Dish of the Week: Cajun Chicken Alfredo

This weeks dish is Guy Fieri's Cajun Chicken Alfredo. I made this once before and was told by my sister's boyfriend Jesse that it's amazing! I decided to make this for Steph and Nick's baby shower this past Sunday.

Ingredients:
4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup blackening spice (recommended: Paul Prudhomme's Chicken)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cooked fettuccine
1/2 cup sliced scallions

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Dredge the chicken breasts in the blackening spice and place in a cast iron skillet over very high heat. Blacken both sides of the chicken and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Slice in strips on the bias and set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and the chicken slices. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half.

When the cream sauce is to desired consistency, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, and pasta.

Nest the pasta on large rimmed plates, pour sauce over pasta, and garnish with scallions and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

The Verdict:
Like I said this isn't the first time I made this dish but it was a dish that the Doc and I really enjoyed. I also got rave reviews from my family who enjoyed the leftovers. My sister gave this a 5 star rating until she realized that the *red things* she ate were not bell peppers but sun-dried tomatoes. Somehow that warranted a drop in her rating from a 5 to a 4.5. I told her she could have just picked them out like I do. There is really no pleasing her so the fact that she even gave it a 4.5 is pretty amazing!

I never use heavy cream just because of the fat content and generally substitute for half & half or whole milk. The first time I used a combination of milk and fat free half & half (just because that is what I had in the house). This past Sunday I used a combination of milk and light cream.

The first time I made this dish using Emeril's Bayou Blast Essence and the Sunday I used the recommended Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic . The difference I found between the two seasons was the heat factor. I found that the dish had a little less of a kick when I used the Poultry Magic. Both were very good so I would just use whatever one is on sale or cheaper!