Between the decadent Thanksgiving meals many of us enjoy and the lavish spread at Christmas time—the end of the year is a good time to enjoy delicious food!

With the cooler (and in some places, downright colder) weather, warm, savory, comfort foods make the perfect ending to a lovely brisk day.

The last time I shared a recipe was back in January (2017)...YIKES! I promise that doesn't mean we haven't been eating, it just means I haven't been diligent with documenting my cooking. Oh well!

The good news is this dish is the ultimate parmesan party in your mouth! Freshly grated parmesan cheese plays an irreplaceable role in both the chicken bake and the Alfredo sauce.

This is NOT a vegetarian or vegan friendly dish...sorry. BUT it is a dish that my fellow Italian food and cheese lovers will enjoy! Sooooo scrumptious! Seriously, this Alfredo sauce is so good, you'll want to drink it like soup! Or maybe it's just me?

In any case it's a great meal that will leave you satisfied, and excited about leftovers!

ITALIAN CHICKEN BAKE

with HOMEMADE ALFREDO SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. pasta of your choice (I used whole wheat egg noodles)

For the Italian Chicken Bake

1 lb. boneless, skinless, orgain Chicken Breasts, diced

1 single container Greek Yogurt (or 3/4 cup mayonnaise)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Salt, to taste or (1/2 teaspoon)

Black Pepper, to taste (or 1/2 teaspoon)

3 garlic cloves, minced

Red Pepper Flakes, to taste (or 1/2 teaspoon)

1/2 cup Traditional Bread Crumbs

Italian Seasoning, to taste (or 1/2 teaspoon)

***Or use Italian Bread Crumbs

For the Alfredo Sauce

4 tablespoons Butter

4 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 pint (or 2 cups) Heavy Cream

White Pepper, to taste (or 1/2 teaspoon)

Black Pepper, to taste (or 1/2 teaspoon)

Salt, to taste (or 1/2 teaspoon)

1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

STEPS

First, the Italian Chicken Bake

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish and place diced chicken evenly on the bottom.

2. In a small bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

3. Evenly spread mixture on top of the chicken, coating the top of the chicken entirely.

4. Sprinkle bread crumbs and Italian seasoning on top of the mixture.

5. Place dish in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Then, while the chicken is baking with about 15 minutes left...

6. Cook pasta according to directions on the package.

And, for the Alfredo Sauce

7. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat melt butter. Add garlic, cream, pepper (white and black), and salt.

8. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 8 minutes.

*8a. This is a good time to drain your pasta, if you haven't done so already.

9. Remove from the heat and slowly add cheese.

10. Return to stove on low and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

11. Share out some pasta. Use a slotted spoon to scoop chicken on top of the pasta.

12. Top with Alfredo Sauce

13. Indulge in all this deliciousness! Oops, I mean...ENJOY! ;-)

NOTES

I combined two recipes to create this yummy dish! The chicken recipe is from The Cookin' Chicks and the Alfredo recipe is a slight variation of one from Chef-In-Training.
I opted to use Greek Yogurt rather than mayonnaise for two reasons: 1st the protein content; plain Greek Yogurt has 16g of protein! Making it the more nutritious of the two options. 2nd I'm not a big fan of mayonnaise and I couldn't wrap my mind around combining a lot of mayonnaise with raw chicken. :Makes up face: (But if mayo is your thing, more power to you!)
This is obviously not the healthiest dish, especially in terms of fat content, BUT to make it more nutritious you could blend raw oats and use that as a replacement for traditional bread crumbs.
The original Alfredo sauce recipe, I pulled from called for 1/2 cup (or 8 tablespoons) of butter! That's a lot of butter! I used half the amount and it still came out perfectly. But as always, the choice is yours.
If you're going to have leftovers, I suggest NOT combining the pasta with the Alfredo sauce. Keep and store the Alfredo sauce separately so you can reheat it on the stove. You need to reheat it on the stove because it will separate once cooled in the refrigerator.

So...are you ready to get this parmesan party started? Your mouth and tummy will thank you! Test it out for yourself and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Happy Eating!!

Parmesan Party: Italian Chicken Bake with Homemade Alfredo (Recipe)