chicken alfredo

I mentioned in the banana muffin post that I was trying to eat less carbs lately. The new year is upon us, and I gotta tell ya, nothing feels better than abstaining from grain. It started as a weight loss strategy, and after losing 40 pounds this year (round of applause, thank you very much, gush and blush etc), I figure I'd commit to it for as long as I can, that is, until it causes me problems. I think very fast about lots of things all at once, and this mental disposition tends to distract me from my daily tasks. It wasn't until after eating under 20g of carbs a day last spring (keto diet, look into it for stupid weight shedding) that I noticed my ability to sit down and focus on my work dramatically improved. I vaguely remember reading some research fragment linking carbs to distraction, with parents of ADHD kids following the same diet as epileptics with unimaginably successful results. This sounds cultish, I know, but it's not dangerous, and is delicious, without any additional effort involved other than preparing your own meals and taking the bun off of burgers. oh, and no more pbr. or pizza. or pasta. which are all difficult to psychologically distance myself from, but hardly impossible and entirely worth it.

This dish is one of my comfort meals. I remember my mom making portobello alfredo when I was in the 7th grade, and loved how it smelled, the subtle mushroom and cream almost like a soothing lullaby, if that makes sense. I feel lulled by this dish. The smell makes me roll my eyes closed and smile. Hers went all gray the next day in the fridge, I'd pick out mushroom caps and long  linguine and shove it in my maw, fingers caked with pasty chilled gray sauce. It's funny how things like that stick in the memory. I make the pasta for the kid and the fella, but stick it on the side.

I use thighs for my chicken recipes, preferably with the bone and skin. The flavor is insane, and the meat stays juicy. I think it's cheaper than its skinned and boned counterpart, too, and thigh costs MUCH less than breast. This morning, after I walked Mr. Chubbs, I tossed six thawed thighs into a freezer bad and poured in a marinade i improvized -- oil, vinegar, curry powder (i was out of cumin and there's a ton of it in my red curry powder), salt and pepper, basil, thyme, onion and garlic powder, paprika -- shook the shit out of the bag and shoved it in the fridge until dinner time. Marinade is easy, use oil, and acid like vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce, and some flavor. You can marinate in sour cream and milk, too, which is so freaking delicious. Keep it simple but don't be afraid to throw your whole spice cabinet in there, or keep it plain. There are tons of marinade recipes online, from teriyaki to a bottle of italian dressing. Marinate for at least two hours so it can work its way into the meat.

I have a stovetop cast iron grill that takes up two burners, and I love it. On the grooved side, I turn the heat on medium-low and flick some water on it. If it sizzles, it's ready. I coat the pan in oil before adding the thighs, skin down, then leave them alone for like ten minutes. I'm sure I could look up how long to cook the chicken, but really I just eye it and flip it when it's blackened. When the other side looks dark, I cut into the biggest piece to make sure there's no pink and the juices run clear before turning off the heat. I leave the chicken on there, though.

While the chicken cooks, I nuke some frozen broccoli and sautee portobellos in bacon grease with garlic and onion. I throw in a little sea salt to add to the flavors, and once the mushrooms are browned, I add a little water and scrape the bottom of the pan. You can use wine or broth to deglaze for extra flavor. I need to make broth so bad. I've got tons of bones and onion peels in my freezer. I may do that tomorrow. While the broth reduces, chop the thawed broccoli into forkable pieces before adding to the mushrooms. Pour some alfredo sauce over that, stir and turn the heat to low for a few minutes to marry the flavor. If you use the jar alfredo, after pouring, add a tiny bit of water to the jar, cap and shake, and pour in. The jar I used was 14 carbs for the entire jar, which isn't bad. I usually make my own sauce, but i am so broke right now, I could only spare the buck fifty on a jar of bertoli instead of twice that for heavy cream and cream cheese. Still damn good though.

I rip the bones out of the thighs and stick them in my freezer for broth, then peel off the skin for Cheebs, which makes him quite happy, before slicing up the meat and tossing it in the alfredo mix. And that's chicken alfredo! Serve noodles on the side, they can boil while you cook the rest of it. You can do garlic cheese bread and a salad, too, but I just eat the chicken and veg and cream. Takes me back! But it doesn't turn gray, it goes kind of orange. Weird. I'd like to add roasted red peppers, too, it's very good in this and the color is insane. Enjoy!