By now, you’re all aware that I love spicy food, so when I learned that there was an entire branch of hot Italian sauces literally called “Devil Monk” or Fra Diavolo, I knew what I had to do. Originally, the plan was to make a tomato-based sauce, but I had a few cups of heavy cream left in a carton rapidly approaching its expiration date, so one block of Parmesan cheese later I ended up with Alfredo instead. It was delicious, and probably even better than a “regular” pasta sauce! Despite never making anything like this before (and having almost no experience cooking Italian cuisine in general), I’d consider this recipe a rousing–albeit nontraditional–success!
This recipe makes four servings.
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 12 oz (about 6 cups) pasta
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp sugar
- 8 tbsp (1 stick) butter
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp basil
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp black pepper
Directions:
- Prepare pasta according to package instructions.
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Slice bell peppers into halves.
- Toss halved bell peppers and whole cherry tomatoes in olive oil, garlic powder, and sugar. Spread both onto a large baking sheet, with the peppers skin-side up.
- Roast peppers and tomatoes for 20 minutes, or until the skin has begun to lightly brown and wrinkle.
- Remove, roughly chop into bite-sized pieces, and set aside.
- Slice chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, about 1 inch.
- In a large pot or deep-walled skillet pan, add butter, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Heat on low until the butter has completely melted but not bubbling or browned.
- Add chicken to skillet and raise heat to medium/medium-high. Cook for about 10-12 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Reduce heat back to low. Add heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, stirring to combine. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until all cheese has melted and a creamy sauce has begun to form.
- Add spinach, red peppers, and tomatoes, stirring to coat. Cover and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted.
- Remove from heat and stir in cooked pasta. Serve topped with additional Parmesan cheese!
This recipe keeps for 4-5 days in the fridge, and reheats great in the microwave!
Chicken Fra Diavolo Alfredo Pasta
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 12 oz pasta
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups Parmesan cheese shredded
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp sugar
- 8 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp basil
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package instructions.
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Slice bell peppers into halves.
- Toss halved bell peppers and whole cherry tomatoes in olive oil, garlic powder, and sugar. Spread both onto a large baking sheet, with the peppers skin-side up.
- Roast peppers and tomatoes for 20 minutes, or until the skin has begun to lightly brown and wrinkle.
- Remove, roughly chop into bite-sized pieces, and set aside.
- Slice chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, about 1 inch.
- In a large pot or deep-walled skillet pan, add butter, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Heat on low until the butter has completely melted but not bubbling or browned.
- Add chicken to skillet and raise heat to medium/medium-high. Cook for about 10-12 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Reduce heat back to low. Add heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, stirring to combine. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until all cheese has melted and a creamy sauce has begun to form.
- Add spinach, red peppers, and tomatoes, stirring to coat. Cover and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted.
- Remove from heat and stir in cooked pasta. Serve topped with additional Parmesan cheese!
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