I love a good creamy alfredo sauce! Here’s my quick and easy version of my homemade alfredo sauce for my Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo recipe.
Chicken Alfredo is a classic Italian-American dish that brings nothing but love and comfort to dinner time. Every bite is filled with rich, creamy, cheesy homemade Alfredo Sauce, Parmesan baked chicken, and pasta. This recipe is made from scratch but it is so easy and takes only 30 minutes to make.
Alfredo Sauce originated in Rome and it is one of the most famous dishes around the world. This sauce goes perfectly with pasta, many proteins and vegetables. It is our favorite sauce among so many, it even beats out the classic Marinara Sauce. There is so much comfort in this creamy, buttery, cheesy sauce, it will warm your soul with the first bite.
You can serve this pasta dish with additional vegetables and white wine. I often get a question about what wine goes best with Chicken Alfredo, and the short answer is white. Although, there is a little more to it. Choose white wine that has some fruity flavor to it and a good amount of acidity to cut through the thick cream. Go for a dry Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN ALFREDO
The reason this dish is so easy and fast to make is because everything cooks at the same time. Chicken, pasta, and sauce takes around 20 minutes to cook so start it all around the same time. Cook fettuccine according to the package instructions. Make sure not to overcook it so it’s not too mushy.
Baked Chicken
Preheat the oven to 450° and grease a rimmed baking sheet. Trim excess fat off the chicken and season with salt, pepper, oregano on both sides. Sprinkle fresh grated Parmesan cheese generously on both sides of the chicken and place it on the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken. Once chicken is baked, let it rest for about 5 minutes on the cutting board before slicing it. Slice it against the grain.
Alfredo Sauce
While chicken and pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Measure all ingredients before starting to cook.
In a medium, heavy bottom sauce pot, melt butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add pressed garlic. Cook garlic until it’s fragrant and sprinkle flour over it. Stir until flour is all mixed with butter and slowly pour in heavy whipping cream while constantly stirring. Gently stir the mixture together and let it heat through. (Don’t let it boil!) Once heavy cream is hot, whisk in sour cream, Parmesan cheeses, salt, and pepper. Lower heat to medium-low and gently stir until grated cheese melts and incorporates. Keep cooking over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
Once sauce is ready mix it with cooked pasta and sliced chicken. You can top it off with some fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.
If you have never had homemade Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, you haven’t lived! Real, creamy, from-scratch Alfredo sauce is truly one of the most delicious things; store bought Alfredo pales in comparison. Pair your delicious creamy sauce with pasta and perfectly seared, juicy chicken for a decadent and easy dinner recipe, done in about 30 minutes!
Homemade Chicken Linguine Alfredo
4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalIngredients
For the chicken
2 large chicken breasts (1.5 pounds)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons oil (vegetable, canola, or light olive oil)
1 tablespoon butterFor the Alfredo sauce
3/4 cup butter (1 and 1/2 sticks)
5 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
2 cups heavy cream*
1 and 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or more to taste)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adds flavor not heat)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 and 1/2 cups FINELY shredded block Parmesan cheeseFor the linguine or fettuccine
water
1 tablespoon kosher salt, for pasta water
12 ounces pastaTo garnish
extra parmesan cheese, to garnish
chopped parsley, to garnish
Directions
- Prepare the chicken. Use a sharp knife to slice each chicken breast in half horizontally, to create a thin cutlet. Start at the thick edge of the chicken breast. See photos. You should end up with 4 thin pieces of chicken that are the same shape as a chicken breast, just thinner.
- In a small bowl, combine 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika. Pat the chicken with paper towels on both sides until it is very dry. Sprinkle the spice mixture all over the chicken on both sides, and rub in.
- Heat a 12 inch sauce pan skillet over medium high heat for at least 3 minutes. When it is hot, add 2 tablespoons oil. Swirl to coat. The oil should shimmer right away.
- Carefully place the chicken in the pan. Once it touches the pan you can’t move it, so arrange accordingly. Do not crowd the chicken. If your pan isn’t big enough, do it in batches. Do not touch, poke, or move the chicken at all. It needs to stay put to get a nice sear.
- Once all the chicken is in the pan, lower the heat to medium. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes. If you try to flip the chicken and it sticks to the pan, it’s not ready to turn.
- Use tongs to flip each piece of chicken, swirling the pan as necessary to coat with oil. Immediately add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and swirl the pan as it melts. (The butter helps the chicken to brown, and brings flavor.) Cook the chicken on the second side for about 2 minutes, until the other side is a deep golden brown and a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees F. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm. Leave all juices in the pan. (Turn the heat off if you’re not ready to make the sauce yet)
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Fill a 3 quarter with water. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt and bring to a boil over high heat. When it is at a rolling boil, add 12 ounces of fettuccine. Stir occasionally so the noodles don’t stick to each other. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the noodles are al dente (don’t over cook!) Drain the noodles, but be sure to save about a cup of the pasta water. Set it aside in a small bowl. Then add a drizzle of olive oil to the noodles and stir so that they don’t stick to each other. Set aside.
- Make the alfredo sauce. In the same pan that you cooked the chicken in, add 3/4 cup butter (1 and 1/2 sticks) over medium heat. Let it melt and bubble a bit (don’t let it brown), then add 5 cloves of smashed and minced garlic. Saute the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Make the alfredo sauce. In the same pan that you cooked the chicken in, add 3/4 cup butter (1 and 1/2 sticks) over medium heat. Let it melt and bubble a bit (don’t let it brown), then add 5 cloves of smashed and minced garlic. Saute the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Let the cream mixture cook over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes until you see gentle bubbles on the side of the pan. Do not bring to a full boil; your sauce will break (meaning it will look curdled instead of smooth). Lower the heat to medium low.
- Finely shred 1 and 1/2 cups parmesan cheese using the finest grate. I do not recommend using pre shredded parmesan (and definitely not the powdered stuff). Pre-grated cheese will not melt as well, and your sauce will be clumpy.
- Add the cheese to the sauce just a few tablespoons at a time. Sprinkle some in and stir for a bit to help it melt, then add a bit more cheese, stir, etc. This will help the cheese to melt more thoroughly, making a smooth sauce.
- Once all the cheese is added in, taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as you like.
- Add the noodles in batches so that it all gets coated well in sauce. Add in about 1/3, stir to coat, the next 1/3, and so on.
- Use a sharp serrated knife to slice the chicken into strips against the grain. You can either plate the pasta and arrange the chicken on top to serve, or add the chicken to the pasta in the pan and stir it all together.
- If you have a wait a few minutes before serving, keep the heat on low and cover. The sauce will continue to thicken as it sits, so to loosen it just before serving, add the reserved pasta water a couple tablespoons at a time, stirring well.
- Top each serving with extra parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of parsley!
