I love Italian food. The first time I was introduced to the Olive Garden, I thought it was the best place ever. My friend Michelle and I first started going there in middle school. It wasn’t because we heard it was good, but it was located next to the mall, and we could easily take the bus there.

Every time we go, we order the same thing, chicken Alfredo fettuccine, house salad, potato soup, and the garlic bread. And it is always as good as I remember. Even though I’ve been to many Italian places since the Olive Garden, it is still one of my favorite places to go.

But I recently heard from a good friend of mine, who has a cousin that works at the Olive Garden, that all their food is frozen, and they simply heat it up when you order it. I can’t say that I’m surprised. I am fully aware that the Olive Garden is like the fast food of Italian restaurants. So anyways, I figured I should try making chicken fettuccine myself, because how hard can it be if the Olive Garden can do it =)

So I bought all the ingredients, and just threw everything together, and surprisingly it was BETTER than the Olive Garden! I know it doesn’t mean much being better than the Olive Garden, because I’m probably one of the few people that think so highly of it. But even my picky husband, who doesn’t particularly enjoy Italian food, said it was the best chicken fettuccine ever!

And being that I don’t have all the time in the world, I did use some short cuts, like using store bought Alfredo sauce. But in my defense, I do know how to make the real thing from scratch, but why bother when you can buy it!

So here is my Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo recipe:

Ingredients:

Main Ingredient:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces (cut out as much fat as possible)

Fettuccine Alfredo - Stella-style - with some broccoli on the side

Marinade:

• 2 tablespoons garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Other Ingredients:

• 1 package fettuccini noodles
• 1 jar of Classico Alfredo sauce with garlic
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 package sliced white mushrooms

Directions:

1. Cut up the boneless skinless chicken thighs into bite size pieces
2. Add the marinade ingredients and let sit at least 15 mins
3. Heat up a big wok with oil, and add the garlic cloves and fry until a little brown
4. Add the marinated chicken pieces, and stir fry until the chicken is browned and fully cooked
5. Add the mushrooms and stir fry until mushrooms are browned (about 5 mins)
6. Add the jar of Alfredo sauce, and cover with lid on low (once it bubbles then its done)

For the noodles:

1. Boil a pot of water, add in oil and salt
2. Add the dry noodles (I usually need about 2 quarter sizes of noodle bunches for one person)
3. Cook until al dente (meaning until the noodles still have some bounce to them and aren’t too soggy) about 8-10 mins

And that’s all there is to it!