This Chicken Alfredo recipe is perfect for a tasty homemade and easy weeknight meal. Made with creamy fettuccini pasta, heavy cream and parmesan, this traditional Italian pasta dish is simple and quick to make.
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Chicken Alfredo for Busy Families
Chicken Alfredo should be easy! We have made sure this recipe is fool-proof as well as creamy and amazing. It’s the ultimate comfort food!
There’s nothing quite like bowl of creamy pasta, and it really doesn’t get better than this classic homemade chicken alfredo. Indulgent and rich but simple enough to make for a weeknight meal.
How to Make Chicken Alfredo
- Wash chicken breast then pat dry. Cut into thin strips
- Boil fettuccine pasta according to box instructions, when ready, set aside.
- Heat a non-stick pan with olive oil and add chicken strips. Cook for 6-7 minutes on each side until golden brown, on medium heat. Remove chicken from pan when ready and set aside
- Add minced garlic and saute for 3 minutes. Deglaze pan with chicken stock, add lemon juice and bring to boil
- Add heavy cream, then add the cooked pasta and chicken.
- Add parmesan and stir until everything is well combined.
- Sprinkle the chicken alfredo with parsley and enjoy!
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
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Homemade Chicken Alfredo Recipe
This sauce is so creamy! Did I say this is creamy?! This pasta dish is made with heavy cream, just like the Italians do it. You will see lots of alfredo recipes that are made with cream cheese, but honestly, heavy cream is where it’s at!
Using heavy cream makes this recipe so much richer in flavor and it adds a wonderfully silkiness to the dish.
What type of pasta should you use?
Fettuccini is my pasta of choice when making home-made chicken alfredo, but you can play fast and loose with this. Linguini is also a great option and I won’t hold it against you of you choose to use penne.
You can use boxed or fresh pasta in this recipe.
What to serve with Chicken Alfredo
This chicken pasta recipe is a great pasta dish that can be served on its own, but if you are looking for some side dish ideas to go alongside, you can’t go wrong with veggies. It’s also delicious with homemade garlic bread.
Perfectly Seasoned
Use a low sodium chicken stock. This will help you to be able to control the saltiness of the dish, exactly to your liking! The parmesan cheese is already very salty, so taste before adding more salt before serving.
Top Recipe Tips
- Cook the pasta al-dente (with bite).
- Use organic chicken that hasn’t been raised on antibiotics.
- It’s highly recommended that you don’t substitute the heavy cream for a low fat version.
Top Reader Reviews
- “Amazing! Kids and I loved it!” – Amanda Brown
- “Becky! This was fantastic!! I have always loved chicken alfredo and really enjoyed this recipe!” – Eden
More Italian Inspired Chicken Recipes
If you have tried this homemade chicken alfredo recipe, or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Chicken Alfredo Recipe (Homemade)
Ingredients
- 1 Chicken breast
- 1 pound fettuccini noodles
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Wash chicken breast then pat dry. Cut into thin strips
- Boil fettuccine pasta according to box instructions, when ready, set aside.
- Heat a non-stick pan with olive oil and add chicken strips. Cook for 6-7 minutes on each side until golden brown, on medium heat. Remove chicken from pan when ready and set aside
- Add minced garlic and saute for 3 minutes. Deglaze pan with chicken stock, add lemon juice and bring to boil
- Add heavy cream, then add the cooked pasta and chicken.
- Add parmesan and stir until everything is well combined.
- Sprinkle with parsley and enjoy!
Bonnie Cleary says
We loved this recipe!! Plus I have told several friends!!!
Becky Hardin says
Thank you so much, Bonnie!!
Jen says
Too much liquids. We had to use 4x the cheese and it was totally a mess. I do not recommend this recipe
Becky Hardin says
I am sorry it didn’t work for you, Jen!
Barbara Gambrell says
I made this last night and it was a disaster! I chose this recipe because it was for two people. When I cooked the pasta, I made four ounces. I didn’t realize the recipe called for a pound. I don’t know any two people who can eat a pound of pasta. Rolling along, I thought the liquids were way two much for two servings. The bottom line is I wasted lots of ingredients, especially heavy cream. The result was a watery mess.
molly early says
Leftovers are delicious!
Tom Swafield says
I have to agree with the comment; if you make this recipe I suggest limiting the chicken stock and increasing the parmesan amounts. The measurements as given by the recipe do not lead to the desired outcome
Lynda says
This was the worst recipe I have ever made. I am so upset about the cost that went down the drain. I would not even call it an Alfredo. I gave it no stars and would love to give it negative but it won’t let me. Horrible, horrible, horrible. I cannot stress enough how awful it was. I wish I could get my money and time back.
molly early says
I am sorry this didn’t work out for you Linda.
Chris Martinez says
YOU didn’t read the directions properly and are complaining that the recipe didn’t come out as it should have?..
Okay Karen.
Debra G says
Very easy dish to prepare. I didn’t have heavy cream and used 2% milk. I’m sure the texture was different than using the cream, but still very tasty! Id definitely make this recipe again.
molly early says
Happy to hear that, Debra!
Shana DeLoach says
I really love this recipe. I enjoyed making this dish. Thank you so much!
molly early says
Thanks for commenting, Shana!
Randy Koser says
I will not be back to this website way to many popup adds
Becky Hardin says
I am sorry, Randy. Unfortunately, ads are necessary to keep these recipes free to the public. If you are wanting to go straight to the recipe at the top of the post just click the button that says “Recipe ↓” and it will take you to the recipe without scrolling through the ads.
Kimberly Linford says
My husband said it tastes better than Olive Garden! AND it was super easy and only a few ingredients. If it looks too watery, just have faith and keep going! The starches in the pasta and the cheese help thicken the sauce as it cools
The only thing was I the serving sizes were crazy large. I made the serving size for 4 people (2 pounds of pasta) and it was more like 12-16 servings. Soooo… If you’re cooking for 2 people half the recipe and use just half a pound of noodles.
Becky Hardin says
Always great for leftovers!
Erin Gaan says
We had the same issue as many other reviewers where the sauce was VERY liquidy, like soup. We made a roux to thicken the sauce and it was better. Not sure how others had success without a roux. Would also add more garlic and cheese.
Becky Hardin says
I am sorry it didn’t work out for you, Erin! I hope you give it another shot.
Ciara Hart says
I got worried for a minute when my sauce seemed watery, but I just let it simmer for a few minutes, then when it cooled a little it thickened a lot. Not watery at all. You definitely need to add your own spices to both the chicken and the sauce. I used salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, a little cayenne, and 4 cloves of garlic instead of just one. I also used half and half instead of heavy cream because I’m cheap. It was great.
Becky Hardin says
Thanks for sharing, Ciara!!
Cece Pratt says
This was my first time making this recipe, and I CRUSHED it!! I followed your recipe-the key to the extra liquid add more parmesan, and lower the heat it thickens up!! Delicious and the kids loved it❤..
Becky Hardin says
Happy to hear, Cece!