Questions Answered: Creamy Chicken Alfredo

Jacquelyn wrote in this morning with a special request:

"Hey wondering if you can help me out?  My daughter has made a birthday dinner request, and I want to keep it on ML plan as much as I can for her.  She wants grilled chicken and broccoli Alfredo.  Got any ideas for the sauce?  HELP!  It is the only thing she has asked for, and it's her sweet 16..."   ~ Jacquelyn

No worries, Jacquelyn!  Happy to help!  Below you'll find my signature Creamy Chicken Alfredo recipe.  I hope your daughter enjoys it and has a wonderful Sweet 16!

To make this dish, it’s super helpful to have a spiralizer.  This magical little kitchen tool lets you turn any veggie or fruit (zucchinis, carrots, sweet potatoes, jicama, beets, apples) into thin, pasta-like strands.  This particular model that I've linked above (World Cuisine brand) is the best one I have tested myself and the one I use personally.  I love that it comes with many various attachments, so you control the shape and thickness of your noodles.  For this recipe, I usually go with the medium width flat blade, to resemble fettuccine noodles.  You can use spiralized veggies as a pasta base with any kind of sauce or as a quick and easy way to prepare your veggies for a salad.  If you don’t have a spiralizer, fear not!  You can get away with thin slicing the zucchini with a peeler or grating it.

I will often serve this dish, believe it or not, with plain almond flour scones with plenty of butter (recipe can be found in my Mother's Day e-book) as they're great for dipping in the Alfredo sauce!  I also pair it with a hearty leaf salad (kale, spinach, romaine) with a sun-dried tomato basil dressing.

Healing Cuisine's Creamy Chicken Alfredo
Makes 6 Servings

ALFREDO SAUCE
2 cups organic unsweetened almond milk (plain)
2/3 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
1/2 cup raw Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos
3 Tbsp raw unsalted butter
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Pinch nutmeg
2-4 cloves garlic, to taste
Sea salt, to taste
Fresh black pepper, to taste

3-4 free-range boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and sliced
3/4 cup organic peas, fresh or frozen
4 organic medium zucchini, spiraled
1 1/2 cups organic broccoli florets, chopped

1.)  Drain and rinse the cashews.  Add all Alfredo Sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until very smooth.  You may need to scrape down sides a few times, and will take about 10 minutes on High to blend smooth.  Taste sauce and adjust seasonings as you go along (sea salt, pepper and garlic).

2.)  In a medium saucepan, pour in the blended Alfredo Sauce.  Heat over Medium-Low, stirring often, until thickened (about 8-15 minutes).

3.)  Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring some water to a boil.  Drop in broccoli florets and cook for 5 minutes.  Add in zucchini noodles and peas for an additional 4-5 minutes.  Drain immediately and drop blanched veggies into a large skillet.

4.)  Turn on heat under skillet to Medium.  Add in chicken.  Top with sauce and toss everything together to coat and combine.  Heat thru.  Taste once more before serving and adjust sea salt and pepper to your liking.