for the sauce. Combine everything except the parmesan cheese and still occasionally until it bubbles. I have an electric stove so I just turn it off at this point since it will keep it warm. Add the parmesan cheese and stir. Thaw your shrimp (it takes less than 5 minutes) and add it to the sauce. Stir. Add the sautéed chicken. You're done!