Chicken Alfredo Recipe

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo made with crispy Parmesan crusted chicken swaddled in luxuriously creamy parmesan sauce – it doesn’t get any better than this!

This Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo recipe looks and tastes gourmet (perfect for upcoming Mother’s Day or Father’s Day 😉) but is quick, easy and will have everyone head over heels in love!  This recipe features golden, crispy, panko, Parmesan crusted chicken breasts (pan-fried, baked or air fried) and the dreamiest, creamiest Parmesan garlic Alfredo sauce.  This dizzyingly delicious duo is comfort food at its most addictive, ready in just over 45 minutes! Serve this cozy Chicken Fettuccine with Caesar salad or roasted Parmesan broccoli along with some Parmesan breadsticks for a complete meal the whole family will adore!

Alfredo is one of life’s decadently delicious pleasures.  If you love Alfredo as much as we do, don’t miss classic Fettuccine Alfredo, Blackened Chicken Alfredo, Lemon Garlic Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo, Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo, Million Dollar Chicken Alfredo Bake, and Cajun Chicken Alfredo. If you are looking for a lighter version, I created a low-fat fettuccine alfredo called healthy Alfredo HERE.

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Watch: How to make Chicken Alfredo

 

Ingredients for Chicken Alfredo Pasta

CHICKEN ingredients

This Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo recipe is made with easy-to-find, pantry friendly ingredients.  For the chicken and breading you will need:

• Chicken breasts: Use two medium, boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half to create four cutlets. Thin cutlets cook more quickly and evenly so the chicken is cooked through by the time the outside is golden and crispy.
• Flour:  The chicken is first lightly dredged in flour to give it a clingy surface for the eggs to bind to.  I use all-purpose flour, but I’m sure gluten free flour, almond flour, etc. would also work.
• Eggs: Two eggs whisked together act as a sticky glue for all of the breadcrumbs to adhere to.  When the egg proteins cook and solidify, the panko is secured onto the chicken.
• Panko breadcrumbs: Panko is a Japanese breadcrumb sold in every grocery store next to the other breadcrumbs. It is the secret behind extra crunchy chicken.
• Parmesan cheese:  The grated cheese is added to the panko and melts into the breading as it cooks.  Use freshly grated Parmesan grated on the finest hole of your grater so it becomes powdery. 
• Seasonings: The chicken is seasoned with dried parsley, dried basil, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper so it’s scrumptious all on its own.
• Olive oil: The oil is used to cook the chicken until crispy in the skillet or to coat the panko before toasting if baking.
• Butter: You don’t have to use butter but it does add a decadent finish. Use unsalted butter otherwise reduce the salt in the recipe.

Alfredo Sauce Ingredients

• Butter: Use unsalted butter so you can salt to taste.  If you only have salted butter, then use less salt and salt to taste after you add the pasta.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic is sautéed over medium-low heat with the butter to infuse the sauce with garlicky goodness.  I highly suggest fresh garlic as opposed to powder in this recipe.  I use 6 cloves garlic for a real garlic kick, but use more or less depending on your garlic love.  You may substitute with 1 teaspoon garlic powder – but the real stuff is so much better.
• Heavy cream: Also known as heavy whipping cream, is the signature ingredient in Alfredo sauce. It makes for an ultra-rich, creamy, decadent pasta.
• Chicken broth:  Broth is more flavorful than just heavy cream and has less calories. In my classic Alfredo recipe, I use milk but because we’re combining it with chicken in this recipe, chicken broth is the more flavorful choice. Use reduced sodium chicken broth so we can control the salt.
• Cornstarch: This speedy thickening agent allows us to make the Chicken Alfredo “saucier” without adding more cups of cream.  The cornstarch helps thicken the broth so the sauce maintains its coveted lusciously creamy consistency.   
• Parmesan cheese: For optimal salty nuttiness, use real Parmigiano-Reggiano right off of the block and not any powdered or pre-shredded cheeses.  Pre-shredded cheeses are coated with anti-clumping chemicals which prevent them from melting completely, leaving your sauce grainy no matter how long you cook it.  Plus, these cheeses don’t taste nearly as good! Parmigiano-Reggiano is Parmesan produced in Italy in one of the following areas: Bologna, Mantua, Modena, or Parma that has been aged for at least two years.  In the U.S. you can still find tasty “Parmesan,” but it is not regulated, and typically only aged 10 months so it’s not as flavorful/complex. 
• Cream cheese:  This optional ingredient gives the Alfredo sauce extra body and makes the sauce extra smooth and creamy so it just melts in your mouth.  I also love the slight tanginess it adds.
• Seasoning: Without seasonings, all you have is bland, creamy Chicken Fettuccine! Salt, pepper, onion powder, Italian seasonings and red pepper flakes really level up the recipe.

WHAT PAN SHOULD I USE FOR THIS RECIPE?

You will need a large nonstick saucepan for pan frying the chicken, otherwise the Parmesan in the coating can stick and burn because we’re not using a ton of oil.  You can cook the sauce in the same pan or in a larger pan that will hold all of the sauce, pasta and chicken like I did here.

