This incredibly delicious chicken Alfredo recipe combines juicy chicken, fettuccine noodles, and the dreamiest Alfredo sauce. It’s quick enough for weeknights and delicious enough for special occasions. You’ll love this dish!
We take our favorite fettuccine Alfredo recipe and add juicy, golden brown chicken breasts. This easy chicken Alfredo is one of our family’s favorites and always hits the spot for an easy, delicious dinner!
Our homemade Alfredo sauce skips the heavy cream and uses sour cream, butter, parmesan, and starchy pasta cooking water. It’s super quick, not too rich or thick, and incredibly delicious! Our readers call it a keeper of a recipe, and we agree! I can’t wait for you to try it.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: I cook the chicken the same way as our juicy chicken breasts recipe, but I add a simple Italian seasoning blend for extra flavor. If your chicken breasts are thick, pound them to an even thickness. Place them between parchment paper and flatten the thicker parts with a rolling pin or meat mallet.
- Fettuccine: Dried or fresh fettuccine is traditional, but you can use other pasta shapes. Just remember that you might need more pasta water to coat it well, especially for more textured shapes or those with lots of nooks and crannies.
- Butter: I use high-quality butter and love the flavor of European butter. I used Kerrygold in the photos, which adds a creamy yellow color and delicious flavor.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano: Our Alfredo sauce has a short list of ingredients, so quality matters. For the best results, use finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, which melts beautifully. Coarser grated cheese or other less authentic parmesan brands tend to make the sauce more stringy than creamy.
- Sour Cream: I skip the cream and add 2 tablespoons of sour cream instead. It makes the sauce creamy without making it heavy and adds a subtle tang.
- Garlic: It’s not common in fettuccine Alfredo, but I love adding a little. Grate a small clove (or half of a large one) into the sauce. It smells strong at first but mellows once you add the hot pasta water and pasta.
How to Make Chicken Alfredo
Our simple method for cooking the chicken is one of my favorite chicken recipes, especially when we are talking about cooking chicken breasts. You’ll pat them dry, season them with Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper, then place them into a skillet with hot oil.
I cook the chicken breasts without moving them for a few minutes until they are a lovely golden brown on the bottom. Then, I flip them, turn the heat to low, and cover the skillet with a lid. Since the lid creates a moist and steamy environment, the chicken stays nice and juicy in the middle.
While the chicken cooks, you can cook your fettuccine pasta. When it’s ready, use tongs to transfer it directly to a mixing bowl with butter, parmesan cheese, and sour cream. Add some hot pasta cooking water and continue to mix until the fettuccine is coated with a smooth and creamy sauce.
Serve the fettuccine topped with sliced chicken and sprinkle more Parmigiano-Reggiano and a bit of fresh ground black pepper on top. Delicious! For more fettuccine recipes, see our spinach and sausage fettuccine alfredo.
Easy Weeknight Chicken Alfredo
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This chicken Alfredo recipe is one of our family’s favorites and always hits the spot for an easy, delicious dinner! We skip the heavy cream for the sauce and call for sour cream, butter, parmesan, and starchy pasta cooking water. The sour cream is lighter and adds a delicious tanginess to the sauce. If your chicken breasts are thick, consider pounding them to an even thickness before cooking (not required, but it helps them cook more evenly).
You Will Need
1 pound (450g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 ½ tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon sweet paprika, optional for color
1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
8 ounces (226g) fettuccine
5 tablespoons (55g) butter
2 ounces (60g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons (30g) sour cream
1 small garlic clove, finely grated on a microplane
Fine sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1Set aside a wide skillet with a lid, or if you do not have one, prepare a sheet of aluminum foil that fits over the skillet.
2Take the chicken out of the refrigerator, pat dry with paper towels, and season on both sides with Italian seasoning, paprika, and salt (we use 1/4 teaspoon of fine salt per chicken breast).
3Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and looks shimmery, add the chicken breasts. Cook, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden.
4Flip the chicken, reduce the heat to low, and add a few tablespoons of water to the skillet. Cover the skillet with the lid or use foil. Cook, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the breast. Then, transfer the chicken to a plate and cover it loosely with aluminum foil.
5While the chicken cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
6Cut the butter into small cubes, about 8 of them, and place into a mixing bowl with the parmesan, garlic, and sour cream.
7Drop the fettuccine into the salted boiling water and cook to al dente (check package directions for timing).
8Use tongs to transfer the fettuccine to the mixing bowl with the butter and cheese. Stir to mix the pasta with the cheese and butter. Now add 1/2 cup of the hot pasta water to the mixing bowl. Continue to stir until the pasta is coated with a smooth sauce. Season with salt to taste.
9Divide the fettuccine Alfredo between serving plates. Cut the chicken into thick slices and divide the sliced chicken between the plates. Spoon any juices left on the plate or from the skillet over the chicken. Serve with more Parmigiano-Reggiano and fresh ground black pepper on top.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Butter: For this recipe, use high-quality butter. I choose European or European-style butter like Kerrygold or Plugra. I use salted butter, but if you have unsalted, adjust with a pinch or two of salt.
- Parmesan: Use a food processor and pulse until very fine crumbs, or use a microplane to grate. Parmesan grated on the microplane will melt into the sauce more easily.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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Easy, fast comfort food. Yay! I always have Greek yogurt on hand but not sour cream. Would that work just as well?
Hi Conni, Great question. I think the yogurt will work, but will just be a little more tangy than sour cream. If you try it, I’d love to find out how it was since this would be great to share with others who might have the same question.