‘A guide to an oh-so-creamy and silky-smooth staple’ is all I can say about this chicken alfredo recipe. Now, chicken alfredo is a surprisingly quick meal that can be made one-pot and enjoyed every National Fettuccine Alfredo Day (February 7).
This chicken alfredo recipe combines a creamy sauce with tender and well-seasoned slices of chicken. The cream simmers until it thickens, and becomes velvety to cling to the fettuccine noodles.
Simple ingredients, simple processing! You’ll no longer be pulling your hair out thinking of dishes to feed a crowd.
What Is Chicken Alfredo?
Created in Rome in the 19th century, the very first recipe for Chicken Alfredo was constructed by a restaurant owner, Alfredo di Lelio. His creation was named after himself.
Chicken alfredo or fettuccine alfredo is a simple pasta dish. Fettuccine is tossed with butter and parmesan cheese.
The chicken alfredo recipe later became popular and has evolved to adapt American cuisine. In the US, it is often served as a richer version with heavy cream, garnished with protein (usually chicken), and other ingredients.
Is This Recipe Healthy?
Being rich and creamy, not only does this chicken alfredo recipe taste heavenly, but also has plenty of health benefits to offer.
Chicken: chicken is known for being full of essential nutrients that our body needs such as protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and minerals.
Mushrooms: famous for their meat-like texture, but unlike meat, mushrooms are low in calories and cholesterol. Most types are full of vitamins and healthy antioxidants.
Including mushrooms in your daily diet can help boost your immune system, maintain healthy skin, and prevent obesity.
How to Make
This chicken alfredo recipe combines simple ingredients like chicken, fettuccine noodles, parmesan cheese, heavy cream, and mushrooms. A classic combination of flavor for a tasty and gourmet dish that you can’t help but fall in love with!
You need only one pan to cook this alfredo chicken recipe; first for cooking the fettuccine and then you can use the same pan for the chicken and building the sauce.
For the pasta: boil the pasta in a pan or large pot. Do this step before you start cooking the chicken and making the sauce.
For the chicken: season the chicken with salt, pepper, and your favorite spices of choice. Let the chicken sit for 5-10 minutes, so that it has a chance to absorb more flavor.
Sear the chicken thigh in the pan in olive oil or butter for golden crispness. You can cover the chicken with foil while making the sauce to keep it moist and warm.
For the sauce: once you drain the pasta well and slice the chicken, start to make the sauce. The alfredo sauce just takes a few minutes to bring together in the same pan that was used for the chicken. This also helps add more flavor.
You simmer the sauce of heavy cream, milk, garlic, butter, and seasonings until it thickens. The parmesan cheese is added at the end of this step to melt in and create a smooth, creamy sauce.
Toss it all: when the sauce is nice and well-seasoned, add the pasta back to the pan. Serve immediately with the sliced chicken and chopped parsley.
Sauce
Alfredo sauce is a creamy, silky sauce with three main ingredients: chicken broth, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Butter is used quite frequently, along with many other additions.
This is totally no surprise as Chicken Alfredo’s reach has spread worldwide with countless adaptations.
Alfredo Sauce with Cream Cheese
If you need alternatives for heavy cream, there are lots of options. Either thickened cream, light cream or evaporated milk can make up for the absence of heavy cream.
Cream cheese is also an interesting ingredient to add a nice thick consistency to your alfredo sauce. We need a little attention to make alfredo sauce with cream cheese.
A small tip is that you should cut up cream cheese into small cubes so that they can melt easily.
You can also try cottage cheese for added probiotics. Just be sure to cook and whisk it for a smoother texture.
If you love chicken alfredo like this one, we also have an Instant Pot chicken alfredo recipe that you may like.
Tips
For a silky but not gluggy sauce: If you cook pasta together with the sauce, it’s important to add the parmesan cheese only a minute before you remove the whole pot from heat.
When emulsified with pasta too soon, it’s likely that the parmesan cheese will make the liquid thicker (because of fat and starch coming together), causing the pasta to cook and coat unevenly.
That said, you should cook the pasta to al dente in a combination of milk and chicken broth only.
Make sure to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese if possible.