• Use a different pasta: Swap in any pasta, either long spaghetti, medium-short sturdy pastas such as penne, fusilli, rotini etc. or ravioli or tortellini.  You can use classic pasta, whole-wheat pasta, gluten free pasta. 
• Fresh pasta:  If you really want an elevated dish, splurge on fresh fettuccine! Some grocery stores carry fresh pasta, but many do not.  Whole Foods often has fresh fettuccine in the prepared foods section where you’ll see all the fresh pasta options available that day.
• Use different chicken:  Swap the crispy chicken for plain chicken dredged in flour and the same seasonings but without the eggs and panko. You can also use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken or your favorite chicken recipe like blackened chicken, balsamic chicken, lemon basil chicken, lemon pepper chicken, etc.
• Use a heavy cream substitute: Swap the heavy cream for evaporated milk mixed with 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Just remember that fat equals flavor so the cream sauce won’t taste quite as decadent.
• Use lighter Alfredo: Use this lighter Alfredo sauce recipe that uses a roux instead of heavy cream.
• Add bacon:  Cook the bacon, remove with a slotted spoon and use some of the bacon grease instead of oil if desired.  Add the cooked and crumbled bacon at the end of cooking.
• Add seafood:  Swap all or some of the chicken for sautéed shrimp, blackened shrimp, buttery salmon, or crab.
• Add sausage:  Swap the chicken for ground Italian sausage or andouille sausage.
• Add cheese: Mix up the flavor profile by using half Parmesan and half Pecorino Romano (this is what they do at Olive Garden) add mozzarella, Gruyere, Gouda, or Asiago.
• Add flavorings: Add a splash of lemon juice or pesto.
• Add sun-dried tomatoes: Purchase the sun-dried tomatoes in a jar packed in oil, not water, located near the olives or pickles at your grocery store. Rinse about ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, pat dry, chop and sauté with the garlic. 
• Add fresh or fire roasted diced tomatoes:  Sauté halved cherry tomatoes or chopped fresh Roma tomatoes with the garlic.
• Add veggies: Add any chopped vegetables such as bell peppers, asparagus, broccoli, zucchini, green beans, cherry tomatoes, peas etc. and sauté them with the garlic.  If using frozen peas, thaw and stir in with the Parmesan to warm through.  If adding spinach, add to the sauce at the end of cooking; allow to wilt 1-2 minutes.  Adding volume in vegetables means you need to decrease the chicken.  
• Add mushrooms:  Pan fry sliced baby Bella mushrooms, remove from the skillet then add back to the sauce at the end of cooking. Check out my mushroom chicken recipe to see exactly how I cook perfectly caramelized mushrooms.
• Spice it up: Add additional red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to taste. 

How to make Chicken Alfredo

Let’s take a closer look at how to make this Fettuccine Chicken Alfredo recipe with step-by-step photos or you can watch the HOW-TO VIDEO in the recipe card (full recipe measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post:

STEP 1: MAKE CHICKEN CUTLETS

Chicken cutlets are important because: 1) pounding the chicken makes it more tender by breaking up the tissues, 2) the pounded uniform thickness allows the chicken to cook evenly, 3) the thinner chicken cooks more quickly so the interior of the chicken is cooked by the time the exterior is golden.  Here’s how to make the cutlets:

• Lay the chicken flat on a cutting board and hold it in place with the palm of your hand.  Carefully slice through the center horizontally (parallel to the cutting board) to create two fillets. I find it easiest to start at the thin end and then work towards the thicker end. Repeat with the second chicken breasts to create four cutlets.
• Place the cutlets next to each other on a flat surface and top with plastic wrap.
• Gently pound the chicken to an even thickness using the smooth side of a mallet, rolling pin, or side of a can. We are looking for about ¼-½-inch thick. 

STEP 2: bread the CHICKEN

• Line up 3 shallow dishes. In BOWL 1: add flour, BOWL 2: whisk eggs, BOWL 3: mix panko, Parmesan cheese and all Chicken seasonings. Note, if baking, you will toast the panko first in the oven.
• Working with one chicken fillet at a time, dip both sides of the chicken into the flour, followed by the egg (let excess drip off) followed by the panko. Press the panko firmly into the chicken so it’s evenly coated and breadcrumbs stick. Place finished chicken on parchment paper.

Step 3. How to cook chicken for Chicken Alfredo

You have three options for cooking the chicken:

• Shallow pan fry:  will taste the most decadently delicious
• Bake:  still delicious thanks to tossing the panko with olive oil and toasting first but not quite as crispy; it is the only option that cooks all the chicken at once
• Air fry: is the healthiest and crispier than baking but not quite as lux tasting as the other two options because it doesn’t have olive oil

Step 4. How to make Chicken Alfredo Sauce

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat then add the fresh garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.

Whisk in the heavy cream, chicken broth whisked with cornstarch, cream cheese and all seasonings. Cook over medium-low until melted and smooth.  This will take a few minutes for the cream cheese to melt completely. 

Add the grated Parmesan cheese a handful at time in 4 batches, whisking until smooth in between each addition.  Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and continue to cook for about 3-5 minutes or until it starts to thicken and the Parmesan is completely melted.  If you’re using fresh garlic, don’t confuse the minced garlic for stubborn Parmesan.  

STEP 5: combine

• Add fettuccine and toss until well coated in sauce, adding a little reserved pasta water if needed to reach desired consistency (for extra decadence, use heavy cream instead of pasta water).
• You can either add the chicken on top of the pasta in the pan or to individual servings. Garnish with parsley and dig in!

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo FAQs

This Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo is pretty straightforward, but below you’ll find answers to commonly asked questions to satisfy your curiosity and guarantee success: