Shortcut Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo

How was everyone's weekend?!  Ours was pretty good.  Well.  Besides the fact that we froze our butts off on Saturday.  Seriously, 40F?! 

And I know what you're thinking, if it was so cold, why were you outside Peggy?  Well, it was Thunder Over Louisville this past Saturday.  What exactly is that?  Well, it's one of the biggest fireworks shows in the United States and the masses gather outside for an all day event (tons of street food, an air show, a Bats baseball game, FIREWORKS, etc.).  It's definitely great people-watching material.  Seriously... the people of Kentucky really come out.  We won't get too into it, but just sayin'.  Entertainment is everywhere.

I took a video of the fireworks finale (it's kind of shaky because I was FREEZING) but I'll post it tomorrow to give you guys a taste of what the fireworks are like.

Anyway, about this meal.  I remember when I was a kid, my mom would make "alfredo" using a can of Campbell's Cream of (insert whatever you want here: chicken, mushroom, celery, etc.)  Not an authentic "alfredo" by any means, but I think most moms took this shortcut every now and then.  Am I right? 

So I decided to bust this out to remember what this was like.  And I made a few changes, just to jazz it up and it came out pretty tasty.  I definitely prefer an actual homemade alfredo to this, but it's definitely a quick fix that hits the spot in a hurry!

Ingredients:

12 oz. package of penne pasta
1 large broccoli head, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 lb. of chicken (you could really use any part here, breasts, thighs, drumsticks - I had drumsticks in the freezer so I just skinned and boned them, and then cut them into cubes), cut into cubes/strips
10 & 3/4 oz. can of Cream of Mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.  Mine took about 10-12 minutes for a nice al dente.  Add broccoli to pasta during last 4-5 minutes of boiling.  Drain pasta and broccoli well and return to pot.

In a large skillet, melt butter under medium high heat.  Add chicken pieces and cook until browned and cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes (depending on the chicken part that you use).

Mix in soup, milk, parmesan, and cayenne.  Season mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour mixture into pot with penne and broccoli and bring mixture to a boil, about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.   

Serve pasta hot and top with additional shredded Parmesan, if desired.

See... easy right?  It's good for a quick meal.  I'm not ashamed to use those condensed soups.  I mean, there's just some things from childhood you just can't give up, right?

Have a great Monday guys!  Be back tomorrow for some firework action!

Cream of Mushroom & Chicken Soup

Okay, so first off... I've been noticing a lot of blogs I read (whether about food, politics, everyday life, etc.) sometimes have "theme-days"... so in spirit of all of that... I've decided to make Fridays from now on, FYI Food Science Fridays. What will it pertain, you ask? Well... every Friday, before my recipe, I'm going to give an overview of a journal or research article that pertains to Food Science or Technology.

I do this for 2 major reasons.
#1. I've officially decided I'm going to finish up my Biology degree and then go to grad school for Food Science. So it would benefit me to keep up to date with current research and experiments being conducted to be more familiar with what I'm getting myself into, and to just see what's being done.

#2. I think the scientific part of food development is overlooked. There's so many things out there that you wonder, what does that mean? why is this so? So hopefully, the articles I go over are going to give you a little bit of insight into what you're putting into your mouth and how it even got to you in the first place.

I'm hoping the pieces will be interesting and spark some comments, and hell... who knows, you may be on Jeopardy one day and your Final Jeopardy question may be something you learned from one of my articles. I've already read what I'll be talking about on Friday and I'm not letting you in on anything quite yet, so you'll just have to sneak a peak back on Friday afternoon to find out the interesting tid bit.

Anyway, on to the recipe...

Ingredients:

8-12 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2-3 cooked chicken thighs, skin and bones removed, then shredded

The one thing I love about cream of anything soup is that the prep work doesn't usually involve fine chopping, because at the end of day, you're just going to blend the whole thing up to get a nice smooth consistency anyway, so I wouldn't worry too much about slicing or chopping.

Heat a dutch oven over high heat. Add the olive oil and when shimmering stir in the mushrooms, garlic, and onions. Saute until the mushrooms start to become soft, about 5 minutes.

Season the mushroom mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Add in the chicken broth and cream. Cover and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the mushrooms are completely tender, about 8-10 minutes.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth or at a texture you prefer. Stir in shredded chicken and season with salt and pepper if needed. Ladle into bowls and serve!

I loved this because it was so quick and easy... and flavorful to the extreme! This could even be put on top of pasta or chicken breasts it was so good. I may even use this for the next time I make green bean casserole! Enjoy! And don't forget to come back Friday for the first installment of FYI Food Science Friday!