Creamy Chicken Alfredo Dish (Printer-friendly)
Tender chicken and Parmesan cream sauce paired with fettuccine for a rich, comforting meal.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
02 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
03 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
04 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
→ Pasta
05 - 12 ounces fettuccine
→ Alfredo Sauce
06 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
09 - 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
10 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
11 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
→ Garnish
12 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
13 - Extra grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
# How to Make It:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fettuccine according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain and set aside.
02 - Sprinkle the chicken strips evenly with salt and black pepper.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from skillet and keep warm.
04 - In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant, avoiding browning.
05 - Pour in the heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Whisk in the Parmesan cheese continuously until fully melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in nutmeg if desired.
06 - Adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper to taste.
07 - Return the cooked chicken to the skillet and toss to coat in the creamy sauce.
08 - Incorporate the drained fettuccine into the skillet. Toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water gradually to loosen the sauce as needed.
09 - Plate immediately, garnishing with chopped fresh parsley and extra grated Parmesan cheese.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It tastes like the kind of restaurant dish that costs three times as much, but you made it in your own kitchen in less than an hour.
- The cream sauce is forgiving and smooth, rewarding you even if you're not confident with cooking yet.
- Leftovers reheat beautifully if you keep the pasta and sauce separate, though honestly they rarely last long.
02 -
- Never let the cream come to a hard boil or the sauce can break and separate—gentle heat is the entire secret here.
- If your sauce does break and look curdled, add a splash of cold cream or pasta water and whisk off heat until it comes back together.
- The sauce will thicken as it cools, so aim for it to look slightly looser than you want when you serve it.
03 -
- Reserve pasta water generously because you'll use it more than you expect—it's starchy and helps the sauce cling to the noodles instead of pooling at the bottom.
- Grate your Parmesan cheese right before making the sauce; it loses some moisture and sharpness if it sits around after grating.
- A tiny pinch of nutmeg sounds optional but it's the whisper that makes people ask what's different about your sauce.