Chicken Alfredo is a dream come true when you mix juicy, golden-brown chicken breast slices with long, thick strands of fettuccine pasta in my ultra-luxurious Alfredo sauce. Learn how to make this Italian restaurant-style dish at home — it cooks in about 25 minutes, and is much easier to make than you might think!.
What’s better than rich, creamy sauce coating thick pasta strands and slices of juicy chicken? Without a doubt, it’s rich-tasting and indulgent, and it’s super easy to cook at home.
“I made your Chicken Alfredo with pasta today for lunch. It is the best I ever made. My husband loved it too. I served it with pan fried asparagus. Wow. “.
I worked in homestyle Italian restaurants when I was learning to cook. Any kind of creamy pasta with Alfredo sauce with chicken, shrimp or salmon added to them were always a hit with customers. And along the way, I learned there’s really nothing complicated involved to make it.
Before cooking the chicken and adding to the Alfredo sauce, the first step is to make a simple seasoning rub to give it lots of flavor:
Cook the seasoned chicken breasts until golden brown and tender, then make the sauce in the same pan:
While the chicken and sauce are cooking, cook fettuccine (or your pasta of choice) in a large pot of boiling, salted water.
What Noodles Go Best with Chicken Alfredo? Your Guide to Pasta Bliss
Chicken alfredo is a classic Italian-American dish that combines tender chicken, creamy alfredo sauce, and noodles. But what type of noodles pair best with this beloved recipe? The options can seem endless, but some varieties lend themselves better to soaking up that velvety sauce.
Fettuccine
Fettuccine is the traditional pasta of choice for chicken alfredo. These long, flat noodles have a wide surface area that allows them to absorb a lot of sauce. The slight chewiness of the pasta also provides an enjoyable contrast to the smooth rich alfredo. Fettuccine has been the go-to noodle for this dish for decades and for good reason. If you want an authentic chicken alfredo experience, fettuccine is your best bet.
Linguine
Linguine is a great alternative if you want something slightly thinner than fettuccine but still has a nice flat surface and texture. Linguine noodles are ellipse-shaped and are just a bit narrower than fettuccine. They hold onto the alfredo sauce well. Linguine can be slightly easier to eat and twirl onto a fork for some people.
Penne
Penne pasta has angled edges that do an admirable job catching and delivering alfredo sauce. The tubular shape allows the sauce to cling to the ridges and crevices of the pasta. Penne noodle fans will enjoy this pairing. However, the texture is quite different from traditional fettuccine.
Angel Hair
Super thin angel hair pasta lacks the surface area to properly soak up alfredo sauce. The delicate strands tend to get lost in the rich creaminess. Angel hair is better suited for lighter or oil-based sauces.
Spaghetti
Spaghetti noodles are very thin and don’t have a lot of surface area to stick to alfredo. The round shape allows the sauce to easily slide off. Spaghetti is not ideal for retaining thick alfredo sauce.
The Takeaway
While creativity is great, fettuccine remains the gold standard when it comes to the perfect chicken alfredo noodle. The flat, wide pasta has the ideal characteristics to soak up and savor all that delicious sauce in every bite. However, linguine and penne can also substitute nicely. Just avoid skinny pastas like angel hair or spaghetti. Follow these recommendations and you’re sure to have a chicken alfredo pasta match made in culinary heaven.
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Homemade Chicken Alfredo Pasta
- ▢ ½ teaspon garlic powder
- ▢ ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ▢ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ▢ 1 pound (450 g) chicken breasts that are skinless and have no bones
- ▢ Extra virgin olive oil
- ▢ 8 tablespoons (113 g) butter, cut into cubes
- ▢ 2 cups (475 ml) heavy whipping cream
- ▢ 1 garlic clove, grated or finely chopped
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
- ▢ ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces (225 g) fettuccine pasta or another long type of pasta like linguine, pappardelle, or tagliatelle
- ▢ ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- Bring a big pot of water to a boil and add a lot of salt (1 tablespoon of salt for every quart of water).
- In a small bowl, mix the garlic powder, onion powder, ½ teaspoon of salt, and about ¼ teaspoon of fresh black pepper. Cover both sides of the chicken breasts with the mixture. (The chicken can be seasoned ahead of time and put in the fridge for up to eight hours)
- Set a big skillet (10–12 inches) over medium-high heat until a drop of water pops when it touches it. Pour about a tablespoon of oil into the pan and swirl it around to cover the bottom. Put in the chicken breasts and cook for two to three minutes, until the first side is golden brown. Turn the chicken over and cook for two more minutes on the other side.
- Turn the heat down to medium and cover the pan. The chicken is done when it feels firm when you touch it and is cooked all the way through. Put the chicken on a cutting board to rest while the sauce is being made. If there are any burned or dark spots in the pan, wipe them off.
- While the chicken is cooking, bring the pasta to a boil and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until it is al dente. Pour into a colander and shake to drain excess water.
- Wipe out any browned bits from the skillet, if needed. Turn the heat up back up to medium-high. Add the butter pieces to the skillet. While the butter is still melting, add the cream, garlic, and salt. It should take about 5 minutes of cooking, stirring every now and then, for the cream to start to reduce and thicken. Take the pan off the heat and add the Parmesan cheese. Mix it in until the sauce looks smooth.
- Using tongs, toss the cooked, drained pasta around in the sauce after adding it to the pan. You can move it to a bowl to serve or leave it in the skillet to serve.
- Cut the chicken into ½-inch pieces and place them on top of the pasta. Add any juices that the chicken may have given off while it was resting. Sprinkle the Parmesan and parsley over and serve right away.
Creamy Chicken Alfredo
FAQ
What noodles are best with Alfredo?
Fettuccine: The perfect pasta for Alfredo sauce, its wide, flat shape holds the creamy sauce beautifully. You can go with dried pasta, homemade pasta, or grab fresh noodles from the refrigerated section at the supermarket for an extra tender texture.
What kind of pasta is in chicken alfredo?
Key Ingredients in Chicken Alfredo Pasta Fettuccine is the most classic, but you can use whichever pasta shape you prefer. Heavy cream: Though some recipes exclude heavy cream, we think it makes for the most reliable and dreamy Alfredo sauce.
What type of pasta is used to make Alfredo?
Pasta: Of course, you’ll need fettuccine pasta. Butter: This Alfredo sauce starts with two sticks of butter. Cream: The rich sauce calls for almost a cup of heavy cream.