Italian
Chicken Alfredo
A butter, cream, and parmesan sauce tossed with fettuccine and sliced sautéed chicken. The sauce is short, so the pasta does not sit in a puddle.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
Why you’ll love it
- The sauce is four ingredients, not a jar.
- Slicing the chicken after it rests keeps the pieces juicy.
- Pasta water loosens the sauce so it clings.
- It feeds four without a second sauce pot.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt it until it tastes like the sea. Cook the fettuccine to al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
- 2
Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Sear in the oil over medium-high, 5 to 6 minutes per side, to 165°F. Rest, then slice.
- 3
In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium. Add the garlic for 30 seconds.
- 4
Pour in the cream and the remaining salt. Simmer 2 minutes. Lower the heat and whisk in the parmesan and nutmeg until smooth.
- 5
Add the pasta and toss, loosening with pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce coats the noodles.
- 6
Fold in the chicken and parsley. Serve right away. Alfredo tightens as it sits.
Pro tips
- Take the pan off the heat before the cheese goes in if it looks like it might split.
- Nutmeg should be a shadow, not a flavor you can name from across the room.
- Do not rinse the pasta. The starch helps the sauce hold.
Easy substitutions
- Fettuccine
- Linguine or spaghetti.
- Heavy cream
- Half-and-half, knowing the sauce will be lighter.
- Chicken breasts
- Rotisserie chicken, shredded, added at the end. Skip the sear.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 3 days. The pasta will drink the sauce.
Reheating
Warm gently in a skillet with a splash of milk, stirring, until creamy again.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 740
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 34 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Moderate · Stovetop · High Protein
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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