This homemade chicken Alfredo recipe is ready in 30 minutes!
Tender chicken breasts are combined with pasta in a rich and creamy parmesan alfredo sauce!
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo is Easy!
- Homemade alfredo sauce is easy enough for every day.
- It needs just a handful of ingredients that you likely already have.
- This chicken alfredo recipe comes together fast and the whole family will love it.
- Feel free to add in veggies like asparagus or steamed broccoli.
Ingredients for Chicken Alfredo
- Chicken – Use boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs. You can also substitute leftover chicken, Italian sausage, or shrimp!
- Butter – I use salted butter when cooking (and unsalted for baking).
- Cream – Use heavy whipping cream for this recipe for the best consistency. Lighter varieties produce a thinner sauce with less rich flavor.
- Parmesan – Grate the parmesan for the smoothest sauce. Pre-shredded parm will work and has great flavor but the texture isn’t as smooth.
- Pasta – Fettuccine noodles are sturdy enough to stay intact with the chicken and thick sauce. Other pastas to use are penne, farfalle, rotini, or bucatini.
How to Make Chicken Alfredo
Homemade chicken Alfredo with fettuccine is rich and creamy and ready in 30 minutes!
- Cook pasta al dente, reserving ½ cup pasta water according to the recipe below.
- Cut chicken into chunks or slices, season, and cook. Set aside.
- Cook the garlic in a skillet and then add cream and simmer until slightly thickened.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the parmesan cheese.
Toss the sauce with the chicken and cooked pasta and garnish with additional parmesan cheese.
Tips for the Best Creamy Chicken Alfredo
- Cook the pasta al dente (firm) and save some pasta water to improve the consistency of the sauce if needed. The starches in the pasta water will also help the sauce cling better to the fettuccine.
- Use heavy whipping cream in place of lighter creams.
- Remove the sauce from the heat in Step 6 to prevent the sauce from overheating.
- Chicken alfredo has the best consistency when it is fresh. It can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To reheat, add a bit of milk or cream and heat over medium-low heat while stirring.
More Perfect Pasta Recipes
Did you make this homemade Chicken Alfredo? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Homemade Chicken Alfredo
Chicken Alfredo is a rich and creamy pasta dish that is elegant enough to impress dinner guests, but quick enough to enjoy as a busy weeknight meal!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fettuccine
- 2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless, 5 ounces each
- 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning or 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning + ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- fresh parsley and additional parmesan for garnish
For the Alfredo Sauce
- 5 tablespoons butter divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups grated Parmesan cheese divided
- pinch nutmeg*
- salt & black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta water and set aside.
- Meanwhile, cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and season with the cajun seasoning.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat.
- Add chicken to the pan and cook until no pink remains, stirring occasionally, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low, and in the same pan melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in cream and bring to a simmer (turn up the heat to medium if needed). Let simmer for 5-7 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese and a pinch of nutmeg. Season with ½ teaspoon salt & ½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste).
- Stir in the chicken with any juices and toss with the cooked fettuccine adding additional pasta water if needed.
- Garnish with additional parmesan cheese and parsley if desired.
Notes
- Use full-fat cream, lighter versions don’t thicken well in this recipe.
- Shred your own Parmesan. Pre-shredded cheese works but doesn’t melt as smoothly.
- Ensure butter and garlic don’t brown, just cook it enough to become fragrant.
- Remove the sauce from the heat before you stir in the cheese. If cheese is overheated/boiled it can separate.
- Cook the pasta al dente (firm) and reserve pasta water to change the consistency of the sauce if needed.
- A pinch is about 1/16th of a teaspoon. Use your index finger and thumb to squeeze a little bit out of the spice jar.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 1067 | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 66g | Saturated Fat: 38g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 308mg | Sodium: 887mg | Potassium: 778mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2621IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 548mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I have some leftover shredded chicken from a previous meal. If I use it up in this recipe, how many cups of shredded chicken will I need? Thanks!
I would suggest about 2 cups of cooked chicken.
