Valentina Ablaev
This chicken alfredo recipe makes the most perfect comfort meal that tastes so much better from scratch! This fettuccine alfredo is so simple to make and is the best Olive Garden copycat recipe!
I don’t know about you, but I think Alfredo is one of the best comfort foods out there! This stovetop alfredo variation is one of my favorite ways to prepare this classic dish. However, chicken alfredo can be made in so many ways! Our crockpot alfredo recipe is a favorite and our easy oven-baked alfredo is the easiest way to do it! The most important part is the homemade alfredo sauce.
Why is Our Alfredo the Best:
Never go to a restaurant for alfredo again once you see how easy it is to make chicken alfredo from scratch! This easy alfredo recipe uses simple ingredients you likely already have on hand! Forget paying up to $30 for this dish because the at-home version is crazy inexpensive!
What Ingredients Do I Need For Chicken Alfredo?
- Pasta – fettuccine pasta is the best noodle for this dish! The wide surface area makes for the perfect pasta. You can also use spaghetti noodles, or linguine!
- Seasoning – our chicken seasoning blend brings Italian flavors to this dish.
- Chicken – chicken breast is the perfect protein for this dish; if you’re going for a vegetarian alfredo, you can skip this!
If you aren’t the biggest fan of chicken, add shrimp to create a seafood alfredo pasta! - Veggies – we love to bulk up the dish by adding sliced mushrooms! This is entirely optional, but it adds so much flavor!
- Alfredo sauce – our homemade alfredo sauce recipe is the perfect sauce! A buttery garlic base made creamy with whole milk and heavy whippinh cream. The most important ingredient is freshly grated parmesan cheese. The result is a flavorful and creamy pasta sauce.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
- Cook the pasta. Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water to al dente, according to your pasta’s package instructions. Fettuccine typically takes 10 minutes. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, and set aside.
2. Cook the chicken. Season the chicken breasts on both sides. Heat a large skillet with oil, and sear the chicken on both sides over medium-high heat. Once both sides have developed a golden-brown crust, cover the pan, turn the heat to low, and cook for 5 minutes. Check the chicken for doneness using an instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches 165°F internal temp, take it off the pan. Cut the chicken into slices and set aside.
3. Cook the vegetables. Add the sliced mushrooms and onion to the same pan and cook until tender. Add butter and garlic to the pan and cook until the garlic is fragrant.
4. Alfredo sauce. To the pan, add milk, cream, flour, and parmesan. Stir slightly and bring up to a medium heat. Allow the sauce to cook until it is thick. Don’t let your sauce boil or overheat; this can cause it to be gritty and separate.
5. Combine. Once the sauce is thickened, add back the cooked pasta and chicken. Toss lightly so as to not break the noodles.
6. Garnish with fresh parsley, serve, and enjoy!
Alfredo Non-Negotiables:
- Freshly grated cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is an absolute no-no! Pre-shredded cheese is coated in a starch that will make your sauce gritty. I promise it is worth the extra effort.
- Al dente. Cooking the noodles to al dente is vital for a delicious pasta. If you overcook the noodles, by the time they get to the sauce, they’ll be a mushy mess. Nobody wants soggy noodles, right?
- Be careful with the sauce. Alfredo sauce is simple to make but easy to mess up! Because of the high fat content, you want to be careful never to boil the Alfredo sauce.
How to Serve Alfredo:
How can we have chicken alfredo without serving them restaurant style?
Start off with a batch of homemade buttered breadsticks! Next, bring out the never-ending salad! Okay maybe not never-ending, but you’ll need at least two bowls of our delicious mixed chopped salad!
Chicken Alfredo FAQ’s
In this recipe, flour acts as a thickener, but cream and cheese also act as a thickening agent.
Parmesan is the key cheese for alfredo sauce from scratch.
Heavy cream is the key to a rich and hearty alfredo sauce, however, it is very calorie dense. You could get away with using half and half, but remember that the sauce won’t be as thick and rich.
Alfredo is loaded with fats from the butter, cream, and cheese; naturally, the liquid and fat will separate. This doesn’t mean it’s spoiled; all you need to do is whisk the sauce back together.
You can, but why would you do that? Ha ha, kidding! No judgment, of course; jarred alfredo is incredibly helpful when in a pinch, but homemade alfredo tastes so much better, and it doesn’t take too much extra time to make.
How to Store Chicken Alfredo Leftovers
- Storage. Store leftover chicken alfredo in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Keep the pasta fresh for up to 5 days.
- Reheat. After a few days in the fridge, you will notice that the pasta will begin to soak up the sauce and look a little dry. The best way to reheat this is to add the pasta to the pan and warm it up for a few minutes. As the pasta reheats, add a splash of milk or cream and stir lightly. The liquid will help bring the creaminess back and make it taste incredible.
- Freeze. This dish isn’t the best to have as a freezer meal. Due to the heavy, creamy sauce, the dish won’t taste as good after freezing.
More Pasta Recipes
If you enjoyed this chicken alfredo recipe, be sure to try our other popular pasta dishes; here are some of our favorites:
If you tried this chicken alfredo recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 Tbsp olive oil (or canola), divided
- 12 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 8 oz fettuccine pasta, uncooked
alfredo sauce-
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
chicken seasoning-
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground paprika
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
Instructions
- Cook the pasta to al dente, per package instructions. Drain the pasta and cover to keep warm.
- In a small bowl, combine the chicken seasoning ingredients.
- Lightly beat the chicken breast with a mallet to create even chicken breasts. Sprinkle the seasoning on each side of the chicken breast.
- Heat a large skillet and add 1 Tbsp of oil. Add the chicken to the sizzling pan and sear two minutes per side to get a golden-brown crust. Turn the heat down to low and cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- In the same skillet, add sliced mushrooms. Add 1 tsp of oil and lightly season with salt and pepper and saute.
- Once the mushrooms are mostly cooked, add the chopped onion and 2 tsp of oil. Stir the onion and allow it to cook until tender.
- Add the butter and garlic to the pan and cook until the butter is melted and garlic is fragrant.
- Add the milk, heavy cream, flour, and parmesan cheese to the pan. Stir the sauce until well combined.
- Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the sauce thickens.
- Slice the chicken breast into thin strips and add to the alfredo sauce. Add the cooked pasta ot the skillet and stir lightly not to break the pasta.
- Top the pasta with extra parmesan cheese, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Freshly grated cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is an absolute no-no! Pre-shredded cheese is coated in a starch that will make your sauce gritty. I promise it is worth the extra effort.
- Al dente. Cooking the noodles to al dente is vital for a delicious pasta. If you overcook the noodles, by the time they get to the sauce, they’ll be a mushy mess. Nobody wants soggy noodles, right!
- Be careful with the sauce. Alfredo sauce really is simple to make, but easy to mess up! Because of the high-fat content, you want to be careful to never boil the alfredo sauce.
