Crescent Chicken

1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

8 frozen breaded chicken strips

8 slices precooked bacon

8 slices Cheddar cheese

ranch dressing

Steps

1

Heat oven to 375°F. Line large cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. Separate dough into 8 triangles. Place 1 chicken strip on wide end of each triangle; fold 1 slice bacon in half, placing on top of chicken strip, and add 1 slice of cheese folded into thirds.

2

Roll up each crescent, ending at tip of triangle. Place cheese side up on cookie sheet.

3

Bake 17 to 21 minutes or until deep golden brown and chicken is heated through. Serve warm with ranch dressing.

Comment:  This is really good and so easy to make.  The original recipe called for 4 slices of cheese, but I didn’t read that part and added the whole slice folded into thirds.  A really good mistake!  I loved the slight sweetness from the crescents.  Each ingredient was well blended allowing you to taste each flavor.  This would be great dipped in pizza sauce.

Chicken & Spinach Alfredo

8 oz uncooked spaghetti

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb. chicken tenders (not breaded), cut into 1-inch pieces

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

1 ½ cup chopped spinach

1 jars (16 oz) Alfredo pasta sauce

1 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese, optional
¼ cup Panko

Steps

1 Heat oven to 350°F.

2 Cook pasta as directed on box; drain.

3 Meanwhile, in 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, salt and pepper; cook 6 to 8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Add spinach, saute 2-3 minutes.  Add Alfredo sauce; carefully stir until well blended.

4 Spoon spaghetti evenly into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with non-stick; sprinkle mozzarella cheese over spaghetti.  Evenly spoon Alfredo mix over the cheese. 

5 Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and thoroughly heated.
6 Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and Panko.  Put back in the oven and turn the oven off, allowing the cheese to melt.

Serves 6-8

Comment:  This recipe originally used broccoli, which I can’t eat, so I substituted it with spinach.  I used frozen ‘bag’ spinach which is easier to work with.  The original had everything mixed together and then placed in a baking dish.  I made the separation which made ‘cutting’ a serving so much easier.  I also added the parmesan and panko.  So delicious!  So easy!

Chicken Lazone

2 teaspoons kosher (coarse) salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 lb uncooked chicken breast tenders (not breaded)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup whipping cream

In small bowl, stir together 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 2 teaspoons garlic powder and 2 teaspoons chili powder. Sprinkle over 1 lb uncooked chicken breast tenders (not breaded) to completely coat.

In 10-inch skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the unsalted butter over medium-low or medium heat. Add coated chicken tenders; cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until browned and no longer pink in center. Transfer chicken to plate; set aside.

In same skillet, heat 1 cup whipping cream, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet. Increase heat to simmer or until cream comes to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until cream is reduced by half. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. Season to taste with salt. Return chicken to skillet.
Serves 4

Comments:  I forgot to buy the whipping cream so I used 1 1/4 cups of milk and 1 Tbsp. flour, mixed until smooth and I also added 1/4 cup of soft cream cheese with chives & onions.  I added the cream cheese to the frying pan after taking the chicken out, stirring until melted.  I then added the milk with flour cooking until it started to thicken.  Then I replaced the chicken, heating everything and poured over the pasta.  This dish is different.  I took one bite and wasn't sure I liked it but found myself wanting another bite, then another, then another.  It really is good.

Chicken Spinach Artichoke for One

1 chicken breast, baked
1/4 cup Spinach Artichoke Dip
1/2 cup boiling bag rice, cooked

Preheat oven to 400.  In an ovenproof dish sprayed with non-stick spray, place the rice, top with all but a tablespoon of the Spinach Artichoke Dip on the rice, top with the chicken, top that with the tablespoon of Spinach Artichoke Dip.  Place in the oven 5 minutes or until the dip is hot and lightly melting.

Comment:  This is so easy and so good.  You can actually use deli baked or fried chicken or bake your own.  The dip I buy is in the produce section.  It's creamy and full of chunks of artichoke and lots of spinach.  This is such a simple dish as well as delicious.

Chicken Parmesan

¾ cup panko breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat

4 chicken breast cutlets (4 ounces each, about ½ inch thick), trimmed

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon minced garlic
¼ cup chopped onions (I like red)

1 can cream of chicken soup with herbs
1 soup can of water

¾ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Season chicken with salt & pepper to taste.  Place panko in a shallow dish and dredge cutlets in it, pressing gently to fully coat.

