Chicken & Asparagus Alfredo

A new year started with a bang here in OKC.

Well, it started with a slight whimper, but then a few days later we had a BANG! A winter storm hit the city like a ton of bricks, bringing with it my ability to have a normal life outside of work.

I slept on a couch in the office. I powered through hours of news. Countles meals were eaten out of the work vending machines.

The storm only walloped the city for a day and a half, but it felt like much longer. My normal life ceased to exist for those 36 hours. A 60 degree day melted off all remnants of the snow and then everything returned to business as usual.

On Saturday, the cats witnessed their first New Year’s purge. I tend to take all of my Christmas decor down during the first week of January and then get into a frenzy about where to put it all. I have to admit, I amass more Christmas decor throughout the holiday season when I spot stuff I can’t live without. When December 26th finally rolls around, I have no room in my four storage tubs to put it all. Oops.

Enter the 2019 Welcher Purge. We got rid of a dresser and consolidated clothing into one. I torched my closet and bagged up four bags of trash/donation clothes. Comic books were sold. Old gaming systems thrown out. I almost caught the kitchen on fire.

Er, that last part wasn’t supposed to happen. There was a piece of Christmas chex mix under my stovetop burner that caught on fire. You could say Christmas 2018 literally went up in flames.

New Year, new roominess. New space. Less clutter. That was my motto yesterday.

Along with my inherent need for clutterlessness, I’ve started back up on the keto train. It’s 100% been more difficult to get back on it after a two month spree of sweets, Chex mix (traitorous little bastards), and potatoes. I slipped up there for 36 hours when I was left in my office ill-prepared. I’m now committed to seeing this through, and can’t wait for all the cheese that awaits.

One of my first keto meals back this year was this skillet alfredo. Right now is NOT the best time to buy asparagus—it’s thin, stalky and stringy—but you could save this for when it’s more in season in just a few short months. Asparagus is a good substitute for pasta in this dish. Honestly, you won’t even miss the carbs.

A simple alfredo sauce and extra cheese and you’ve got dinner whipped up in no time. This is a good, filling, creamy dish that helps hold over those cravings for people first starting the keto diet.

Enjoy!

Step-By-Step Instructions

Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add chicken and brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from heat.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and boil for 1-2 minutes (asparagus will still be crisp). Drain.

In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in cream and nutmeg, season with salt. Bring to a boil and add parmesan and cream cheese.

Stir until melted. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour asparagus into cast-iron skillet with chicken and then pour alfredo sauce on top.

Top with mozzarella. Bake for 10 minutes until cheese is melted. You can broil the top too for browned cheese. Serve with extra Parmesan.