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Rich ‘n creamy Alfredo sauce thickly coats perfectly-cooked fettuccine that’s topped with Italian-herb chicken. A favorite dinner recipe. Creamy, satisfying, and delicious!
Why We Love This Recipe
- Budget-Friendly: You’ll find that most of these chicken fettuccine Alfredo ingredients you already have on hand and the rest are gentle on the wallet.
- Go-to Dinner Recipe: Pastas are one of my favorite meals to have in the weekly rotation and this fettuccine recipe is no exception. It’s tasty, simple to make, and a crowd-pleaser!
- 30-minute Chicken Dinner: this entire dinner can be made in 30 minutes or less, just like this chicken dijon, tomato basil pasta, and blackened salmon.
The Best Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe
One of my favorite things to order in a restaurant is chicken fettuccine Alfredo. However, it’s never quite right… it’s usually overly greasy, comes with too little chicken, and it’s friggin’ expensive! So here I am sharing my ultimate & amazing easy chicken fettuccine Alfredo recipe! With creamy Alfredo sauce, perfectly cooked chicken, and mountains of gorgeous fettuccine, this recipe will become your go-to for dinners during the week and weekend.
Ingredient Notes for Fettuccine Chicken Alfredo
- Fettuccine – you can use whatever type of pasta you’d like, but since we’re making chicken fettuccine Alfredo, I thought I’d stick to the classic. 😉
- Chicken – use already prepared boneless, skinless chicken breast to cook my pan-seared chicken breast, which leaves tasty herbs behind in the pan for cooking incredible Alfredo sauce.
- Italian seasoning – my homemade recipe for this delicious spice, you can also use store-bought.
- Paprika – I use a variety of herbs and spices to flavor the chicken so this pasta dinner isn’t just one bland blob of creaminess. The herbs bring so much flavor and depth to this dish so it’s not just same-same!
- Garlic – we’ll mince 3 cloves of garlic for just the right amount of flavor that’s present but not overpowering.
- Heavy cream – don’t substitute this ingredient for a lower fat version, the difference is perceptible, not as tasty (and seriously runny). You’ll love the richness.
- Parmesan cheese – freshly grate the Parmesan for bonus points, or use store-bought to save yourself the time. Use extra Parm in garlic parmesan sauce.
- Ground nutmeg – might seem odd to throw this spice in, but nutmeg adds a hint of spice that serves only to enhance the richness and boost the flavor of your Alfredo sauce. It’s *chefs kiss*.
How to Make Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
Making this incredible chicken fettuccine Alfredo doesn’t require any fancy ingredients; it just takes a little time and care. The effort is well worth it, since homemade is so much better than store-bought and even restaurant-made.
- Cook the fettuccine. Cook according to package instructions (al dente) in a pasta pot. Reserve pasta water.
- Make the chicken. Slice chicken into uniformly thin cutlets. Pat dry. Stir together seasonings and sprinkle over both sides of the chicken cutlets. Cook chicken in a single layer in a large nonstick skillet until browned, then add butter and flip, cooking until done. Slice into strips and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Make the Alfredo sauce. In the same skillet, melt butter, then cook garlic until fragrant. Stir in heavy cream, garlic powder, salt, ground nutmeg, and black pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and stir in parmesan, cooking until thickened.
- Make the chicken fettuccine Alfredo: Add cooked pasta and reserved pasta water, stirring to coat in Alfredo sauce. Serve in bowls and top with chicken. Enjoy!
How to Cook Chicken for Fettuccine Alfredo
What’s the best chicken for fettuccine Alfredo? How do you cook it? I find it best to cook chicken breasts in herbs and butter before using that same pan to make the Alfredo sauce. The herbs and butter meld so well into the sauce, creating the best creamy chicken fettuccine Alfredo. Check out this recipe for perfectly cooked chicken for more tips and notes on how to get your chicken extra juicy.
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Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
More Pasta & Chicken Recipes
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
Equipment
Ingredients
Fettuccine
- 12 ounces fettucine
- Olive oil
- Parsley, minced for serving
- Black pepper, freshly-cracked for serving
Chicken
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Alfredo Sauce
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ¾ cups heavy cream, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Cook the fettuccine. Cook fettuccine in a large pasta pot with salted water according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain and drizzle with a few dashes of oil and toss to coat to prevent sticking.
- In the meantime, cook the chicken. Slice chicken breasts in half length-wise for uniformly thin cutlets. Pat dry. Stir together salt, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and paprika until mixed. Sprinkle over both sides of the cutlets. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet to medium heat. Cook chicken in an uncrowded layer, undisturbed in the skillet for about 4-6 minutes, until browned.
- Add butter to skillet. Using tongs, flip the chicken and swirl to coat in oil and butter. Cover with a vented lid and cook for 4-7 more minutes.* Cool chicken just enough, slicing into 1/2-inch strips. Cover with foil to keep warm.
- Make the Alfredo sauce. Bring the same skillet to medium heat. Add butter, swirling to coat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add heavy cream, garlic powder, salt, ground nutmeg, and black pepper. Bring heat to medium high, stirring together until well mixed. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium. Gradually stir in parmesan, cooking until well mixed and thickened, about 3-6 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, stir in small amounts of reserved pasta water to thin out.
- Make chicken fettuccine Alfredo: Add pasta to sauce, tossing to combine. Serve in bowls and top with chicken, parsley, black pepper to taste, and parmesan.
- ★ Last Step: If you made this recipe, leave a comment and review. It truly helps our small business keep running and it helps readers like you!
Made this for dinner last night and it was such a hit! I sprinkled some extra Parmesan and fresh cracked pepper before serving and paired with steamed broccoli. Thank you for sharing such a delicious and easy recipe!
Woohoo! You’re so welcome, Melody! Love the cracked pepper–it always adds such a nice finishing touch to pasta. 🙂