Chicken Alfredo Recipe
Creamy, restaurant-style chicken alfredo with seared chicken, fettuccine, and a silky homemade garlic-Parmesan cream sauce. Ready in about 30 minutes.
Servings 4
Equipment
- 12" large skillet
- Large pot for pasta
- Tongs and a whisk
Ingredients
Pasta
- 12 oz fettuccine
- 1 tablespoon salt for the pasta water
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
Chicken
- 1 lb chicken breast (about 1 large) boneless skinless, sliced into thin cutlets
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter for searing
Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter salted
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg optional
- 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- pinch dried oregano
- pinch dried basil
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fettuccine until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
- Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with salt and black pepper. Sear in 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat, about 4 to 5 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. Rest a few minutes, then slice.
- In the same skillet over medium-low heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter and cook the garlic for about 30 seconds. Pour in the heavy cream, basil, oregano and optional ground nutmeg and warm it through.
- Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the grated Parmesan a handful at a time until smooth.
- Add the drained pasta and toss to coat, loosening with reserved pasta water until glossy. Return the sliced chicken, season to taste, and serve hot.
Notes
Grate the Parmesan from a block. Pre-shredded cheese can make the sauce grainy. Keep the sauce below a simmer after the cheese goes in to prevent breaking. Reserved pasta water is your best tool for loosening a too-thick sauce.
