Chicken Alfredo Pasta
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This is my most indulgent chicken pasta — pan-seared chicken breast and fettuccine in a creamy, buttery Alfredo sauce that comes together in about 25 minutes. I’ve made this more times than I can count, and it never disappoints.
Chicken Alfredo was always the most-requested pasta on the menu when I worked in Italian restaurants — and I get it. There’s something about golden-brown chicken and thick, flat fettuccine coated in a rich butter-and-cream sauce that makes people genuinely happy. It’s one of those dishes that feels indulgent but isn’t complicated, which is exactly why I love cooking it at home.
What readers say:
“I made your Chicken Alfredo with pasta today for lunch. It is the best I ever made. My husband loved it too. I served it with pan fried asparagus. Wow.“
DONNA H.
Key recipe ingredients:
- Chicken breast works better than chicken thighs in this recipe. Boneless chicken breast cooks quickly, and slices neatly into strips that mix well with the pasta. If your breast pieces are on the thick side, slice them in half horizontally before cooking so they cook evenly.
- Parmesan cheese: If you’ve known me for even 5 minutes, you’ll know that I preach the superiority of freshly grated Parmesan. When it’s finely grated, Parmesan melts into the cream and butter, which helps the sauce thicken beautifully and cling to the pasta. Pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt as smoothly.
- Heavy cream: The key ingredient of the most sumptuous Alfredo sauce is heavy cream. (During my recipe testing, I also created this standalone recipe for Alfredo sauce). Its higher fat content creates a luscious coating for the pasta, so there’s no need to use added thickeners (such as flour or cream cheese). For that reason, milk or half-and-half won’t work for this recipe. When shopping for cream to make Alfredo sauce, choose containers labeled “heavy whipping cream” or simply “heavy cream” which has a fat content of up to 38%. Plain “whipping cream” is about 35% fat, but can also be used.
Seasoning the chicken
Before cooking the chicken and adding to the Alfredo sauce, the first step is to make a simple seasoning rub to give it lots of flavor:
1. Put the chicken on a plate. Combine the garlic and onion powder, salt and black pepper in a small bowl. 2. Sprinkle the rub evenly on both sides of the chicken breasts. The chicken can be cooked immediately, or refrigerated up to 8 hours ahead.
Chicken Alfredo cooking overview
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and the chicken. 4. Cook about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Cover the pan, lower to medium heat and cook until the chicken is done, about 5 more minutes. 5. Rest the chicken on a board while you make the sauce, then cut 1/4-inch thick slices.
6. Add the butter cubes to melt in the skillet over medium-high heat. 
7. As the butter melts, it will begin to bubble, then subside.
8. Pour in the cream and bring to a simmer. Cook until the cream reduces and thickens, about 5 minutes. 9. Remove from the heat and stir in Parmesan cheese until the sauce is smooth.
While the chicken and sauce are cooking, cook fettuccine (or your pasta of choice) in a large pot of boiling, salted water.
10. Add the hot, drained noodles to the sauce in the skillet. 
11. Top with the sliced chicken, grated cheese and parsley. Toss together and serve.
- Serve chicken fettuccine Alfredo with simple sautéed asparagus, or grilled romaine caesar salad.
Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Chicken:
- ½ teaspon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound (450 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 2 breast halves
- Extra virgin olive oil
Alfredo sauce
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) butter cut into cubes
- 2 cups (475 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 finely chopped garlic clove
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Serving:
- 8 ounces (225 g) fettuccine pasta, or other long pasta shape such as linguine, pappardelle or tagliatelle
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta, and salt it generously (1 tablespoon salt per quart of water)
Season and cook the chicken
- Stir together ½ teaspon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon salt and about ¼ teaspoon of fresh black pepper in a small bowl until combined. Sprinkle the mixture evenly on both sides of 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts. (The chicken can be seasoned and refrigerated up to 8 hours ahead).
- Place a large (10-12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Drizzle in a layer of oil (about 1 tablespoon) and swirl it around to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken breasts and cook until the first side is golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Flip the chicken over and cook on the second side another 2 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to medium and cover the pan. Cook 3-5 minutes, or until the chicken feels firm to the touch and is cooked through. Remove the chicken to a cutting board to rest while you cook the sauce. Wipe out the pan if it has any burned or dark bits in it.
- While the chicken is cooking, add 8 ounces fettuccine pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes. Pour into a colander and shake to drain excess water.
Make the Alfredo sauce
- Wipe out any browned bits from the skillet, if needed. Turn the heat up back up to medium-high. Add 8 tablespoons butter cut into cubes to the skillet. When the butter is melted and no longer bubbling, add 2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1 finely chopped garlic clove¼ teaspoon salt. Bring the cream to a low boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to reduce and thicken — it should take about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese until the sauce looks smooth.
Serving
- Add the cooked, drained pasta to the skillet, using tongs to toss it around in the sauce until it's coated. Transfer to a serving bowl, or keep it in the skillet for serving, if you like.
- Slice the chicken into ½-inch pieces and arrange over the pasta, adding in any juices that might have exuded while it was resting. Sprinkle the Parmesan and parsley over and serve right away.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Refrigerate any leftovers up to 3 days. Keep in mind that the sauce will be absorbed by the pasta as it sits. Reheat in a skillet until warm, with enough chicken stock or more cream to loosen the sauce.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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Funny enough, didn’t have a single garlic clove for the sauce! ended up using a dash of garlic powder and it was delicious!!!!! used tenderloins instead of breasts for smaller portions, ended up being around 1 and a half minutes of cooking on each side. delish!!! First time using a recipe online as a college student and will definitely be sticking with these!
I made the pasta with leftover chicken, it was so good, everyone helped themselves to large portions!
Maisa, I’m so glad you tried it with your leftover chicken! It’s so nice to cook for great eaters 🙂
Hi Karen. This is Sharon. I made this chicken Alfredo dish and it was fab! It made so much sauce that we didn’t have to skimp! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Sharon! I’m so glad you loved the Alfredo. And yes, extra sauce is always good. Thanks so much for letting me know!
I made your Chicken Alfredo with pasta today for lunch. It is the best I ever made. Thank you. I only seasoned the chicken for about 45 minutes. Do to time . Next time I will season for several hours as directed. My husband loved it too.I served it with pan fried asparagus with lemon pepper seasoning from The Spice House. Wow
Donna, this is great to hear! Asparagus is a perfect side to balance with the creamy sauce. I’m also a big fan of Spice House 🤩
Loved the recipe. Everyone thought it was great.
I do have a question: when I heated the leftovers in the microwave the cream and butter separated with most of the cream staying attached to the pasta and the butter in the bottom of the pan. Is this normal; or did I go wrong somewhere in the process?
Hi Glenn – Yes, it’s normal for the fat to separate when heated to high temperatures, because the fat molecules separate from the liquid. I suggest heating leftovers in the microwave at a lower power, such as 2 or 3 depending on your microwave. Start at 4 or 5 minutes and adjust as needed. I’m glad you enjoyed the pasta!
Great
Really GOOD. The first alfredo I’ve ever made from scratch at home — sooooo good.
So glad to hear that Karin!!
Wow, great recipe! I did add some thyme. Glad that I went with your recipe, thank you so much!
So happy to hear that! Thyme is a perfect add.
Simple and delicious
So yummy!!
making this this weekend!!