Chicken Alfredo is comfort food at its best – mouth-watering chunks of chicken topped with a pile of delicious pasta and a rich creamy sauce. What could be more satisfying than this? This simple yet delicious dish will definitely have you reaching for a second helping.
In the early 1900s, Rome restaurateur Alfredo De Lelio began serving his signature sauce on fettuccini. Dramatically, to the delight of his customers, Di Lelio would make the sauce at the table. His dish soon became an international sensation.
The recipe has changed over the years, especially with the addition of heavy cream, but the essence is still the same. Silky, melted cheese with ribbons of perfectly cooked pasta is a delight for all the senses.
But don’t be fooled. You don’t have to be a chef to make alfredo sauce at home. With just a few simple ingredients — butter, cream, garlic, Parmesan, and nutmeg — you can make a sauce you’ll never want to buy a premade jar of.
Add juicy morsels of seasoned and roasted chicken, topped with fresh herbs and shaved Parmesan to make this main dish a hearty and satisfying meal.
Preparing the chicken
Watch someone eat chicken alfredo and you’ll notice them swirling their fork around the plate between bites, trying to get those delicious chunks of chicken wrapped in layers of creamy pasta onto their fork. The key to the success of this dish is creating evenly cooked and consistently flavorful pieces of chicken, but unless you know the trick, it can be difficult to do on the stovetop.
Chicken breasts are thick at one end and taper to a thin point. As a result, thin ends are often overdone and dry. To avoid this, before cooking, cut the chicken lengthwise into 2 1/2-inch-thick cutlets.
You can place the chicken between plastic wrap or a large resealable bag and pound with a kitchen hammer until you have a large ½-inch-thick piece of chicken. After that, you can cut it into two small cutlets to cook. You will cut the chicken into pieces just before serving.
Seasoning the meat
Beyond cooking the meat evenly, that’s the key to this chicken alfredo recipe. A generous coating of kosher salt, pepper, and paprika is all that’s needed to make delicious, golden chicken. Add garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, or herbs like basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, and thyme for extra dimension. To kick the spice up a notch, try using cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning, or blackening seasoning.
Cooking the chicken
A quick pan sear produces the best chicken for this dish, as it creates a nice golden, moist, juicy center. Iron skillets are preferred for pan searing, but nonstick or stainless steel pans will also work.
Heat olive oil over medium heat and cook chicken on each side. Don’t move the chicken until it forms a nice crispy crust on the bottom. Once caramelized, it should turn easily without sticking. The process takes 5 to 7 minutes on each side.
You’ll know it’s done when the center on a meat thermometer reaches about 160 to 165ºF (71 to 74ºC). Once you’ve made the pasta and sauce, cover the chicken with aluminum foil to keep warm, then cut into pieces just before serving.
To make the outside extra crispy, dredge your chicken in some flour and shake off excess before baking in the pan.
Pasta selection
Alfredo sauce is traditionally served with long, flat fettuccine noodles, but it tastes amazing with any pasta you choose. For those who prefer thinner pasta, linguini is a great option, or if you want to maximize the sauce in each bite, go with rigatoni, bucatini or penne pasta. These have holes in their center that soak up the sauce, giving each bite a creamy goodness.
Cook the pasta
There are three things to keep in mind when making noodles. Always salt the water first. This is your chance to eat pasta well, so don’t miss it. You should add one tablespoon of kosher salt to 3 quarts of water, enough to cook one pound of pasta.
Second, be sure to stir the pasta while cooking. This will ensure that it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick together.
Finally, the pasta should be cooked to al dente. That means it’s still a bit chewy rather than soft in the middle. If you overcook your pasta, it will absorb too much sauce and start to fall apart.
For Chicken Alfredo Pasta, you must remember to save the pasta water. Later, you can use the thin sauce that has become too thick. Because it’s salty and has absorbed some of the pasta’s flavor, this water will thin out your sauce without reducing its flavor. Set aside a cup of water before pouring in the pasta, and you’ll have more than enough.
Prepare the cream sauce
Alfredo sauce is made by mixing heavy cream, butter, and garlic before adding in Parmesan cheese. Garlic is first fried in butter, then cream is added. This allows the flavor of the garlic to seep through the creamy sauce. Boil this mixture for a few minutes and about ⅓ of the liquid will evaporate, leaving you with a sauce that clings to the pasta in the most delicious way.
As the sauce cools, the fat will coagulate and harden, making it thick. A little salt, pepper, and nutmeg are enough without overpowering the sauce.
Add the cheese
Just before serving, you’ll add freshly grated Parmesan cheese or Reggiano cheese to add a tangy and savory dimension to your sauce. Grating it yourself with sharp dry aged cheese is definitely worth the extra effort. Grind it well so that it melts evenly in your chutney. Doing this just before serving prevents lumps and gives a smooth and silky texture.
Toss the cooked pasta into the sauce, plate it, then top with the chicken and chopped herbs.
How to Serve Chicken Alfredo
This dish is a meal, but if you prefer, you can serve it with a fresh green salad and a slice of buttered bread. Alternatively, steam broccoli or asparagus, then season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice for a fresh twist on this chicken alfredo recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it a healthy meal?
The inclusion of cooked chicken in this dish means it contains a healthy amount of lean protein. However, cream and butter are high in fat. Reduce the fat by using half and half instead of cream.
Cream contains about 36% fat, while half and half contains only 12% fat. You can use whole milk, but you need to thicken it with a roux because whole milk doesn’t have enough fat to thicken on its own.
Serve your pasta with vegetables for extra vitamins and nutrients.
Can I use other cuts of chicken?
You can of course use chicken thighs, or any protein of your choice. Grilled steak, sausage links, or turkey meatballs work well with this dish, and shrimp alfredo is delicious too!
What is the best pasta to use for homemade chicken alfredo?
Linguini and fettuccine pasta are popular choices for alfredo sauce because they are long and flat, giving plenty of surface area for that crusty sauce to adhere to. However, pasta with holes in the center, like bucatini or penne, will trap the sauce inside and give you a great bite every time.
