Chicken Alfredo

If chicken Alfredo is your favorite dish to order out, then I have good news for you: it's actually a beginner-friendly dish that truly anyone can master. With a creamy, cheesy sauce and tender chicken breasts, it's the pasta dish I turn to time and time again when I need the ultimate comfort meal. This one-pot dinner comes together in 30 minutes, making it a perfect easy meal to whip up for any occasion, whether you're searching for a romantic meal for two or the most satisfying weeknight dinner. Never made Alfredo before? Follow my top tips and tricks for acing this homemade dish:

What People Are Saying:
"This is the absolute best chicken Alfredo I have ever made! Thank you for this recipe! Will definitely be one of my regulars!" - mmh2327

"I make it exactly like the recipe and it's so easy & amazing. Everyone loves it. I'm not a cook by any means and no one believes I made this. I've refrigerated it, froze it and still delicious. Thanks." - ove9391

How To Make Chicken Alfredo

INGREDIENTS

• Olive Oil: Use your favorite extra-virgin olive oil, or consult our list of the best olive oil brands.
• Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are what I call for here, but you can also swap in chicken thighs for the breasts if you prefer. Thighs take much longer in the pan, and actually cook best with a quick trip to the oven. If you want to change the protein altogether, check out our recipe for shrimp fettuccine Alfredo.
• Chicken Broth: Chicken broth not only lightens up the sauce, but also cooks our noodles along with milk. I know, I know, it’s surprising—but it works!
• Milk: Make sure to use whole milk here for the richest possible sauce.
• Garlic: Regular chopping just won’t cut it in this recipe—grated or finely chopped garlic will add more garlicky flavor and will also incorporate more fully into the sauce instead of leaving little garlic bits behind.
• Fettuccine: You can use a different thin or medium-sized noodle if you prefer, but fettuccine Alfredo just wouldn’t be the same without, well, fettuccine.
• Parmesan: Parmesan is a major ingredient in this simple recipe, so it's worth seeking out the good stuff and grating it yourself. If the block you have has a rind, look for little dots, and a pattern that spells out Parmigiano-Reggiano on the rind of full wheels of the cheese.
• Heavy Cream: While not all Alfredo recipes use heavy cream, I think it’s more than worth it to use heavy cream in this recipe, both for its full-fat flavor and silky consistency. If you really need a substitute, you can use half-and-half, but keep in mind you may have to cook the sauce a little longer to reduce it to a thick sauce.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

First, we’re going to cook our chicken breasts before preparing our pasta. Grab a large skillet, and heat oil over medium-high heat. Add your chicken breasts, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook, turning occasionally, until they are golden-brown and cooked through. This should take around 10 minutes per side.

Once done, transfer to a cutting board, let it rest for 10 minutes, then slice and set aside.

Then add the broth, milk, and garlic to a pan, then season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a simmer, then add the fettuccine. You’re going to cook your fettuccine in the liquid here instead of boiling it separately—it might seem crazy, but it will add more flavor to the noodles, and will save you from dirtying up another dish.

Cook until barely al dente, then stir in the Parmesan and cream. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened and the pasta is al dente.

Once done, remove from the heat and add the chicken.

Then, garnish with fresh parsley if you so desire.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Master your Alfredo sauce. For this recipe, we create our Alfredo sauce by first simmering milk, chicken broth, and garlic, then cooking our noodles in the mixture. Once the noodles are cooked, we add heavy cream and Parmesan to complete our creamy sauce. This method is slightly different from our classic Alfredo sauce recipe—we love to cook our noodles in the flavorful mixture here, but if you’d prefer to keep things simple (or have some leftover Alfredo!), feel free to refer to our basic recipe.
• Get experimental with the noodles. Fettuccine is a classic, but angel hair or spaghetti would work just fine! Just make sure whatever pasta you choose can be completely submerged in your cooking liquid.
• Add some veg. After the pasta is cooked, stir in a couple of big handfuls of spinach and some halved grape tomatoes if you're looking to add some color.
• Missing crunch? Toast up some panko bread crumbs in a skillet with butter and garnish with a handful. This trick works for any pasta—the added texture really takes it over the top.
• Amp up the heat. Sprinkle in some red pepper flakes or Cajun seasoning.
• Avoid grainy sauce! Using freshly grated (not shredded) Parm will help turn your sauce into a luscious, creamy dream. Pre-shredded cheeses are usually dusted with anticoagulants that will prevent the cheese from getting smooth and melty.

Chicken Alfredo Variations

As you may have noted by now, this dish is extremely versatile. Get creative with all of our top tips above, or check out some of our other Alfredo options. Swap out the sauce here for our cottage cheese Alfredo if you're looking to up the protein or our vegan Alfredo if you want to cut down on the diary, or check out our chicken tikka Alfredo if you're craving a dinner mash-up.

Storage

If you have any leftovers, store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.