Mom’s Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo (VIDEO)
Mom’s creamy Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo has been a family favorite for years. Classic Chicken Alfredo is a feel good comfort food – so creamy but light!
Mom learned how to make this “Pollo Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo” in culinary school. She made it for us when we were kids and we were crazy about it. Now I make the same alfredo recipe for my family. It’s one of my favorite comfort foods. Watch the video tutorial and learn how to make chicken alfredo.
Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo
Ingredients for Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo:
We usually use chicken breast but chicken tenders would work well if that is what you have on hand.
Fettuccini is the pasta of choice here but we’ve been known to swap with angel hair or vermicelli. You can use a variety of pastas. P.S. sometimes we sneak in the full pound of pasta when feeding a crowd.
Substitute for Half and Half?
This recipe calls for half and half, but you can substitute with equal parts of milk and heavy whipping cream. The half and half thickens as it simmers and even more as it rests.
How to Make Chicken Alfredo (Video below):
1. Cook fettuccini in a large pot of salted water (4 qts water with 1 Tbsp salt,) according to package instructions then drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, thinly slice chicken breast into strips and season all over with salt and pepper. In a large, deep skillet, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium/high heat and saute chicken until light golden and cooked through (5 min). Remove chicken from the pan and cover to keep warm.
3. In the same pan over medium/high, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter. Add onion and sauté 3 minutes until soft. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté until soft (5-7 min), stirring frequently. Add garlic and sauté another 30 seconds until fragrant, stirring constantly.
4. Add half-n-half and simmer over medium/high heat 6-10 min, or until just barely beginning to thicken. Add chicken back to pan, along with 1/4 cup parsley and season sauce to taste (1/2 to 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper).
5. Add cooked pasta and stir to combine. Heat another minute until warmed through then turn off the heat, cover and let pasta rest 10-15 minutes then stir to combine and serve garnished with more parsley.
After the pasta rests, you will have a creamy but light Alfredo sauce that coats the noodles perfectly.
Creamy Pasta Recipes to Try Next:
- Creamy Shrimp Pasta – juicy shrimp in alfredo sauce
- Mushroom and Leek Pasta – this sauce tastes gourmet
- Chicken Pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce – easy, excellent dinner idea
- Chicken Tetrazzini – Creamy and scrumptious pasta casserole
Watch How to Make Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo:
See Natasha make her Mom’s Chicken Alfredo Recipe. If you enjoy our videos, please subscribe to our cooking channel on Youtube and click the bell icon so you will be the first to know when we post a new video!
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⬇️ Print Friendly Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo:
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken Breast
- 3/4 lbs fettuccine pasta (or angel hair or vermicelli pasta)
- 1 lb white mushrooms thickly sliced
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 1/2 cups half and half *
- 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 tsp sea salt or to taste, plus more for pasta water
- 1/4 tsp black pepper or to taste
- 3 Tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 Tbsp butter
Instructions
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Cook fettuccini in a pot of salted water (4 qts water, 1 Tbsp salt,) according to package instructions then drain and set aside.
-
Meanwhile, slice chicken into strips and season all over with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium/high heat and sauté chicken until lightly golden and cooked through (5 min). Remove chicken from the pan and cover to keep warm.
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In the same pan over medium/high, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp of butter. Add onion and sauté 3 min until soft. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté until soft (5-7 min), stirring frequently. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
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Add half-n-half and simmer over medium/high heat 6-10 min, or until barely beginning to thicken. Add chicken back to the pan, add 1/4 cup parsley and season sauce to taste (1/2 to 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper).
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Add cooked pasta and stir to combine. Heat another minute until warmed through then turn off the heat, cover and let rest 10-15 minutes then stir and serve garnished with parsley.
Recipe Notes
*To substitute half and half, use equal parts of milk and heavy cream.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
This is definitely a feel good chicken fettuccini alfredo. It’s so creamy and satisfying, but light! Since it isn’t heavy-cream based, it fills you up without the guilt 🙂 I can’t even count how many times my Mom made this growing up. I hope this becomes a go-to pasta recipe for you as well!
Do you have a favorite food that you loved growing up and now make as an adult? I want to hear all about it in a comment below! 🙂
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Here you'll find classic Ukrainian food and other favorite recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Natasha, I’m getting ready to make the chicken fettuccine tomorrow. We r a large family and I need to feed 16. I was thinking of just doubling the ingredience. What do u think?
