The Don't Be Afraid Easy Chicken Alfredo -- From Left-Overs

So I made my delicious easy chicken tacos and found myself with some left-over chopped/shredded chicken. We like to vary our menus. Mexican, Asian, Italian, Mediterranean, Southern U.S. (meaning meat and potatoes), French. So what to do with that left-over shredded chicken? Alfredo Sauce.

How does one make Alfredo sauce in Costa Rica? Well, by golly, if I could make it in Pô without cream, without anything resembling butter/margarine, no cheese (and you think you've got cheese issues here in Costa Rica?!), and always-questionable eggs, I can do it here. 

A bit of history. On the Internet you'll find many authentic Alfredo sauces that use raw eggs. I'm fine with a raw egg in the U.S., but not here. Not gonna happen. Similarly, you'll find many Alfredo recipes that use a roux . . . but a roux can be tricky for the novice chef. My answer? A faux-roux and a cooked egg. This is easy, rich, and delicious, so let's get started. You do have your left-over shredded chicken, at least a little bit of left-over chopped onion, and some left-over chopped garlic, right? All mis'd en place in the fridge and ready to go. Right?! So you'll want:

• Another box of the crema de leche, which you'll find in the milk/juice box aisle, not in the dairy section here in Costa Rica.
• Some milk; and milk made from Nido powder (or any powdered milk mix) will work just fine. Make about two cups if you're using powdered milk. I make mine in a cup, then pour it with a funnel into an empty 500ml water bottle to store in the fridge. That's about two cups of milk.
• 2 teaspoons of salt and 2-3 teaspoons of black pepper.
• 1 egg, cracked into a bowl and stirred about a bit.
• About 1/4-1/2 cup of finely chopped onions . . . whatever you have left over. Or you can omit the onions and it won't significantly change the flavor. Add some of your left-over chopped garlic if you've got it. No garlic? No problem.
• Three (3) tablespoons of butter or margarine.
• Two (2) tablespoons of flour . . . masa would probably work just as well.
• Cheese, about 1 cup. Stop whining about the cheese in Costa Rica. Any it's-not-really-mozzarella will work. Any white cheese will work. Quesa creama will work. Heck, sour cream (or the Costa Rica version) will work. If you're rich, go with Parmesean.
• A cup of cooked peas (totally optional). I use frozen peas.
• As much left-over chicken as you have.

Here we go. Place your butter into a warm pan. When the butter melts, add your flour and whisk/stir constantly for at least three minutes over medium heat. This isn't a true roux -- that's too difficult for the novice -- might taste floury or might burn. And just in case you're curious, a traditional roux is equal parts fat and flour . . . and the trick is cooking/whisking it until all traces of any floury taste is gone and you simply have a thickened, buttery, bubbly goo. If your butter/flour mixture begins to turn brown prior to three minutes, remove it from the heat and keep stirring. Breathe. You'll be fine.

When the butter/flour stuff is bubbling wildly, pour in your box of crema de leche  and get ready to whisk violently. It's going to get really thick, really quickly. Whisk until it smooths out and add your milk. Adding the milk will thin-out the mixture, but worry not . . . it will thicken-up again to a sauce consistency when you've added the egg and cheese. Turn down the heat to low or medium/low, depending on your stove. Now is the time to taste for salt, adding your salt and pepper.

Now in that little bowl containing your stirred-about egg, add a tablespoon full of your hot/warm milky sauce that's cooking on low on the stove. You don't want to scramble that egg, so just add a spoonful at a time. As your bowl begins to get full of now-warmed-up egg and when it looks exactly like the sauce in the pan, pour that egg mix into the pan and stir. Breathe. You're almost done. Add your cheese and stir/whisk until the cheese is completely melted. By now your mixture is clearly sauce consistency. So add your chicken and your peas (if desired). Turn down the heat, or even turn it off. Add any additional salt and pepper, as desired. Note: it's difficult to over-pepper an Alfredo. You're done! Serve this rich sauce over your choice of noodles, or just in a bowl. 

Not frightening at all, was it?