Blackened Chicken Alfredo and The Secret Recipe Club

It's that time once again!  The most anticipated day of the month: Reveal Day on The Secret Recipe Club!  Click on over HERE to learn more about the Secret Recipe Club.

My assigned blog this month was Plain Chicken and boy was I ever in for a treat!  I'm Steph's newest follower!!  Do you ever read blogs when you're hungry and end up bookmarking darn near everything you see?  That totally happened here.  There is a smorgasbord of delicious looking recipes over there, but given the name of the blog I decided to hunt down a chicken recipe.  Actually I'm featuring two of her recipes today!  I have two reasons for doing so: 1.) It's impossible to select only one recipe when faced with so many amazing choices, and 2.) I could never condone Alfredo sauce from a jar (sorry!!)  :)

First things first. This blackened chicken was really good!  I didn't have time to marinate the chicken for the full 8 hours (poor planning on my part) but since I was using thinly sliced chicken breasts it wasn't a problem at all.  They turned out plenty flavorful.  I've never made blackened chicken before, but I'd definitely make this one again.  The worcestershire flavor was a tad strong, so I'd back off of it just a little on the next go 'round. 

Secondly, the alfredo!  It's been years since I've tried the jarred sauce, but I wasn't a fan back then.  While looking through Steph's recipes, I ran across one for lite alfredo sauce that was so completely different than any I'd seen before so I knew I had to give it a try.  I'm a fairly die-hard alfredo fan and I could totally get on board with this lite recipe.  The ricotta cheese definitely gives it a slightly different taste, but definitely still good, and the texture is creamy and perfect. 

Try these two together! You'll be glad you did!!




Blackened Chicken
Recipe from Plain Chicken

1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp dried tarragon (I ended up using Italian Seasoning in place of thyme, oregano & tarragon)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 chicken breast, pounded to an even thickness

Directions
Combine first 11 ingredients in a heavy-duty ziplock bag; add chicken. Seal and marinate in refrigerator at least 8 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Remove chicken from bag and discard marinade. Cook chicken in skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes on each side or until well browned. Slice chicken diagonally and set aside.

Lite Alfredo Sauce
Recipe from Plain Chicken

Blend2 cups 1% or skim milk
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2/3 cup 2% Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Heat
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
black pepper
reserved pasta water

1 lb pasta, cooked and drained

Directions
Blend milk, ricotta, yogurt, onion, garlic, salt and nutmeg in a blender or food processor until smooth. At this point, the mixture may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat.  Whisk in flour until smooth.  Whisk in blended mixture until smooth.  Simmer sauce until it thickens, about 8 minutes.  Stir in Parmesan cheese and pepper.  If the sauce gets too thick, thin it out with a little pasta water.  Stir in cooked pasta. Top with the Blackened Chicken to serve.