Heat 1½ tablespoons oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat; add half the cutlets and cook until crispy, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with 1½ tablespoons oil and the remaining cutlets.  Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, garlic and onion to the pan; cook, stirring often, until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in soup and water, bring to a boil over medium-high.   Pour into a baking dish sprayed with non-stick.  Nestle the cutlets into the sauce in the pan. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake 15-20 minutes or until bubbly and cheese has melted.

Comments:  Due to a digestive problem I can no longer eat tomatoes but love Chicken Parmesan.  When I ran across a recipe for this delicious dish I decided to make it into one that I could actually eat without the tomatoes.  I did this by simply thinking with my taste buds, substituting the cream of chicken soup for the tomatoes.  And by using the soup with herbs it gave this dish a wonderful taste.  So, even if you still like your Chicken Parmesan with tomatoes, give this one a try too.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Cheezy Chicken Pot Pie

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese

1 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz)

¾ cup milk 

1 small can Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers refrigerated biscuits

2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 cup carrots and peas (drained if using a can)

butter

Hide Images

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.

To large microwavable bowl, add cream cheese and shredded cheese. Microwave uncovered on High 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds, until softened and cheese is starting to melt; add additional 30-second increments as needed. Beat in milk with whisk until mostly smooth; mixture may still be slightly lumpy.  Separate dough into biscuits; cut each into sixths. Gently stir into cream cheese mixture; stir in chicken, carrots and peas. Spoon into baking dish.  Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with small pieces of butter.  Bake until top is golden brown.

Comment:  This dish is simply delicious!  I found a recipe for a cheezy chicken casserole and made my usual changes.  I cut the cheese and biscuits in half, eliminated the onion and ham from the original recipe and added the carrots and peas.  You can use a can of peas and carrots or a cup of frozen peas and carrots.  I’m not saying 1 can of peas and 1 cup of carrots but the combined blend.  The flavors of the cream cheese mixed with the cheese gives this dish the special taste, as does the slight sweetness of the biscuits.  You can make changes by adding back the onions and ham or even some diced potatoes, which I think I would cook until almost done before adding.

Chicken Crescent Roll

2 cans crescent rolls

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ bag (1 lb. pkg) frozen chopped spinach leaves

1 can or jar spaghetti sauce (your choice of taste)

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cooked & shredded

1/2 cup Italian Blend shredded cheese

1/4 cup grated part mozzarella cheese (can use Italian Blend)
Italian seasoning blend

Press the crescent rolls on separate sheets of parchment paper or foil sprayed with oil making sure to seal the seams.  Sprinkle with Italian seasoning blend.  I like using Garlic Tuscan by Kingsford.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the rolls on 2 separate baking dishes.  

Add oil and garlic to a large skillet and cook over low-medium heat, until garlic is slightly golden, about 3 minutes. Be sure to stir it and watch it so that it does not burn.  Add spinach to the skillet and cook over medium-high. Use tongs to toss it. Cook until just wilted, about a minute and a half (you don't want to overcook it or have a lot of liquid released). Add the shredded chicken and spaghetti sauce mixing everything together until everything is coated with the sauce.  

Put half the mixture down the center of both of the crescent dough leaving about 2.5 inches on each side.  Sprinkle the top of the mixture with cheese.  

Bring the sides over the mixture and seal.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.  

Sprinkle the center with a little more cheese and return to oven to melt (about 1 minute).  

Comment:  This dish was originally using puff pastry which if you’ve priced it lately, you’ll agree it can be quite expensive.  I used the crescent rolls (store brand) mainly because that is what I had in my refrigerator.  I’m glad I did.  The crescent roll dough ‘melts in your mouth’ with every bite.  Of course, I changed several ingredients, adding here and there, as well as eliminating a couple of the original ingredients until I came up with this dish.  All 3 of my food testers that had the pleasure of trying this dish loved it. So did I!  When working this up I had no idea it would make enough for 2 dishes and only had 1 roll of crescents, so the remaining half was frozen for another day which I feel will be used very soon. This is a must try dish.

Cauliflower Chicken Cheese Bake

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
1 small head cauliflower, cut into chunks

1/2 red/purple onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup cheddar (shredded, or jack cheese)

Heat large skillet with oil over medium heat. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper. Saute until brown on both sides, adding onions and cauliflower about halfway through.  Add garlic and cook for another minute.  Add sour cream, blending well. Top with shredded cheddar or jack cheese, turn off heat and cover to allow cheese to melt.  Serve when cheese melts.

