Creamy Alfredo Pasta Chicken (Printable)
Velvety pasta with tender chicken and classic Parmesan cream sauce in an easy Italian-American style.
# What You Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 12 oz fettuccine or tagliatelle
→ Chicken
02 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 14 oz), sliced into strips
03 - 1 tbsp olive oil
04 - ½ tsp salt
05 - ¼ tsp black pepper
→ Alfredo Sauce
06 - 3 tbsp unsalted butter
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1¼ cups heavy cream
09 - 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
10 - ¼ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
11 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
→ Garnish
12 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
13 - Extra grated Parmesan, for serving
# Directions:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fettuccine following package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta water.
02 - While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken strips with salt and pepper. Sear for 4–5 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Remove and set aside.
03 - In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium. Melt butter and sauté minced garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Pour in heavy cream, stirring continuously. Allow to simmer gently for 3–4 minutes.
05 - Whisk in Parmesan cheese and nutmeg if using. Stir until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
06 - Return chicken to the skillet. Add drained pasta, tossing to coat evenly. Gradually add reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce as needed.
07 - Plate immediately, garnished with chopped parsley and extra Parmesan cheese.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It comes together faster than delivery, with restaurant-quality results that feel like you're getting away with something.
- The sauce is so creamy it practically coats every strand, and there's no complicated technique standing between you and dinner.
- Tender chicken tucked into velvety pasta is the kind of meal that makes weeknights feel a little less ordinary.
02 -
- Pre-grated Parmesan will ruin your sauce by making it grainy and separated. Spend the thirty seconds to grate it fresh and watch the entire dish transform.
- Don't skip saving pasta water. That starchy liquid is your safety net if the sauce ever gets too thick, and it helps the sauce cling to the noodles like magic.
- Nutmeg is optional but it's the secret that makes people ask what you did differently. Just a quarter teaspoon is enough to whisper its presence.
03 -
- Cook your chicken a minute or two less than you think you need to, since it continues cooking slightly when you toss it in the hot sauce.
- Keep that burner at medium once the cream is in the pan. High heat is the enemy of silky sauce and is how everything breaks and separates.