Creamy Alfredo Chicken Pasta (Printable Version)

Rich Alfredo sauce coats tender chicken and pasta for a comforting Italian-American dinner.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz fettuccine or tagliatelle

→ Chicken

02 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut 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 cheese, for serving

# How to Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken strips with salt and pepper, then cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side until golden and fully cooked. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
03 - Reduce the skillet heat to medium. Melt the butter and sauté the minced garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Pour in the heavy cream, stirring constantly, and let it gently simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
05 - Whisk in the Parmesan cheese and nutmeg if using. Stir until the sauce thickens and becomes smooth. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
06 - Return the cooked chicken to the skillet. Add the drained pasta and toss thoroughly to coat. Gradually add reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
07 - Serve immediately, garnished with chopped fresh parsley and extra grated Parmesan cheese.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under forty minutes, making it perfect for those nights when you want something elegant but don't have the time to fuss.
  • The sauce tastes decadent and buttery, but you're only using five ingredients to build it from scratch.
  • Homemade Alfredo tastes nothing like jarred sauce—once you make it fresh, you'll understand why people get excited about it.
02 -
  • If your sauce breaks or becomes grainy, it's usually because the heat was too high or you added cold Parmesan directly to hot cream; slow and steady wins this race.
  • Don't skip grating the Parmesan fresh—it genuinely tastes different and melts into the sauce instead of clumping.
  • The pasta water is not optional; its starch is what helps the sauce cling to the noodles and creates that silky finish.
03 -
  • Toast your minced garlic in butter for exactly one minute—this is the sweet spot where it becomes fragrant and golden without turning bitter.
  • Keep a cup of that pasta water nearby while you finish the sauce; you'll almost always need it to reach the perfect consistency.
  • Taste the sauce before you plate; restaurant cooks taste constantly, and so should you—Parmesan and salt levels can vary by brand.

Go Back