Name: Chicken alfredo
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients: 450 g boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 lb, halved horizontally into 4 thin cutlets); 1 tsp fine sea salt; 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1 tsp Italian seasoning; 2 tbsp olive oil; 340 g dried fettuccine (12 oz); 4 L water (about 4 qt); 1 tbsp fine sea salt (for the pasta water); 57 g unsalted butter (4 tbsp); 4 cloves garlic (finely minced); 355 ml heavy cream (1 1/2 cups); 85 g Parmigiano-Reggiano (3/4 cup, freshly grated from a block); 0.25 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated); 120 ml reserved pasta cooking water (1/2 cup, plus more as needed); 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley (finely chopped); 20 g Parmigiano-Reggiano (for serving, grated)

Chicken alfredo

Prep 15 min Cook 25 min Total 40 min Servings 4

About this recipe

Pan-seared chicken over fettuccine in a garlicky Parmesan cream sauce, finished off the heat so the cheese melts silky instead of turning grainy.

Method

01

Bring 4 L water to a rolling boil in a large pot and add 1 tbsp fine sea salt. Start this first, since everything moves quickly once the chicken hits the pan.
02

Pat 450 g chicken cutlets completely dry with paper towels, then pound any thick spots to an even 1.5 cm (1/2 in). Even thickness is what lets them brown and cook through at the same rate.
03

Season the cutlets on both sides with 1 tsp fine sea salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp Italian seasoning.
04

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the cutlets in a single uncrowded layer and cook undisturbed until deep golden-brown on the first side, 4-5 minutes. Work in two batches rather than crowding the pan.
Watch the technique for this step →
05

Flip the cutlets and cook until the second side is golden and the internal temperature reads 74C (165F), 3-4 minutes more. Move them to a plate, tent loosely with foil, and rest while you make the sauce.
06

Add 340 g fettuccine to the boiling salted water and stir right away. Cook until al dente, with a firm bite at the core, following the package timing. Make the sauce while it cooks so the pasta never sits and stiffens.
07

Wipe out the chicken skillet, leaving the browned bits. Melt 57 g butter over medium heat, add 4 minced garlic cloves, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant but not coloured, about 30 seconds.
08

Pour in 355 ml heavy cream and bring to a bare simmer, never a hard boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 4-5 minutes.
09

Take the pan off the heat and wait 30 seconds, then whisk in 85 g grated Parmigiano-Reggiano in three handfuls, letting each melt smooth before adding the next. Off the heat is the difference between a silky sauce and a grainy one. Stir in 1/4 tsp nutmeg, then taste and season with salt and pepper.
10

Just before draining, scoop out about 240 ml of the pasta cooking water. You will use roughly half, and the rest is insurance. Drain the pasta.
11

Add the drained fettuccine to the sauce and toss over low heat, adding 120 ml reserved pasta water a splash at a time, until the sauce turns glossy and clings to the noodles rather than sitting greasy on top.
12

Slice the rested chicken on a slight bias into strips. Divide the pasta among 4 warmed bowls, top with the chicken, and scatter with 2 tbsp chopped parsley and 20 g grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve immediately, as alfredo tightens fast as it cools.

Notes & swaps

Serve with garlic breadsticks and steamed broccoli, or a sharp green salad to cut the richness.

Grate the Parmigiano yourself from a block. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking starch that leaves the sauce gritty no matter how carefully you melt it.

The sauce is the step people get wrong. A hard boil breaks the dairy, and cheese dropped into a boiling pan clumps into strings instead of dissolving. Bare simmer, then off the heat.

Make ahead: the chicken can be seasoned up to 8 hours in advance and refrigerated. The sauce does not hold and should be made just before serving.

Storage: refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of milk or cream, since the sauce thickens considerably once chilled.

Swap the heavy cream for whole milk simmered with an extra 1 tbsp butter per 240 ml, and expect a noticeably thinner, less rich sauce.

Grana Padano replaces Parmigiano-Reggiano at the same ratio for less money, with a milder and less nutty flavour.

Boneless chicken thighs work at the same weight and are far more forgiving of overcooking. Take them to 79C (175F).

For a vegetarian version, leave out the chicken, add 250 g sauteed mushrooms, and use a vegetable-rennet hard cheese, since traditional Parmigiano-Reggiano is made with animal rennet.

No thermometer? Cut into the thickest part of a cutlet. It is done when the flesh is opaque throughout with no pink and the juices run clear.

Chicken alfredo

Ingredients

Method

Notes & swaps

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