Grandma of 10
Hi Julie, that should work fine but keep in mind you would probably need 2 pans to cook the sauce or it would take a long time for the sauce to thicken up slightly making a double batch. To speed up the process, you could replace some of the half and half with heavy whipping cream.
This recipe was amazing and super easy for prep and clean up! I substituted the mushrooms with broccoli and I also added a chicken bollioun cube while sautéing the chicken in addition to the salt and pepper. Yummy!!! Also, I added about two cups of grated Parmesan cheese to the pasta/sauce mixture while it was still hot. Delicious, loved by all, and we had at least 6 generous servings!
Hi Ella! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for the great review!
Creamy and delicious!! And there’s enough for leftovers. Thank you for another great dinner recipe!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Liza!
Can I use margarine instead of butter?
Hi Lisa, margarine should work. There will be a subtle change in taste however. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
thats looks realy good
It is delicious!
Can I use butter for cooking the chicken instead of olive oil? I’m out of olive oil!
Hi Karen, I think you can. Just be sure not to over hear your pan as butter tends to burn faster with it’s lower heat point than oil.
Made this and I failed completely, my kids don’t like onions or any veggies so it was just noodles, and sauce, and chicken, didn’t taste goo 🙁 guess cooking is not my thing, but great job to those who did make it 🙂
Hi Kate, I’m sorry to hear that! You might just try a different recipe since it probably wouldn’t have much flavor with just the noodles and sauce. Don’t give up! 🙂
Never give up, Kate. Cooking is a great way to get the little ones to eat their veggies, but you may have to get creative, finely chop the mushrooms, and if you have to, grate the onion (can’t see much onion, but great flavor, and nutrients).
Yes! Thank you Lee!
Hi Katie, I’m not a fan of onions either, so I dice it up into extremely tiny pieces to get the flavour without having to see myself eating it.
You can try using peas (if they don’t mind it), or adding fresh herbs like thyme in. It’s not an alfredo anymore, but at least there’s a bit more than just one note.
Thank you for your great ideas, Erin!
One of the first meals my fiance ever made me when we were dating was Fettuccine Alfredo. Tomorrow is our one year anniversary and he requested a dinner of Fettuccine Alfredo to celebrate… I had never made it before. So I spent all day today searching for a recipie to try. Landed on this one and decided to give it a try. I made it exactly to the recipie, except I added one cup of finely shredded parmesan cheese before I added the chicken and parsley at the end. It turned out AAMMAAZZIINNGG. My fiance said it’s even better than the one he makes! We both are until we were bursting, and we still have 4 full servings left. I’ll definitely come back to this recipie every time. Thank you!!
That’s so great Dakota! I’m so happy you discovered our blog and found this recipe! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Great recipe!! I didn’t have enough half n half so in place of some of it i mixed some chicken bouillon with corn starch to help thicken it a bit and it came out plenty creamy. Also, next time I will double the garlic.
Anna that’s a great idea! Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha! That looks delicious! (P.S. I saw that your little princess made a cameo appearance in the video. She looks so pretty!)
She sure did! Thank you for noticing! I need to post a recipe cooking with her!
Oh, I would love to see your children help you in the kitchen! I bet both your children are good little helpers. 🙂
Hi Z! Yes they sure are! Thank you! 🙂
Great recipe! Increased the amount of garlic a bit, added fresh peas, and a dash of nutmeg to the sauce. Delicious. Thank you!
You’re so welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Nutmeg, interesting, now I am thinking if spatzle could be used in place of the pasta? I will have to give this a try a well and will report back with results 🙂
That is an interesting idea! Yes I would love to know!
Thank you for sharing such a simple but delicious recipe!! 😄 I substituted the half and half with milk and heavy cream mixture, and I omitted the mushrooms because I didn’t have them on hand, but it still turned out great! For those who mentioned that the sauce is too runny, try simmering it for a couple minutes longer before adding the chicken and pasta. It worked for me! My husband liked that it has some sauce to it and he couldn’t believe me when I said I didn’t use any cheese in this recipe LOL! This recipe is definitely a keeper 😁 Thanks, Natasha!! ❤
Thank you so much for sharing your tips with us Dyana! I’m sure our readers will find this helpful 🙂
whats your next recipe??????????????????????? but for a the record awesome recipe.