Hi Holly. Made this Homemade Fettuccine Chicken Alfredo last night. Followed all your instructions, and it was very good. Only thing, the Alfredo Sauce was soaked up by the noodles as I made it about an hour before eating. Should I wait to put in the Alfredo Sauce till we are ready to eat? Any suggestions?
I would recommend serving immediately after combining to prevent that from happening.
I just made this the other night and it is a huge hit! Oh my gosh it is so good. I forgot to take a picture but next time. I am not an Alfredo fan but my husband is so I made it. So much different and of course better than that jar stuff sold in the stores.
love this recipe!! I was wondering for a lighter version do you think I can use palmini noodles?
The sauce is fairly thick so any type of veggie noodle should work, you’ll want to make sure they’re well drained.
AMAZING RECIPE!!! I looked all over the internet, searching for a chicken Alfredo recipe with great reviews and picked yours and I am SO HAPPY that I did! My whole family loves this. I was concerned because every time they’ve had it at a restaurant they weren’t happy with it but this one was different. I followed the recipe exactly except I added 3 cloves of garlic instead of two because we just love garlic I also paired it with a side of garlicky, buttery, seared broccoli and garlic bread (yeah, we love our garlic ) this one is a keeper! I’ve already got my picky 17 year old claiming this is the best meal he’s ever had. He’s super picky by the way! Thank you
Wow, I’m so glad it was a hit! Thanks for leaving a comment, Rebecca!
You’re so welcome and SO deserving of 5 i just wanted to add that I made this a second time but I didn’t have any fresh Parmesan so I had to use bagged sargento Parmesan and it was still good but I had to add extra pasta water. Although it worked and was still delicious, I will definitely choose the fresh block to grate if I have the chance. Just wanted to say that it still tasted good with the bagged cheese if it’s all you’ve got
I’ve been using your recipes for 3 years now. All I can say is this is better than most Italian restaurants and alot cheaper.
Thank you, Sherry! So happy to hear that
Can you use prepared Alfredo sauce in a jar?
In a pinch you can use a jar of Alfredo Beth!
I made this for my husband and I’s at-home Italian themed date night and it was a HIT! It’s truly better than restaurant chicken alfredo! Since our date i’ve made it 3 times. We have a friend coming over for dinner tomorrow and this is on the menu! (: Thanks so much!!
I am so happy to hear you love this recipe Gisella!
Love it
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Kelly!
I’ve been looking for a creamy Alfredo recipe for a while now. I do not like a sticky Alfredo (think Mac and cheese). This sauce is creamy, delicious, and simple! It will be in the rotation for sure now!
I’m so glad to hear you loved this recipe Katie!
Going to try it looks delicious
Enjoy Donna!
Yum! I purchased lemon garlic pasta from the farmers market and used it in this dish. I also replaced Cajun seasoning lemon pepper seasoning on the chicken and WOW. Both my boyfriend and daughter said it was the best Alfredo they’ve ever had. ❤️
I love that, Brooke! So glad everyone loved it.
I’m looking forward to trying these recipes. Maybe after trying a few of them maybe I’ll subscribe.
This was the easiest and quickest alfredo sauce I’ve made. I used chopped garlic you get in the jar and it was fine. I think I’ll reduce the cream a 1/4 cup because I like mine a tad thicker but, it could have been I didn’t measure my butter :) I also used boneless skinless thighs as I hate breasts. Make sure to use a good hard parmesan because it makes all the difference; don’t use the Kraft bottle king. I will use this recipe from now one!
Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Wendy!
Made this for dinner tonight and everyone loved it! Chicken , Pasta and Alfredo Sauce all together was a plate full of wonderful. This one is a keeper and will go in the rotation for sure . I’ll be making this many more times and doubt it will be long before we have it again . Wonderful recipe and thank you so much for sharing it with us !
Yay! That is great, Greg! So glad you are enjoying it.
super tasty but very rich – as alfredo should be! followed the recipe exactly but added spinach. was delicious!
So happy you enjoyed it, Lindsay!
Delicious! Only thing different that I did was toss the chicken in a bag with the cajun seasoning and added a splash of oil and soy sauce. My family loved it! Will definitely add this to our dinner rotation. Thank you for sharing!
Cajun chicken is always great with alfredo sauce! Thanks for sharing Crystal!