Last Updated on November 10, 2025 by Daily News Staff

Learning to Cook Starts Here: Easy Chicken Alfredo for Beginners

If you’ve ever stared at your stove wondering “Where do I even start?”, you’re not alone. Cooking doesn’t have to be intimidating, expensive, or complicated. In fact, the more you cook, the more confidence you’ll build — and the more money you’ll save.

You don’t need fancy gadgets or culinary school training. You just need a few basic ingredients, a little time, and a willingness to learn. Let’s start with something simple, comforting, and delicious: Chicken Alfredo made with a jar of sauce and a handful of easy-to-find ingredients.

This recipe will teach you essential kitchen skills — boiling pasta, cooking chicken, and combining everything into a hearty meal that tastes like restaurant comfort food (without the $20 plate price tag).

🧂 What You’ll Need:

• 1 lb (about 2 medium) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
• 8 ounces fettuccine or any pasta you like
• 1 jar (14–16 oz) Alfredo sauce
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional but adds extra flavor)
• Fresh parsley or basil for garnish (optional)

🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Boil the Pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt — this makes your pasta taste better.

Add the pasta and cook it according to the package instructions (usually around 8–10 minutes).

Once it’s tender but not mushy, drain it and set it aside.

📝 Tip: Don’t toss the pasta water down the drain too quickly! A small splash of it can help loosen your sauce later.

Step 2: Cook the Chicken

Pat your chicken dry with a paper towel — this helps it brown instead of steam.

Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil or butter.

When the pan is hot, lay the chicken in gently (you should hear a sizzle).

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Cook for about 5–7 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through.

Remove from the pan and let it rest for a few minutes, then slice it into strips or cubes.

📝 Tip: Cutting into the chicken right away makes the juices run out — letting it rest keeps it juicy!

Step 3: Warm the Sauce

In the same skillet, pour in your jar of Alfredo sauce.

Turn the heat to medium-low and stir until warm.

If it seems too thick, add a splash of milk or cream.

📝 Bonus Tip: You can add minced garlic or a small handful of shredded cheese to make your sauce taste more “homemade.”

Step 4: Combine and Serve

Add your cooked pasta and sliced chicken to the pan of Alfredo sauce.

Stir everything together until coated evenly and heated through.

Top with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley if you have it.

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Congratulations — you just made Chicken Alfredo from start to finish!

💡 Cooking Confidence Tip:

Cooking at home is one of the best ways to save money. A single restaurant plate of Chicken Alfredo can cost $15–$20. Making it yourself? Around $3–$4 per serving.

The more often you cook, the less you’ll rely on takeout — and soon you’ll be tweaking recipes, experimenting with flavors, and eventually creating your own dishes from scratch.

🥦 Make It Your Own:

Once you’re comfortable with this recipe, try adding your own twist:

• Add steamed broccoli or sautéed mushrooms for extra veggies.
• Use shrimp or tofu instead of chicken.
• Mix in spinach or red pepper flakes for color and flavor.

🍴 Final Thoughts:

Cooking isn’t about perfection — it’s about progress. Start simple, learn the basics, and grow from there.

Today, you made Chicken Alfredo. Tomorrow, you might be making your own homemade sauce. And one day, you’ll look back and realize: You taught yourself how to cook.

At our core, we at STM Daily News, strive to keep you informed and inspired with the freshest content on all things food and beverage. From mouthwatering recipes to intriguing articles, we’re here to satisfy your appetite for culinary knowledge.

Visit our Food & Drink section to get the latest on Foodie News and recipes, offering a delightful blend of culinary inspiration and gastronomic trends to elevate your dining experience.

https://stmdailynews.com/food-and-drink/

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Last Updated on November 10, 2025 by Daily News Staff

Make Homemade Pizza the Centerpiece of Holiday Parties

• Bring comfort to winter with toppings like sausage, roasted squash, mushrooms, caramelized onions and smoked gouda.
• Take advantage of leftovers from holiday gatherings with a pizza that includes brie, cranberry drizzle, roasted turkey and spiced butternut squash.
• For a sweet treat, top with hazelnut spread and marshmallows – perfect for capping off holiday parties.
• To get loved ones involved, host a pizza party swap where friends and family create pies with favorite seasonal toppings.
• Host a DIY pizza bar allowing guests to personalize their own pizza creations, a delicious way to wind down the festivities.

