Garlic bread with chicken Alfredo, crispy underneath and creamy on top
Para 6 2.3 €/pers. 300 kcal/100g.
- For the chicken:
- 450g of chicken breast
- 15 ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
- Shall
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the garlic bread:
- 1 wide loaf of Italian or French-style bread, about 400-450 g
- 60g of butter at room temperature
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 10g of fresh parsley
- 1 pinch of salt
- For the Alfredo sauce and the gratin:
- 30g of butter
- 1 clove of garlic
- 200 ml of whipping cream, with a minimum of 35% fat
- 80g of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 150g of grated mozzarella
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 5g of fresh parsley
- Pat the chicken breast dry with paper towels and cut it into 2 cm cubes. Add the sweet paprika, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix until all the pieces are seasoned. Make sure they are roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and, for the first minute, avoid moving it constantly so it can brown. Cook for a total of 6-8 minutes, turning the pieces so they brown evenly.
- Remove the chicken when it's golden brown on the outside and cooked through. If using a meat thermometer, check for at least 74°C (160°F) in the center of the pieces. Set it aside on a plate and leave the pan uncleaned, as the browned bits left behind will be used for the sauce.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F), top and bottom heat. Slice the loaf lengthwise into two halves and place them on a baking tray with the crumb side up.
- Mix the 60g of softened butter with the 3 finely chopped garlic cloves, the 10g of parsley, and a pinch of salt. Spread the mixture over the entire surface of the breadcrumbs, including the edges.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes, until the butter has melted and the surface begins to brown. We don't want to turn the bread into hard toast; the crumb should be slightly dry and firm to the touch.
- Return the chicken pan to medium-low heat. Add the 30g of butter and the remaining finely chopped garlic clove. Cook for 20-30 seconds, just enough to release its aroma without browning.
- Pour in the cream and gently scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate the browned juices from the chicken. Let it simmer very gently for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until it reduces slightly and begins to coat the back of a spoon.
- Reduce the heat to low or remove the pan from the stove. Gradually add 60g of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, stirring until each small amount has melted before adding the next. Finish with black pepper. You should have a smooth, creamy, and rich sauce that is still easy to spread. Set aside the remaining 20g of Parmesan cheese.
- We take the toasted bread out of the oven and spread a thin layer of Alfredo sauce over both halves. We distribute all the reserved chicken on top, reaching the ends as well and avoiding piling it all in the center.
- We covered it with the mozzarella and the 20g of Parmesan we had set aside. We distributed the cheeses unevenly, still leaving some pieces of chicken visible.
- Bake again for 5-7 minutes, until the mozzarella is completely melted. If you want to add a little more color, broil for 1-2 minutes at the end, watching closely because the edges of the bread can quickly go from golden to burnt.
- Let it rest for 2 minutes outside the oven, sprinkle with 5g of fresh parsley, and cut each half into three pieces. Serve immediately, while it still has its toasted base and creamy topping.
We cut a wide loaf in half and, before adding chicken or sauce, toast the crumb in the oven with garlic butter. On this toasted base, we assemble the garlic bread with chicken Alfredo: golden-brown diced chicken breast, a Parmesan cream emulsified in the same pan, and mozzarella to finish the gratin.
The name Alfredo might be misleading if you think of Roman fettuccine. The original recipe is bound with butter, Parmesan cheese, and pasta cooking water; it doesn't include cream. We do use cream here because it serves a different purpose: we need a stable, slightly thick sauce that can coat the bread without relying on the starch in the pasta.
This recipe combines two dishes we already have on the blog: garlic and cheese bread au gratin and spaghetti with Alfredo sauce. The key is to follow the order of assembly: toast the bread first, brown the chicken without overcrowding it, reduce the sauce, and then add the cheese over low heat. After that, simply broil and slice. When freshly made, it retains the perfect balance: a crispy crumb on the bottom and a creamy topping.
We brown the chicken and leave some of the liquid for the sauce.
We toast the breadcrumbs with garlic butter
How do we prevent the bread from getting soggy with the sauce? Toasting it beforehand is the first line of defense, but not the only one. It also helps to use bread with a firm crumb and a good crust, not to overdo it with the Alfredo sauce, and to assemble the halves shortly before the final baking. If we leave the bread covered in sauce for hours, it will end up absorbing it, even if we toasted it beforehand.
We reduce the cream and melt the Parmesan cheese
Why does Alfredo sauce sometimes turn out grainy? Pre-grated cheese often doesn't melt as well, and too high a temperature doesn't help either. For this recipe, we grate the Parmesan cheese fresh, let the cream reduce first, and then add the cheese gradually over very low heat or with the pan off the heat. Once the Parmesan is in, we don't need a vigorous boil.
