Sunday, August 24, 2014

Chicken, Bacon, Broccoli Alfredo w/ Zucchini Pasta (low carb, gluten free)

So I must be getting super experimental this week. I wasn't kidding when I told you about rethinking my food worldview (here). I wanted something creamy and rich, and I still was able to create something creamy and rich--without pasta!!

Check it out.



This was my first time making zucchini pasta. I was super skeptical about it, but I went ahead and tried it, as I had 2 zucchinis I needed to use up. It's a little different than pasta because it definitely has more of a fibrous "bite" to it, but the texture and flavor work out really well. Zucchini is amazing at absorbing flavor of surrounding sauces, and it's also soft yet firm, like good al dente pasta must be. I encourage you to give it a go!

This is the best recipe I've seen for zucchini pasta, so I will send you off to "He Speaks in Silence" where you must find the zucchini noodles recipe.

Once your noodles are ready, follow my recipe below:

Ingredients:

-zucchini noodles made from 6-8 zucchini
-2 chicken breasts
-12 rashers bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled
-1 crown of broccoli, chopped into bite-sized pieces
-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
-4 oz.(half a packet) cream cheese
-2 oz. (half a stick) butter
-1/2 cup milk
-1/2 cup chicken stock
-1/2 tsp. thyme
-1/3 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat your pan to medium heat. Salt the chicken breasts, and once the pan is hot, add in a bit of olive oil and lay in the chicken. Cook for about 6-8 minutes per side (with thick chicken breasts). You can slice them in half longways or attack them with a hammer (aka meat tenderizer) if you want to speed up that cooking time. Remove them from the pan when finished.

Precook the broccoli by placing it in a pot and covering it with water. Bring to a boil, and simmer until tender. Strain and set aside.

Add the cream cheese and butter to the pan in which you cooked the chicken. Stir over medium heat. Add in the garlic and milk. Whisk until smooth. Pour in stock and thyme, then bring up to a simmer. Cook until the sauce begins to thicken, then add the cheese. Taste, and add salt as needed.

Add in your zucchini pasta, bacon, chicken (sliced), and broccoli. Bring heat down to low, and toss to combine. Put the lid on and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes, so all of the flavors can combine.

Serve!






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