Comments:  The original recipe called for regular onions, diced, heavy cream and hot peppers.  I added the cauliflower, used sliced red onions and sour cream instead of heavy cream.  I also eliminated the hot peppers using cheddar & pepper jack blend cheese giving it just a slight touch of heat.  This is so good!  You can make changes such as using broccoli, broccoli and cauliflower or maybe even spinach.  Hum, that sounds like a tasty change.  Also, if you want the cheese slightly browned, instead of putting a lid on, put the whole pan under the broiler until lightly browned.

Chicken Spinach Bake

2 to 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise and then into 4 pieces each to form thinner cutlets

2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

1-2 tsp. Garlic & Herb Seasoning or Italian seasonings (your choice of seasonings)

6 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 bag (1 lb.) cut spinach leaves, frozen

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese or Italian Blend

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Sprinkle chicken pieces with seasoning.  Heat oil in non-stick frying pan.  Saute chicken on both sides.  Layer chicken evenly in baking dish.  Add cream cheese over all the tops of chicken.  

In the pan used for the chicken, add the spinach.  Cook until thawed and you aren't seeing any water in the pan.  Place evenly over the cream cheese.  

Top with cheese.  

Bake 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly.  Serves 6

Comment:  The 2 food testers that I took this dish to loved it.  One took a bite when I 1st took it to her while it was still hot and couldn't quit eating.  The other ate her dish for dinner and loved it too.  I was worried about it being dry but I assume there was still some water in the spinach that didn't cook out and maybe the cream cheese added some too.  It wasn't dry at all.  Just delicious.

Chicken, Broccoli, and Wild Rice Casserole

Top of Form

Total Time 45 min
Prep 15 min. Cooking 30 min.
Servings 9 (1 cup each)

12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups frozen broccoli florets

1 tablespoon whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups skim milk

3/4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated, divided

2 cups cooked whole grain wild rice blend

Cooking spray

1/4 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs

Heat oven to 350F. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch cubes. Season with salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

In a large skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring, until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken to a large bowl.

In the same skillet, heat another 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Add garlic, onion, and broccoli. Cook, stirring until onion is soft and broccoli is bright green. Pour into bowl with chicken.

Turn heat to low and add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Sprinkle flour over oil and whisk to make a paste. Slowly add milk, whisking to combine. Stir in cheese and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Remove from heat.

Add rice to chicken and broccoli in the large bowl. Stir to combine. Gently stir in cheese sauce.

Spray a 9x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread rice mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and breadcrumbs.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly. Remove from the oven and serve hot

Comments:  I found this dish on-line and had to give it a try.  The only changes I made were to use a whole medium onion chopped and a frozen package of chopped broccoli, thawed.  My purpose of making this was to take it to a neighbor who's mother was in the hospital.  Well, it made quite a bit so I divided it into 3 casserole dishes.  One medium size and 2 smaller.  I have gotten nothing but raves about this dish from my neighbor, who is also a food tester and another food tester that was lucky enough to enjoy this dish.  It does take some time, but it's worth every minute.

I used a Wild Rice that I've never tried before in this dish.  Its Lundberg Wild Blend Rice.  It contains - Long Grain Brown Rice, Sweet Brown Rice, Wild Rice, Wehani, Red Rice, and Black Rice.  I found this at Walmart and you can bet I'll be buying it again.  

CHICKEN, BROCCOLI, QUINOA CASSEROLE RECIPE

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts (sliced into strips)

1 16 oz bag fresh broccoli florets

1 cup quinoa (uncooked and rinsed)

1 cup 2% milk

3 cups fat free chicken broth

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tsp poultry seasoning

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously mist a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonfat cooking spray.

Place a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat, and pour in 2 cups of the broth and 1/2 cup milk. Bring to a boil, then whisk in the flour, poultry seasoning and remaining 1/2 cup milk. Whisk well until the sauce is creamy and smooth. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Pour into a large bowl.  To the large bowl of sauce, add remaining 1 cup broth and quinoa, and mix well.

Place broccoli florets evenly into baking dish, pour quinoa and sauce mixture over the broccoli.

Season chicken strips with salt and pepper and lay them evenly over top of the casserole.

Cover with foil, and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and stir around a bit.

Return to oven, uncovered this time, and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until chicken is golden brown, and quinoa grains are cooked and tender.

