My guilty pleasure food is chicken alfredo. I could eat this stuff night and day, day and night. Of course, it is not the best for you. Isn’t that always the way? It is at least for me.

I like to spend hours pinning things to my 458375835735 Pinterest boards (you can follow me here!) and came across a wildly easy one-pan alfredo recipe from No. 2 Pencil. I made it one night for my boyfriend and his father, and I think they were literally speechless. I have been challenging myself the past couple of months to learn how to cook and to develop a couple go-to recipes that I can make with my eyes closed. This is the first one I tried that I could tell they really, really loved.

Last week, I decided to make it again but this time, add my own flair to it.

So I now present you with my slightly altered version of this dish!

 When I say one pan, I literally mean you make the whole thing in one pan. No boiling pasta in a separate pot, heating up the sauce in a saucepan….. NOPE! All in one. I like easy.

 Ingredients (pictured):

• Olive oil
• 2.5 lbs chicken breast
• 14 oz chicken broth
• 1 lb (1 box) of pasta
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• Can of McCormick Specialty Blends Cajun Seasoning (you can find it at Wal-Mart!!)
• Salt and pepper
• Grated parmasean cheese (the green shaker can is what I used…I know, blasphemy)
• Red peppers (optional)

This recipe feeds two big strong men, and me! =)

Directions:

1. Cut the chicken up into little 1-1.5 inch cubes, season with some salt and pepper, and throw on the frying pan, along with a little bit of olive oil. It only takes about 15 minutes to get them to cook, just be sure to flip them and check them out!
2. Drain any of the juice that comes with cooking chicken this way (there wasn’t too much)
3. Add in the cream, chicken broth, and pasta and stir it all together. This is also where you can add in the Cajun seasoning. I used several shakes of it.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover the pan and reduce the heat to simmer.
5. Simmer about 20 minutes, stirring it occasionally, until pasta is cooked to your desire! (About 15 minutes in, throw in the diced red peppers.)
6. I test a couple of the noodles for firmness and taste. I like to make it a little softer than al dente.
7. Remove from heat and shake out that parmesean cheese! The green can stuff is just convenient, but I’m sure this tastes even better with fresh cheese! Totally up to you how much to use. The recipe I followed calls for 2 cups of it, but I don’t use nearly that much. Again, test for taste!
8. Enjoy!

And because I always like to get a visual to make sure I’m doing everything correctly….

Cooking the chicken

Adding all the ingredients to the pan

Covered and simmering

Close up of the finished product. YUM.