Chicken and Asparagus Penne with a Light Garlic Alfredo Sauce

My husband isn't a broccoli fan, so the traditional chicken and broccoli alfredo just doesn't happen here. But we love asparagus, so we decided to go with that. I have never made alfredo from scratch, but I couldn't bring myself to dump a ton of cream in it today. So I lighted it up with milk and chicken broth but its still creamy and plenty hearty.

I prefer to cut my chicken raw (I use kitchen shears) and then cooking it. Its just faster and you don't have to wait for it to cool. If you prefer cooking it whole, go for it.

Chicken and Asparagus Penne with a Light Garlic Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 tbsp oil

1/2 tbsp butter

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

2 garlic cloves

1 lb asparagus, tough ends up off, cut into 1 inch pieces

12 oz of penne (we used whole wheat)

Sauce:

1 tbsp butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups milk

1 cup chicken broth 

3 heaping tbsp flour

salt and pepper

2oz cream cheese

1/2 cup parmesan

Heat up a skillet on medium. Melt butter and oil. Add garlic and chicken. Cook until done. 8-12 minutes.

Meanwhile,  cook the pasta. Once done and drained, refill the pot with a couple inches of water, salt heavily, and bring to rapid boil. Add asparagus and boil 2-3 minutes. Drain and shock in ice water. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat a sauce pan over medium. Add butter and garlic. Cook until brown. Careful not to burn. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add milk and broth. Whisk together and cook until bubbling and thickened. You can whisk in another tbsp flour if needed. Add cream cheese. Whisk until blended. Once ready to serve, remove from heat and stir in parmesan. Add salt and pepper as needed (depends on how salty the broth was.

Toss the pasta, asparagus, chicken, and sauce together.