Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

I have to say that one of the most comforting meals in the whole wide world is alfredo. What's not comforting, however, is how your pants will fit after eating alfredo. I've tried making various "healthy" versions, but they've all ended up very runny and not too tasty. So when I found this recipe on, what else, Pinterest, I was pretty nervous and almost immediately assumed it'd be really gross, especially because it's vegan (ok, when I say vegan, I pretty much mean non-dairy. Don't tell your husband, boyfriend, or kids, they won't know the difference!). MAN OH MAN WAS I WRONG!!! It was INCREDIBLE!!! I added chicken and roasted tomatoes to give it some extra flavor and protein, and it was absolutely perfect. It was super simple and honestly took about 30 minutes from start to finish, and was a very easy clean-up. This will go down in history as the BEST alfredo sauce I've ever made and probably one of the best YOU'LL ever have!

What you'll need:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups broccoli

1 box fusili (or any other pasta with ridges to hold on to the sauce)

4 tbs. minced garlic

4 tbs. grape seed oil

2 tbs. flour

1 cup veggie broth

1/4 cup non-dairy creamer

1/2 cup garlic aioli (or non-fat Greek Yogurt)

Kosher salt & pepper

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 2 tbs. of the oil over medium heat and 

brown the chicken. Set aside. After about 10 minutes, cut into bite-size pieces.

2. Boil a pot of water and cook your pasta. In the mean time, toss the tomatoes with some olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Broil for about 5 minutes and set aside.

3. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pan, heat the remaining oil over medium heat and sauté the garlic until is brown (about 2 minutes). Add the flour and whisk for about 2 minutes. 

 

4. Whisk in the creamer, broth, and aioli (if you're going to use parmesan, now is the time to add it). 5. Once the sauce thickens, after about 5 minutes, add the cooked pasta using a slotted spoon (DON'T DISCARD THE WATER YET!!!). 

 

6. To the pasta water, cook your broccoli. It will go FAST, about 5 minutes MAX!!!. Remove with a slotted spoon and toss with the pasta.

7. Add the chicken and tomatoes, top with a little more parmesan and voila!

enjoy :)