Chicken Penne Alfredo

One of my daughter's favorite thing to eat is pasta with alfredo sauce. I mean, I don't really blame her...the sauce is creamy, smooth, and has a nice cheesy taste from the parmesan. I usually like to mix it up and use a total of 3 different types of cheeses (cream cheese, parmesan, and monterrey jack) but since I only had parmesan in my fridge, that's what I went with in the recipe. If I'm being honest, I'm actually not too fond of too much parmesan, but that's just my personal preference. You are more than welcome to use any cheese combination, you'd like!

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 pound of penne noodles (cooked according to the packaging)

5-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs

salt

black pepper

garlic powder

onion powder

Italian seasoning

FOR THE ALFREDO SAUCE:

1 stick (4 ounces) of unsalted butter

1 block (8 ounces) of softened/cubed cream cheese

1 pint of heavy cream

5 ounces of freshly grated parmesan

1/4 tsp of garlic powder

1/4 tsp of onion powder

1/4 tsp of sugar

salt

black pepper

white pepper

ADDITIONAL GARNISH:
cilantro


INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook your pasta according to the packaging. Drain well, and drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil and toss to coat.
2. Wash and pat dry your chicken. Season lightly with salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
3. With a skillet on medium high heat, drizzle in some extra virgin olive oil. Carefully add in your chicken with the seasoned side, down. Season the other side of the chicken, cover (but leave a slight crack), turn down heat to medium, and cook for 5 minutes. Flip over chicken, slightly cover again, and cook for an additional 5 more minutes, or until done. Remove and allow to rest before slicing.
4. In a small saucepan on medium heat, add in your stick of butter. Once melted, add in your cream cheese. Stir using a wooden spoon, until it almost resembles cottage cheese.
5. Switch to a wire whisk, and pour in your heavy cream. Whisk until almost smooth and most of the cream cheese has melted. It should take a few minutes. (Do not let this mixture come to a hard boil.)
6. Add in your parmesan and whisk until smooth. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, white pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and sugar. Keep whisking until sauce is smooth and has thickened to liking.
7. Slice up your chicken.
8. Add some penne onto a plate (reheat in microwave if necessary), top with alfredo sauce, and top with your sliced chicken. Garnish with cilantro. ENJOY!