This was a bit of comfort food I kind of winged and kind of cheated on (who has time to make Alfredo sauce from scratch?). It was also a great recipe for what I like to call “cooking in spurts” – when I only have a few minutes here and there in the kitchen so I do little tasks throughout the day.
First I roasted 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. I set them in a glass baking dish and stuffed fresh sage and thyme under the skin. I dusted the tops with salt and pepper. Then I baked them at 350°F for about 45 minutes, until the skin was crispy and the juices ran clear.
Then I turned on the broiler and roasted 2 whole red peppers, turning them every 5 minutes or so, for about 20 minutes, until the skin was blackened. I let that cool for a while.
Then I came back and pulled the skin off and discarded the seeds and stem. Then I went away again.
Coming back in, I sliced up half a package of white mushrooms and sautéed them in butter and olive oil on medium heat until brown and starting to crisp. I removed them from the heat and went away again. I’m a busy person.
Then I decided to actually get on with the business of cooking dinner. So I diced up a sweet onion and chucked that in a large frying pan with some butter and olive oil.
I sautéed that on medium heat until the little onion pieces turned translucent, then I chucked in a few teaspoons minced garlic, as well as some salt and pepper.
While that was going on, I pulled apart the chicken thighs and shredded the meat with a fork. I saved some of the nice fatty juices that came out of them, to add flavour to the sauce. I also saved the little bits of herb I’d roasted under the skin.
As well, I diced the roasted peppers.
And brought a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. I used a four-cheese tortellini here, because I like how filling it is.
While the water was starting to get its boil on, I chucked the chicken (and reserved juices/herbs), peppers, and mushrooms into the pan with the onions and garlic.
Then I dumped in a jar of pre-made alfredo sauce. I always add a little bit of water to the empty jar and give it a swish to get everything left.
I stirred that for about 5 minutes at medium heat until everything started to bubble and smell amazing.
I reduced the heat to low while I cooked the pasta according to the package directions. I drained the pasta and dumped it into the pan with the sauce.
And then we ATE THE WHOLE THING. That’s a lie. We didn’t. Not all in one sitting, are you crazy? But I had seconds.
Sounds really good! I’ll have to try it.
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Looks great! I’ve never roasted 4 chickens at once – how big were they? But I have roasted 2 big chickens at the same time. This cooking style fits my schedule – I’m in and out a lot!
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Haha, I only roasted the thighs, not four whole chickens … though now that you’ve mentioned it I wish I had an oven that big!
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I totall misread that! I thought maybe they were those cornish hens and I was still a little sleepy when I read your post. Haha!!
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I bet it would be good with hens, though I’d hire out for a minion to remove all the little bones …
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It was a full time operation roasting two chickens at once but my men here have big appetites!
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I hear you. Males certainly do eat quite a bit!
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Oh my god! It’s only 9am but that looks amazing! I’d eat it now if you deliver! 🙂
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Absolutely. Please send 1 million dollars for delivery charges! 🙂
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I love any recipe that includes roasted red peppers so this one really stood out to me! I don’t care for mushrooms, do you have a good recommendation of what I could substitute?
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Hmm … Maybe some cauliflower?
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Sounds good!
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yum yum, alfredo!
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It looks so delicious!
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