Easy Chicken Alfredo Recipe

Hey, I’m John Cannell. Today we’re making a creamy, delicious chicken Alfredo, so let’s get started.

Ingredients & Prep

First off, grab a big pot. Fill it with water, set it over medium-high heat, and don’t forget to salt it. Nobody wants bland, unflavored pasta, so add in at least a couple of teaspoons—I like to go heavy on mine.

Garlic

While that comes to a boil, we’re going to get our chicken started. This creamy, indulgent recipe calls for three cloves of garlic, but that is an absolute floor—like, no less than three is how you should read it. When I make this, I’m going with eight cloves. I feel like that’s a good amount, as long as the cloves are big enough; if they’re small, I would add some more. This is so important because you have the cream, you have the Parmesan, but you need to have another flavor; otherwise, this is going to be very flat. These are on the small side, so I’m not even counting—it’s just kind of like how it feels in my hand. Give them a smash, remove the skin, and mince them up. I went with a conservative nine cloves of garlic. Freshly minced garlic—do not use the canned stuff or the jar stuff.

Chicken

We want a pound of chicken, but, like the garlic, you can double the chicken. It’s going to be super easy; there’s a lot of sauce and pasta to go around. These breasts are too thick, so I’m slicing them down the middle so they pan-fry easily. Season with salt and pepper—about three-quarters of a teaspoon of each.

History Bite

A man named Alfredo Di Lelio had a wife who was pregnant, wasn’t feeling well, and felt weak. He wanted to make her something nourishing but easy to digest, so he made her a fettuccine dish with a fresh butter-Parmesan sauce. We’re having the Americanized version with cream.

Cooking the Chicken

Add one tablespoon of butter and two tablespoons of olive oil to a pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in two batches; don’t crowd the pan. Sear until golden on both sides and cooked through, about seven minutes total depending on your stove. Set aside.

Pasta

Add one pound of fettuccine to the boiling water. Swirl so it doesn’t stick. Cook until al dente, then reserve one cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.

The Alfredo Sauce

Drain excess oil from the pan, keeping the browned bits. Add half a cup (113 g) of butter and two cups (480 ml) of heavy cream. Add the minced garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the butter melts and the sauce begins to thicken, about five minutes. Grate 90 g (about one cup lightly packed) of fresh Parmesan with a microplane. Reduce heat to low and whisk in the Parmesan gradually. Season with half a teaspoon each of salt and cracked black pepper.

Bringing It Together

Slice the cooked chicken. Add the drained pasta directly into the sauce; toss to coat. If the sauce tightens, loosen it with the reserved hot pasta water. Finish with a sprinkle of parsley.

What’s so magical about this is that, aside from it being cheesy-garlic-creamy amazingness, it feels light and almost refreshing. You’ve got to try this out, and I hope you get a chance to make this recipe.