This chicken alfredo recipe is a restaurant-style dinner you can make at home! It’s indulgent and rich, with a cheesy, creamy, garlicky sauce, along with fettuccine noodles and tender pan-fried chicken breasts.
If you can’t resist ordering chicken alfredo when you go to Olive Garden, then you’re going to love this recipe, which lets you make it at home whenever your heart desires! I guarantee that your whole family will devour it—I mean, you can’t go wrong with pasta, chicken, and creamy sauce!—and it’s also a great date-night-at-home dinner, especially when paired with Classic French Silk Pie for dessert. In fact, you might just want to cancel your Valentine’s Day reservations and have dinner at home this year!
Homemade Chicken Alfredo Recipe
There are two components to a traditional chicken alfredo recipe: the pasta and the chicken. Unlike a lot of other pasta dishes (but similar to chicken parmesan), the meat isn’t actually cooked or tossed with the pasta; instead, you pan-fry the chicken in a skillet, make the pasta, then serve the chicken alongside or over the fettuccine alfredo.
Don’t get me wrong, though—this chicken alfredo recipe is super easy. You probably have a lot of the ingredients on hand in your kitchen already, and it’s done in well under an hour. Although this is really a complete meal on its own, if you want to round things out by adding a veggie, you can make an easy side dish like roasted vegetables, steamed broccoli, or a quick side salad to serve with it.
(Want to make something similar in your Instant Pot? Try my Instant Pot Penne Alfredo recipe! Need more easy pasta dinners with chicken? You’ll love my Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta!)
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt
- Pepper – I recommend using freshly cracked black pepper for more flavor!
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Butter
For the sauce:
- Butter
- Heavy whipping cream
- Cream cheese – Use regular cream cheese, not the whipped kind or low-fat.
- Garlic
- Garlic powder
- Italian seasoning
- Salt
- Pepper
- Parmesan cheese
- Fettuccine – You’ll need a pound of dried fettuccine; if you use fresh fettuccine instead, you’ll need 24 ounces.
How to Make Chicken Alfredo
1. Make the Pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the fettuccine to al dente, as instructed on the package. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water before draining. You’ll use this later!
2. Cook the Chicken
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the skillet and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the bottom is golden brown. Flip the chicken over and add a tablespoon of butter to the skillet and cook another 5 to 7 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
3. Cut Chicken
Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 3 minutes before cutting it into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Tent with foil while you work on the rest of the recipe.
4. Make the Sauce
Combine the butter, heavy whipping cream, and cream cheese in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking until the cheese has melted. Add the minced garlic, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Whisk until smooth, then whisk in the grated Parmesan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until thickened.
5. Assemble
Remove the sauce from the heat and toss it with the fettuccine, adding the reserved cooking liquid to thin it out if needed. Divide the pasta into serving bowls and top with the sliced chicken. Garnish with parsley, additional Parmesan, and black pepper.
How to Store and Reheat Leftover Chicken Alfredo
Refrigerate leftover chicken alfredo in an airtight storage container for 3 to 4 days. Reheat it in the microwave until it’s warmed through.
FAQ
Is chicken alfredo healthy or unhealthy?
This is definitely an indulgent recipe! The butter, cream, and cheese make it pretty heavy, so it’s more of a once-in-a-while dinner than something you’d eat every day.
What is chicken alfredo sauce made of?
There are many recipes for chicken alfredo sauce, but mine is made with cream cheese, Parmesan, butter, and cream, along with seasonings.
What is the difference between alfredo and white sauce?
White sauce is usually made with butter, flour, and dairy (either milk or cream), but alfredo sauce is thickened by reducing it on the stovetop instead of adding flour and it has cheese added to it.
More Easy Pasta Dinners
- Creamy Lemon Garlic Pasta with Chicken
- One Skillet Pasta Primavera with Meatballs
- One-Skillet Creamy Tomato Italian Sausage Pasta
- Instant Pot Spaghetti
- Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce Recipe
Homemade Chicken Alfredo
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
For the Sauce
- ½ cup butter
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 lbs fettuccine noodles
Instructions
- Make the noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente according to package directions, usually 10 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain well. Set aside.
- Warm the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet.
- Add the chicken and leave it undisturbed for 5-7 minutes, until the bottom is golden-brown.
- Flip over and add in 1 tablespoon of butter between them
- Continue cooking for another 5-7 minutes (or an internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.)
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 3 minutes. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Tent with foil while you prepare the sauce.
- In a medium saucepan add butter, heavy whipping cream, and cream cheese. Cook over medium heat and whisk until melted.
- Add the minced garlic, garlic powder, italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Continue to whisk until smooth. Add the grated parmesan cheese.
- Bring to a simmer and continue to cook for about 3-5 minutes or until it starts to thicken.
- Take sauce off the heat and immediately toss with the cooked fettuccine noodles.
- Divide the pasta among serving bowls and top with a few slices of chicken. Garnish with parsley, more Parmesan, and black pepper if desired.
Hello??.. what is the reserved pasta water for?.. the recipe does not say???
The recipe does not give instructions on what to do for the chicken ingredients. It also does not say what to do with the reserved pasta water.
Perfect! Loved it! Doubled the sauce for 1 box of linguine. I like it saucy!
Why all the extra ingredients? Alfredo is just butter, pecorino, a little pasta water, and some black pepper.