This delicious Chicken Alfredo recipe is special enough for Sunday dinner but also easy enough that you can make it on a weeknight. Pair it with a nice salad or veggie with some garlic bread or sourdough bread and it satisfies your Italian cravings for pasta.
Ingredients needed:
16 ounces dry fettuccine pasta
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup butter, cut into slices
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon parsley, fresh is best
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
How to make it:
You cook the pasta till al dente. You can use fettuccine or penne pasta or even egg noodle or spaghetti if that is what you have on hand. Save some of that pasta water for later when you make the Alfredo sauce.
Sauté the chicken breasts in a cast iron pan in some olive oil and butter. Perfectly seasoned, it’s hard not to snack on them before dinner is served! You could also grill the chicken breasts if you wanted. Once cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees and nicely browned, place chicken on a cutting board and let it rest for a couple minutes and then slice it diagonally to prepare it for serving.
Once the pasta and chicken are cooked, it’s time to prepare the sauce! Now I am fully aware that this sauce is not authentic Italian Alfredo sauce. But it is some darn good American Alfredo sauce! 😆
Melt your butter, add the garlic and then the flour. Let that brown for a minute or two and then stir in the cream, milk, and seasonings. Bring it to a simmer and then it’s time for the Parmesan cheese. I get the pre-shredded Parmesan in a bag which is probably not as good as grating it myself but it sure helps speed up the process. Stir in the cheese until it’s nice and melted and creamy. Often I’ll add some saved pasta water and stir that in to make it extra creamy.
Mix the Alfredo sauce in with the cooked noodles and stir to combine. Dish the noodles and place the cooked chicken strips on top. And it’s time to eat!
Set the table, gather the family, and enjoy a nice dinner together.
~Rachel Ballinger ☕️💕
Chicken Alfredo
Ingredients
- 16 ounces dry fettuccine pasta
For the Chicken:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
For the Sauce:
- 1/4 cup butter cut into slices
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon parsley fresh is best
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted water till al dente. Drain and set aside, saving 1/2 cup of pasta water.
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning and cook on pan in olive oil until browned about 5-7 minutes per side with an internal temperature of 165 degrees. When you flip it, add the butter to the pan for extra flavor.
- Transfer chicken to cutting board, let rest for a couple minutes and then slice into 1/2 inch thick strips. Cover with foil until ready to serve.
- For the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for a minute, add the flour and sauté for another minute or two, stirring well. Add the cream, milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parsley and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and heat just till melted and sauce is smooth. If too thick add some of the reserved pasta water or more milk.
- Mix the sauce into the noodles and plate. Add the chicken strips on top. Garnish with parsley, more Parmesan, and black pepper if desired.