Remove from oven and top with the mozzarella cheese. Bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.  Makes 6 servings – 1 cup each

Comment:  I made this using cooked chicken and it worked great.  The combined flavors of the chicken, broccoli and quinoa are simply delicious.  The 2 food testers that were fortunate enough to try this both loved it.  It does make a lot and I had enough left over for the next day and it was even better reheated.  The flavors had blended and I enjoyed it even more.  I did use colby cheese instead of the mozzarella but that was the only change I made.

Chicken & Dumpling Casserole

1/2 cup butter 1 stick

1 cup small onion chopped

2 ribs celery chopped

3 cups cooked shredded chicken

1 cup Self-Rising Flour

1 cup milk 2% or higher

2 cups chicken broth

1 10.75 oz can cream of chicken soup undiluted

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add chopped onion and celery.

Cook for about 8-10 minutes (until veggies are soft).

Pour the butter and veggie mixture into your prepared baking dish.

Add the chicken in a layer on top of the vegetables.

In a small bowl, combine self-rising flour with milk.

Pour this mixture over chicken (do not stir mixture).

In another small bowl combine the chicken broth with the cream of chicken soup.

Season this with a bit of salt & pepper (optional).

Pour this mixture over the chicken.

Do not mix the layers.

Then bake for about 40-45 minutes or until the casserole is set.

Comment:  This is one of the best recipes I've found in a long time!    The only changes I made was to use rotisserie chicken that was garlic seasoned and I used only 1 cup of chicken broth instead of 2 which turned out perfect.  This is moist, tender, but mostly simply delicious.  This will be a dish I make quite often.  P.S. - add a small can of drained English peas or peas and carrots before adding the chicken layer for a chicken pot pie!

Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Wild Rice Casserole

12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups frozen broccoli florets

1 tablespoon whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups skim milk

3/4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated, divided

2 cups cooked whole grain wild rice blend

Cooking spray

1/4 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs

Heat oven to 350F. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch cubes. Season with salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

In a large skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring, until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken to a large bowl.

In the same skillet, heat another 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Add garlic, onion, and broccoli. Cook, stirring, until onion is soft and broccoli is bright green. Pour into bowl with chicken.

Turn heat to low and add remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Sprinkle flour over oil and whisk to make a paste. Slowly add milk, whisking to combine. Stir in cheese and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Remove from heat.

Add rice to chicken and broccoli in the large bowl. Stir to combine. Gently stir in cheese sauce.

Spray a 9x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread rice mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and breadcrumbs.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly. Remove from the oven and serve hot

Comment:  This is totally delicious!  I did make one change.  I sprinkled mine with French fried onions instead of the panko breadcrumbs.  So, so good.  And healthy too.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 9 servings (1 cup each)
Amount per serving
Calories	218
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g	10%
Saturated Fat 3g	15%
Cholesterol 34mg	11%
Sodium 189mg	8%
Total Carbohydrate 22g	8%
Dietary Fiber 3g	11%
Total Sugars 4g
Includes 0g Added Sugars	0%
Protein 17g
Vitamin D 1mcg	5%
Calcium 146mg	11%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 283mg	6%

Chicken Mac & Cheese

This recipe is one that has no specific measurements.  You'll need:

Chicken carcass
Noodles
Cheese

I bought a rotisserie chicken a few days ago and after pulling most of the meat off for sandwiches and chicken salad I noticed there was still some left on the bones.  I placed my carcass in a pot, covered it with water, brought it to a boil and then reduced the heat to slow boil.  When the rest of the meat fell off the bone I removed the bones and added noodles to my water.  When the noodles were done I added cheese making - Chicken Mac & Cheese

If you're not sure how much liquid you might need for your noodles, read the package directions and use the amount required for the amount of noodles you plan to use.  If you don't have enough chicken after boiling the carcass, add a little from what you pulled off earlier.  And for the cheese, I cheddar and colby adding as much as I wanted for my taste.  This turned out simply delicious!

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

3 cans cream of chicken soup
3 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into small pieces
2 large or 4 med. potatoes, cut into small chunks
1 1/2 cup cream
2-3 carrots peeled and sliced thin
1 small can English Peas drained
1 large can Crescent Rolls
butter

In a large, oven-proof frying pan mix soup and cream.  Over medium heat bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly.  Add chicken, potatoes, carrots, and peas.  Cover and simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender, stirring frequently.