Hi Kathy, I just posted it! White Chicken Chili and it’s a winner! 🙂
Natasha dumb question but why are there comments from other months?because you just posted this yesterday??
sorry for asking other than that i love this recipe
Hi Kathy! Great question! 🙂 Every now and then, we will pick one of our favorite old recipes from the archives and add a video to help people discover it. I think we originally posted this one 7 or 8 years ago 🙂
OK thank you for responding so sweet and thoughtful i love the recipe
Ukrainian cooking in high fats. Do you have recipes for healthier eating? Indulgence once in a while but not every recipe.
Yes we have many great Salad and lighter recipes. Feel free to search “Healthy” on our blog 🙂
Hello Natasha, my family doesn’t like mushrooms, is it ok to make the sauce without mushrooms?
Hi Mariana, It won’t quite taste the same, but it can be done without mushrooms.
This sauce is amazing. So easy and so good. I served it with potato gnocchi and chicken, it was great. Thank you for sharing your family favorites with us!!
My pleasure! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe as much as I do. Thanks for sharing your excellent review Kseniya!
Can I use canned mushrooms?
Hi Natalie, fresh mushrooms will provide much richer flavor but if you prefer canned, I think it could still work with well-drained canned mushrooms.
I was very skeptical about this recipe because of the large amount half and half, but I took a risk. It came out great, thick,creamy, very delicious, easy to make. Thanks Natasha. Your recipes are the best.I tried many already.
My pleasure Barbara! I’m happy to hear how much you’re enjoying the recipes. Thanks for following and sharing your great review!
Omg!! Made this, best thing eveeerr! Eating it right now, couldn’t help but say that this is the best thing I have ever made!!
I’m happy to hear how much you love this recipe Anna! Thanks for sharing your excellent review! 🙂
I added about 1/2 cup of Parm Cheese, and used broccoli since i didn’t have mushrooms. Did not quite measuring everything, but it’s a recipe worth using and saving!
I’m glad to hear the recipe was a success! Thanks for sharing!
I used 3 and a half cups of 5% cream because I did not have half and half cream or milk, and it turned out fantastic!
I’m glad the recipe was a success Anisha! Thanks for sharing your review with other readers!
Trying this tonight. Love the blog.
Keep up the good work guys!!
Thanks Scott! Please let me know what you think of the recipe!
This was delicious!!! Not a drop left.
Awesome! I’m so glad you love it! Thanks for sharing April!
Hi, just wondering what would happen if I added 3 1/2 cups of thickened cream instead of half and half.
Hi Sylvia, I think it would be too heavy for the dish. You might try the proportions of our creamy shrimp pasta instead which uses heavy whipping cream. I’m assuming you are referring to heavy whipping cream.
I love this recipe, it works amazing. The only problem I have is sometimes the half and half doesn’t seem to thicken up, and the dish seems slightly wet. I’m probably doing something wrong, but any suggestions I’d appreciate
Hi Alex, If you would like the sauce to be thicker, I would suggest simmering it a little longer. The sauce isn’t as creamy as an alfredo made with heavy whipping cream – it is a lighter sauce but it should still coat the noodles. Cooking the sauce a little longer should help 🙂
Sounds great, I look forward to this, only think I will change is the mushrooms. What is common and I am assuming lower cost there is higher cost here, so I will be using small Shiitake mushrooms 🙂
Please let me know what you think of the recipe Lee!
Hi,
I’m surprised there’s no cheese in this recipe.. Would you recommend topping it off with a shredded cheese?
Hi Tasha, you definitely can serve with cheese if you prefer 🙂
I made this dish for my family and my husband loved it!! Thank you Natasha your recipes are very easy to follow. Please keep posting new ones. I am constantly on your page looking at your recipes. You’re the best!
My pleasure Ana! I’m so glad to hear you both love the recipes! Thanks for sharing your thoughtful comments and great review! 🙂
No parmesan cheese?!?! Even though that is the key ingredient in any alfredo?!?! Never heard of that before. I’ve seen and made alfredo without cream…but no parmesan??? Huh….not sure you can call it alfredo.
Hi JS, My Mother learned this version in culinary school and parmesan or not, it is really good! 🙂 You can definitely add parmesan if you prefer but this is a lighter alfredo sauce and it has enough flavor without it.
Hi Natasha! We really enjoyed this recipe, however, the sauce really didn’t thicken. It came out runny. The flavors were yummy and my two year old ate it all up( how can I complain about that?!). I followed the recipe though so I’m really not sure what happened.
