I need to begin today’s DoAhead Dining post with the honest admission that what I really want to share was a recipe for an amazing chocolate bundt cake. However, I realized that the past two recipes were “sweet’s”. (Mashed Banana Cookies and Caramel Dip.) In the event you live off of more than desert I thought I’d better post a recipe for a “real meal”

This recipe is a gem I found off of the website smashedpeasandcarrots.com. I’ll make note of the modifications we made (There are a couple of plain Jane eaters in my tribe!)

Crock-Pot Chicken Alfredo

Ingredients:

4 medium Chicken Breasts

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

1/2 cup Italian Dressing

1 tsp Garlic Salt (original recipe called for 2 cloves of minced Garlic)

1 small can of sliced Mushrooms (drained)

1 8 oz. block of Cream Cheese

1/2 to 1 bag of frozen peas or broccoli (We omitted this ingredient. The plain Janes would’ve rebelled. Instead, I steamed fresh broccoli and made it available to those who wanted to top their Alfredo with a splash of green.)

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Place the chicken breasts in crock-pot and then add the soup, dressing, garlic and mushrooms. (If you want SUPER tender chicken use a pressure cooker and steam the chicken for 10 minutes first. I only do this when I have time but when its an option I never regret it. The meat will fall apart in your mouth.)

Cover and cook this mixture on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Twenty minutes prior to serving, remove the chicken and cut or shred it, then return it to the crock-pot. Add the block of cheese and stir until it’s fully melted and mixed.

Prior to the process of cutting the meat and mixing in the cheese I start the water boiling to cook my pasta of choice. (We are big fans of Rotini. The Rotini did an excellent job of “holding” the sauce. The end result was more Alfredo with every bite and that’s a good thing.)

I mentioned above that we steamed our broccoli separately. If your tribe will eat it mixed in you’ll want to add it to your noodles a few minutes prior to their completion. Drain your noodle/vegetable combination and top with the Chicken Alfredo.

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My kids are spoiled by their Aunt who happens to make a Chicken Alfredo that is the bomb.  I was shocked when they said this recipe was a close second. That’s sayin’ something!

Enjoy your DoAhead crock-pot meal. And remember——–use that extra minute or two you acquired from DoingAhead to relish the people you will be sharing the meal with!

Your DoAhead Friend,