Easy Weeknight Dinner: No-Guilt Creamy Chicken Alfredo

I’m sure that you can’t wait to find out about the ingredients for this recipe, so, I will skip the usual introductions, prologues and opening sentences and will get straight to the point: this recipe uses a can of evaporated milk and a little yellow mustard instead of the regular heavy cream! I promise you the sauce is still thick and delicious, very much like the classic Chicken Alfredo!  If my calculations are correct, substituting a cup of heavy cream with evaporated milk lowers the calories by about 60%, so it’s absolutely worth it!

The recipe is super easy, and requires very few ingredients, making this dish perfect for a busy family weeknight dinner, but still fancy enough to share with friends over a semi-formal gathering.

I’m serving it today with tagliatelle ~ white and spinach ~ and it is quite the perfect combination. Alternatively, use penne pasta or rice ~ the kids will also love rotini.

Choose between chicken breast or chicken thighs, or combine both, but definitely use skinless and boneless meat. To bring the prep time down, and cut down on cleaning time {who likes to clean utensils and surfaces after cutting raw chicken?} ask your butcher to cut the chicken in pieces to the desired size.

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 1½ pound (about 700 g) chicken – breast, thighs or both – boneless and skinless, cut in cubes about 1½ inches (4 cm)
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)
• 3 tablespoons mild yellow mustard
• salt, pepper
• minced parsley
• freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a non-stick medium size skillet.
2. Sauté onion until golden.
3. Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper.
4. Cook the chicken until almost done, about 15 minutes.
5. Add the mustard and the the evaporated milk into the skillet and cook for about 3-4 minutes until chicken is fully cooked.
6. Serve with freshly ground pepper, parsley and Parmigiano Reggiano.
7. Enjoy!