Hi Sarah, I would suggest cooking it slightly longer – maybe yours was over lower heat? Also, the sauce does thicken up more as it stands. It isn’t supposed to be a heavy/thick sauce like my shrimp alfredo. I’m so so happy your two year old loved it!! 🙂 Thank you for sharing that with me 🙂
Several slice solube cheese?
Hi Alex, I’m not sure what you mean by your question.
Hye natasya, i’m elis from malaysia,, google for this recipe n found yours.. I cooked for my family breaking fasting..Very simple and of course superb delicious…my son can’t stop eat it.. We really2 enjoy n love ur mom’s recipe.. Thanks for sharing.. May god bless u n ur family..
I’m so happy to hear you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review Elis! 😀
Greetings from Singapore! First time trying your recipe and we love it, thank you for sharing 😀 Next on my to-cook list is your shrimp scampi pasta, wish me luck! 🙂
Well hello there Liana! I’m happy to hear that you all enjoy the recipe! Thanks for following and for sharing your great review! 😀
Very delicious😋😋, as all your recipes 😉 Will definitely do again, my husband said it’s now his favourite from all chicken and pasta dishes 😋
Natasha, thank you for such a great review, I’m so happy to hear that 😬
What would I be able to substitute for the half and half, as I have one that can’t have dairy. I usually use his almond milk when cooking, but don’t believe that it would be thick enough for this.
Hi Karen, I really haven’t tested anything else with this recipe that is dairy free. One of my readers recently mentioned that they use the cream from canned coconut milk to make my zuppa toscana soup recipe creamy without using milk cream, but I haven’t tested that here so it’s hard to recommend it here. The almond milk would not be thick enough on it’s own but it may work if you add 3 Tbsp of flour after the mushrooms are cooked and sauté the mushrooms with the flour for a couple minutes until golden then slowly add about 2 to 2 1/2 cups almond milk and bring to a simmer, whisking until it thickens. I haven’t tried this method myself but I’ve seen it done online. Sorry I can’t be more helpful – that’s my best guess! 🙂
Okay, thanks. We don’t eat mushrooms here, so I guess I will do some experimenting with this recipe.
My pleasure Karen 🙂
Even better the second night. We served with parmigian cheese and roasted brussel sprouts.
Yum! I’m happy to hear the leftovers were just as good! Thanks for sharing 🙂
🙂
I usually stick with the shrimp pasta in creamy tomato sauce (my family fave) but ended up making this tonight instead. I must say this is a great cheaper alternative. Thank you 🙂
(I agree with a comment before this would taste great with some cheese on top!)
Ksusha, thank you for such a nice review and you are very welcome 😁.
Great recipe!! Natasha, you never disappoint. I usually put parmesan cheese whenever i make any alfredo dish but I ran out. Even though this recipe didn’t call for parmesan cheese i still would have added it. Well good thing i ran out because now i know that it’s tasty either way! 🙂
Vika, thank you for the wonderful review on the recipe 😁. After reading your comment, I know what to make this week 😋.
Tasty and filling, we had this with brussel sprouts as our vegetable tonight. Will make again.
Oh wow that sounds really great with brussels sprouts! Thanks for sharing your great review 🙂
Hi , I don’t know what I’ve done wrong but just made the Alfredo and it tastes a bit bland .. What can I add?
Hi Fatima, if everything else was done to the recipe, I always add more salt and pepper to taste in step 5.
Hey , just a quick question , will be making this tomorrow .Can I make this with a short pasta ?
I think it works best with the long noodles because it is a thinner sauce but I think it could also work fine with a short pasta.
This was delicious! I just made this for dinner! So quick and easy! I used store bought rotisserie chicken instead of making my own because I was short on time. Was delicious, everyone liked it! I used half milk, half heavy whip cream and had no problem with it thickening up. Was runny at first but thickened up really nice while simmering. Thank you for the recipe!
Alina, thank you for the great review and nice job improvising .😀
Thank you for your recipes, for ideas! Love your website!
Thank you Alla for the compliment and you are welcome 😃.
LOVE this recipe. I’ve just gotten into cooking and i love the recipes you post. I’ve made this for 2 family dinners so far and everyone loves it. thank you so much!
Jake, thank you for the great review :). I’m glad everyone loves it. Your comment is making me hungry for some Fettuccine Alfredo :D.
This recipe was great! Although, I did have to add 2 tablespoons of flour for it to actually thicken. But for my first time making it, my boyfriend and roommate loved it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I made this tonight. Delicious!!!!!! This is our go-to alfredo now. Thanks!!!