Truffle Mushroom Pizza

• Oil or butter, for sauteeing
• 1/4       cup onions, small diced
• 3          garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2       cup mushrooms (such as baby portobello, button or shiitake), minced
• 1          tablespoon picked thyme
• 2          cups heavy cream
• 2          tablespoons cornstarch
• 4          tablespoons water
• 2          tablespoons truffle oil
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

• 1          pizza dough
• grated or fresh mozzarella cheese
• mushrooms
• spinach (optional)
• cooked sausage (optional)

1. To make cream sauce: In saucepan over medium heat, add oil or butter. Saute onions until translucent then add garlic and mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms release moisture and begin to caramelize.
2. Stir in picked thyme and cook 1 minute to release oils.
3. Add heavy cream and bring to gentle simmer. Let it reduce slightly, 5-7 minutes.
4. In small bowl, mix cornstarch and water to make slurry. Slowly whisk into simmering cream sauce until it reaches desired consistency.
5. Remove from heat and stir in truffle oil. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
6. To prepare pizza: Preheat Current Model P Smart Pizza Oven to 850 F. While oven heats up, roll dough out to 8-12 inches and add desired amount of cream sauce.
7. Top with mozzarella, mushrooms, spinach and sausage, as desired. Once oven is hot, cook pizza 2 minutes until bubbly.

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Have a Happy, Hearty Holiday Meal

(Family Features) The holiday season is about celebrating with friends and family over warm, memorable meals, and few things make those gatherings more special than serving dishes made at home.

To elevate your menu, consider a versatile, beginner-friendly ingredient like Wild Caught Texas Shrimp for your next occasion. For a luxurious Italian dish, try creamy Shrimp Risotto with arborio rice. Or, for a comforting bowl of goodness, serve Shrimp Wonton Soup with tender pork and chopped shrimp.

You can feel good knowing you’re serving seafood free from antibiotics and additives while supporting local shrimpers and the Texas shrimping industry. Choosing domestic over imported shrimp ensures your meal is responsibly sourced, meets strict U.S. standards and helps sustain a Texas tradition worth celebrating.

“Asking for Wild Caught Texas Shrimp brings quality to your plate that’s delivered with pride and shines a light on the people that make Texas seafood exceptional,” Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said. For cooking tips and fresh seafood recipes, visit WildCaughtTXShrimp.com.

//www.youtube.com/embed/K4FNPLIA0c0

Shrimp Risotto

Servings: 4

• 1 pound Wild Caught Texas Shrimp
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• salt
• pepper
• 8 cups broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 white onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• Italian parsley, for garnish

1. Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails on. Rinse, pat dry and set aside.
2. Heat oven to 375 F.
3. Season shrimp with paprika, salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil then toss to combine. Lay shrimp in single layer on baking sheet and refrigerate.
4. Heat medium saucepan over medium-low heat and add broth.
5. In separate deep, heavy-bottom pot, melt butter. Chop onion and garlic then add to pot and cook until soft and browning. Add arborio rice and stir to incorporate. Cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
6. Add wine and cook, stirring, until alcohol smell evaporates. Add warm broth one ladle at a time, stirring consistently. Do not add another ladle until liquid from previous ladle is mostly soaked up by rice.
7. Risotto has finished cooking when rice is chewy with consistency of thick oatmeal.
8. Roast shrimp until cooked through.
9. Remove risotto from heat and stir in grated Parmesan and chopped parsley.
10. Scoop into bowls and lay roasted shrimp on top.
11. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Shrimp Wonton Soup

Servings: 4

Wontons:

• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound Wild Caught Texas Shrimp, peeled, deveined, finely chopped
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• salt
• pepper
• 1 package square wonton wrappers

Soup:

• 48 ounces chicken broth
• 1 piece ginger (2 inches), grated
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1-2 baby bok choy
• 1/2 pound Wild Caught Texas Shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 scallions, sliced

1. To make wontons: In large bowl, mix ground pork, shrimp, scallions, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, cornstarch, salt and pepper.
2. One wonton wrapper at a time, brush edges of two sides of wrapper with water. Add 1-2 teaspoons filling to center. Fold wrapper corner to corner so two wet edges meet two dry edges, creating triangle shape.
3. Press sides together to seal. Take two corners of triangle and join with water to create purse-like shape. Press to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
4. To make soup: In saucepan over high heat, stir broth, ginger, soy sauce, wine and sesame oil. Bring mixture to simmer.
5. Cover pot and turn down heat, simmering 10-12 minutes.
6. Add bok choy leaves, shrimp and scallions. Cook until shrimp are pink and heated through.
7. In separate saucepan, heat water to boil.
8. Drop in wontons in small batches and cook until floating, 5-7 minutes.
9. Transfer cooked wontons to bowls along with shrimp and bok choy from soup pot. Ladle broth, as desired, into bowls.

Funded by a RESTORE Act Direct Component grant from the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury). The opinions, findings, recommendations and conclusions contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position of Treasury. References to specific individuals, agencies, companies, products or services should not be considered an endorsement by Treasury.

SOURCE:

Wild Caught Texas Shrimp

At our core, we at STM Daily News, strive to keep you informed and inspired with the freshest content on all things food and beverage. From mouthwatering recipes to intriguing articles, we’re here to satisfy your appetite for culinary knowledge.

Visit our Food & Drink section to get the latest on Foodie News and recipes, offering a delightful blend of culinary inspiration and gastronomic trends to elevate your dining experience.

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https://stmdailynews.com/food-and-drink/