One Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu Alfredo

Martin Luther King Day. No school. The kids were home and the house was loud and I worked from the kitchen table while Noah built something in the garage, Emma directed a one-girl play in the living room for an audience of stuffed animals, and Jack worked on his 4-H garden plan at the other end of my table, occasionally asking me to spell words like "germination" and "phosphorus." He is five. He is asking me to spell phosphorus. I spelled it wrong the first time and he didn't notice, but I corrected myself because misleading a child about phosphorus seemed like a betrayal of trust.

I made a double batch of mac and cheese for lunch — the real kind, not the box kind. Elbow macaroni, a béchamel sauce with sharp cheddar and a little Velveeta (don't judge me — Velveeta melts smooth and I'm not above processed cheese when the outcome justifies it), topped with buttered breadcrumbs and baked until bubbling and golden. Mac and cheese is the one food all three kids agree on without negotiation. It's the United Nations of my kitchen. The peace treaty is made of pasta.

I drove to Grinnell Saturday. Dad was inside, which is unusual — even in January, Roger Weber is usually in the garage or on the porch or somewhere that approximates outside. But it was twelve below and even Roger has limits. He was sitting at the kitchen table with his seed catalogs spread out, planning the 2017 garden the way a general plans a campaign. He had the catalogs bookmarked and annotated. He had a list of varieties. He had opinions about hybrid vigor that I didn't fully understand but nodded along to because you don't interrupt a man who is talking about the thing that keeps him alive.

I brought him a pot of chili and a pan of cornbread and enough frozen meals to stock his freezer for two weeks. He said I bring too much food. I said he doesn't eat enough. He said he eats fine. He does not eat fine. He eats like a man who is cooking for one after fifty years of being cooked for, which is to say he eats toast and scrambled eggs and whatever I bring him and nothing else. I worry about him every day. I worry in the car and at my desk and at the stove and in bed at night. The worrying is constant and useless and I can't stop it because he's my dad and the farm is gone and my mom is ninety minutes away and he's alone.

The double batch of mac and cheese bought peace for exactly one afternoon — which is, honestly, all you can ask. But on the nights when I want that same guaranteed, no-negotiation, everybody-cleans-their-plate energy without heating up the oven, this one-pot Chicken Cordon Bleu Alfredo has become my answer. It’s got the same creamy, cheesy pull as a good béchamel, the ham adds a little something savory and unexpected, and the whole thing comes together in a single pot, which matters a great deal when you’ve already spent most of your emotional labor on phosphorus and seed catalogs.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz deli ham, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
12 oz fettuccine or penne pasta, uncooked
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and black pepper to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Brown the chicken. Heat olive oil and butter in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season chicken pieces generously with salt, pepper, and onion powder. Add chicken in a single layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden on all sides and cooked through, about 6–7 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Soften the garlic. Reduce heat to medium. Add minced garlic to the same pot and cook, stirring constantly, for about 60 seconds until fragrant. Do not let it brown.
Build the liquid base. Pour in the chicken broth, heavy cream, and milk. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.
Cook the pasta. Add the uncooked pasta and stir to submerge. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until pasta is just tender and has absorbed most of the liquid, about 12–14 minutes. The sauce will be loose at first and thicken as it reduces.
Add ham and cheese. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the diced ham and return the cooked chicken to the pot. Add the Swiss and Parmesan cheeses a handful at a time, stirring after each addition until fully melted and the sauce is smooth and creamy. Add dried thyme and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Rest and serve. Remove from heat and let stand for 3–5 minutes — the sauce will continue to thicken as it rests. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve directly from the pot.

Nutrition (per serving)

One Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu Alfredo — The Pasta That Earns Its Place at a Loud, Full Table