While cooking, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  After vegetables are cooked tender top mixture with unrolled crescents.  These can overlap if needed.  Bake 10 minutes or until rolls are starting to brown.  Top with butter and continue to cook until butter melts and the crescents are golden brown.  Serves 6-8.

Martha:  I found the recipe for Skillet Chicken Pot Pie in a cookbook and made a few changes.  It called for a 26 oz. can of cream of chicken soup, I used 3 10 oz. cans.  It called for 1 cup of cream, I used 1 1/2 cups.  It called for an onion diced, I omitted this and added the English peas.  It called for biscuits and I used the Crescent which was a wonderful change!  The slight sweetness of the crescents worked perfectly.  I also added the butter during the last few minutes of baking.  This dish has to be the best Chicken Pot Pie I've ever eaten!  Yes it's that good and if you don't believe me you should ask my food testers that were served this dish.

Chicken Parmesan

2 cups spaghetti sauce
4 fully cooked breaded chicken cutlets
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 ounces)
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 lb. spaghetti
1 cube Land O Lake Sauté Express garlic & herb

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread 1 cup of the sauce in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Place the chicken cutlets over the sauce. Top each cutlet with 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Spoon 1/4 cup of the remaining sauce down the center of each cutlet. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Bake at for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese melts and the sauce is hot and bubbling.  While baking cook spaghetti by package directions.  When done, drain.  While still hot add Sauté Express, stirring to melt.  Serve cutlets over spaghetti.  Serves 4

Martha:  This dish is so good.  The Land O Lake Saute Express was a big hit for me when I added it to the spaghetti.  It is strong in the garlic flavor so you can cut it down to maybe ½ a cube.  But my food lovers didn’t appear to have a problem with the added garlic, they wanted seconds.  You can also let it soften and spread it over bread you’re toasting to go with your dish.  For changes in this dish, you can actually use breaded beef instead of the chicken.  This is a really quick and easy dish to make that even the kids will love.

Tips:  to keep pasta warm, return the hot drained pasta to the hot cooking pan and cover it.  To avoid overcooking the pasta and to prevent sticking, hold the hot pasta no longer than 10 minutes and stir it once or twice.

Chicken Cheese Ravioli

4   ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
1 1/2  cups milk
1  cup grated Parmesan cheese
2  cups cooked chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1  cup frozen broccoli, thawed & drained (chopped or florets)
1  box (7 oz.) Parmesan cheese filled Ravioli, cooked according to package directions

Heat the cream cheese and milk in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes.  Add the chicken, broccoli and ravioli to the skillet and toss to coat.  Heat through. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve immediately.

Martha:  I found a recipe for Chicken Parmesan that used canned chicken and egg noodles.  I use canned chicken only when I have to so since I had plenty of chicken in the freezer I cooked up a couple breast halves and used that instead.  I had egg noodles but when I spotted a box of ravioli with parmesan cheese I decided to make the change.  The original also called for English peas which I substituted with broccoli.  I didn't cook my broccoli because I like the crunch and taste.  You could use fresh broccoli with this and make it even better but at the time I only had frozen.  This dish turned out wonderful!  The combination of the different flavors was balanced perfectly.  You can, of course, make your own changes or go back to the original recipe using the noodles and peas.    

Food Tester Carol:  Whenever I have eaten Alfredo sauce dishes in the past, I feel discomfort from their richness and heaviness later.  Martha’s Alfredo recipe is lighter than usual.  It is made with milk and cream cheese instead of the traditional heavy cream.  The cheese ravioli rounds out the dish and provides a tangy counterpoint to the cream cheese in the Alfredo sauce.  The broccoli in this dish is not pre-cooked so it  maintains some crunch as it warms in the sauce.  Be prepared for the excitement of following the varying subtlety of flavor.  Eat this dish slowly so that you can appreciate its depth of flavor. 

Lillian:  Wonderful!  I love Alfredo Sauce but limit myself to once or twice a year of indulging because of the richness and high fat content.  This is marvelous and, since I only use the 1/3 fat cream cheese, it is even healthier.  Martha, you have created a real winner.!

Tips:  All olive oils are not the same.  This versatile oil, made form pressed olives, is sold by grade from “pure” (a blend of lower and higher-quality oils) to “extra virgin” (the richest in aroma and flavor).  Color also indicates a flavor difference.  Green to greenish gold olive oil tastes slightly sharp.  Golden olive oil has a more delicate flavor.