It will ensure a much better taste and melt throughout the sauce, compared to the powdered one – that is if you don’t want your sauce to taste so starchy. Parmesan is so delicious, don’t accidentally make it a dud in such a lovely dish.
How Many Calories
Our chicken alfredo recipe is served with fettuccine pasta, which increases the calories of each serving to 460 calories. This takes up to about 25 percent of the recommended daily intake.
To make the dish healthier, we add some good additions like mushrooms, and pair it with roasted vegetables and green juice.
What to Serve With
Chicken alfredo is traditionally served with garlic butter bread. Since the pasta and alfredo sauce are creamy, a light side dish would be a nice accompaniment.
We chose some crunchy roasted vegetables and celery juice on the side for ours. Here are the nutrition facts of the whole meal:
If you want to include more chicken in your meal, this corralled chicken dishes and healthy chicken thigh roundup have bunch of ideas.
In case you’re in a crave, we have something you’re probably interested in:
- Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken: in it you’ll also find General Tso done in a pan, but the point is, a popular take-out cooked up inside your home! Saucy, flavorful, and with that kick of tantalizing heat, they’re just the thing to make and enjoy on the weekends.
- Ground Chicken Burgers: perfect for brunches, picnics, or outdoor hangouts. Want to enjoy them indoors? That works too. We like to plate them up, but you can sure create a little station for your crowd to mix and match.
If you want something spicier, these Mexican chicken recipes are probably what you’re looking for.
FAQ
1. How Long Does Alfredo Sauce Last?
Any cream based sauce like chicken alfredo should ideally be used within a day. However if you want to keep it in the refrigerator to use later, it can last approximately 3-4 days.
2. Can You Freeze?
Yes, you can freeze chicken alfredo in the freezer for up to 2 months. For the best quality, we don’t recommend freezing it longer than that.
3. How to Store?
As with any pasta, your chicken alfredo tastes best fresh. As time goes by, the noodles soak up the creamy sauce and get softer.
You should refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container. If you want to reheat it, simply add a splash of milk or chicken broth while simmering the sauce on the stove. It will taste as delicious as the fresh one.
Chicken Alfredo Recipe
This chicken alfredo recipe has simple ingredients and simple processing. You'll no longer be pulling your hair out thinking of dishes to feed a crowd.
- by Tuyet Pham, Luna Regina, 2022-03-04
- cook TIME 30 mins
- prep TIME 25 mins
- total TIME 55 mins
- COURSE Main Course
- CUISINE Italian
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 460 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 12 oz skinless boneless chicken thigh
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms
- 6 oz cooked fettuccine pasta
- 0.75 oz shredded parmesan
- 4 oz yellow onion
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup unsalted chicken broth
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil (divided into 1 tbsp and 1/2 tbsp)
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper (divided)
- 1/2 tsp salt (divided)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1 tbsp parsley (chopped)
INSTRUCTIONS
Season 12 oz chicken thighs with 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of pepper, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp of thyme. Let them sit for 15 minutes.
Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add 6 oz pasta and stir occasionally. Boil until al dente (8-10 minutes) and drain immediately.
Sear the chicken thighs in 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over low heat for about 12 – 15 minutes until they’re golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pot and slice it into strips.
Stir-fry 8 oz mushrooms with 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Once the mushrooms are cooked, transfer them into a small bowl.
Add 1/2 tbsp butter to the same pot, then saute 4 oz onion and 1 tsp garlic for 3 minutes. Add in 1/3 cup flour, 1 cup chicken broth, 1/2 cup milk, and 1/4 cup heavy cream. Season the mixture with the remaining 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp thyme, and 1 tsp Italian seasoning. Then bring to a boil.
Add the pasta and mushrooms and reduce to a simmer for an extra 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the 0.75 oz parmesan cheese and 1 tbsp parsley to the pot. Stir so it combines into the mixture. Add chicken to the pot.
Serve. Garnish with fresh parsley and pepper if desired.
NUTRITION
Neola Muhambi
Writer, SEO SpecialistTuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary ConsultantLuna Regina
Writer, AuthorLizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
Nutrition Reviewer- Booksie DThis is awesome and easy to make.
- frankschickCreamy and satisfying chicken Alfredo!