That’s awesome! It has been our families go-to for years 🙂
Me and my family really liked this recipe. It’s going into our rotation! Thank you!! So grateful for your step by step recipes. You’re a lifesaver!!
Sounds like you have a new favorite! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂 Thanks for a great review!
Will this work with heavy cream or does it have to be heavy whipping cream ? For some reason my sauce is not thinking up
Sorry my phone “corrected” it for me . I meant thickening up. But I think I just needed to simmer it a little longer , seemed to work . Letting it cool a little and we’ll see. Thank you
No worries 🙂 I hope it turned out well. You probably found that it thickens up a little more when it cools down. It’s not supposed to be thick and creamy, but a little lighter with half-n-half. I hope you loved it! If you’re looking for a thicker pasta sauce, I’d also highly recommend this mushroom and leek pasta recipe: https://natashaskitchen.com/2013/11/06/creamy-mushroom-and-leek-pasta-recipe/
I would like to say that this recipe deserves much more than 5 stars!!!!! I love it so much, I could eat it and eat it, but that wouldn’t be too nice on my waist 😉 Thanks so much for the recipe! It’s definitely my go-to recipe, and your blog is my lifesaver! Thanks so much for all you do Natasha! Merry Christmas! Hope that you have a very merry one! God bless you and your beautiful family!
Awww thanks so much Tanya 🙂 You know, if you like this one so much, I think you’d also really enjoy this pasta: https://natashaskitchen.com/2013/11/06/creamy-mushroom-and-leek-pasta-recipe/
Thanks! I’ll have to try it out!
Do you think that this will freeze good if I made a lot and wanted to save it for a later time?
To be honest I haven’t tried freezing it but I think it might work. I’d add a little bit more cream or half and half when re-heating to make sure it isn’t dry.
What if i don’t want the mushrooms in the recipe?
You can skip them :).
I haven’t tried this yet and I’ve never made homemade alfredo but I would like to add broccoli as well. Would I just add it in at the same time as the mushrooms or should I cook it separately? I don’t want to mess it up!
I would cook it separately until done and just add it on top of the pasta once its served.
Thank you! I’m trying it tonight, can’t wait
Is there a way to make this recipe without mushrooms?
Yes; it won’t quite taste the same, but it can be done without mushrooms.
Hi Natasha, I made this last night and it was so delicious and easy to make, my brother was visiting and he just eat 2 bowls of it 🙂 I’m beyond thankful for your blog and your easy instructions. God Bless!!!
Awesome! 🙂 You are so welcome Marina.
Add some cheese along with half and half for a more creamy alfedo sause 🙂
Thank you for the tip Luba 🙂
This recipe would be very yummy with some fresh parmasian grated cheese and asiago ramano melted into the cream befor adding the pasta 🙂
Thank you for the tip Vicki 🙂
for extra flavor and thicker sauce you can add 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese…
Thank you Marina; I will definitely have to try that. I’ve heard that from other readers as well. Can’t wait to try it!
Is the reason you have heavy cream and milk in pic is bc thats what you used to substitutte for half&half? Half cream and half milk? I was just wondering….
Yes, that’s exactly it! Sorry forgot to add that to the instructions that you can substitute. Thanks!
Finish it with parmesan cheese for more creamy texture.
Thank you! Next time 😉
Natasha, this is the first time I’m writing a note on your site but I’ve been making food with your recipes for a while now. I just wanted to say that I love your site and think that you do such a wonderful job explaining your recipes and the fact that you have pics for every step is such a big help! It just makes things so much easier. I know right away if I’m doing it right. Thank you and may God bless you and your family. I hope you keep finding time to post new recipes. 🙂
You are so welcome Lena, blessing to your family as well 🙂
Made this today; it was really good. My mom loved it too!
Thank you! I’m so glad you both enjoyed it. We are planning to work on updating the pictures tomorrow (long overdue!) 🙂
Thank you for sharing this wonderful dish! The cream definitely beats the canned Alfredo sauce I used to buy at the store. I also really like how you give credit to your friends for the recipes.
Hi Natasha. So how creamy exactly is the sauce supposed to get? Mine was still kind of runny even after I let it cool down a bit. Maybe this recipe would be better with heavy whipping cream instead of half & half. It would probably be much richer and more calories of course 😉 Thanks.
It may have needed a couple more minutes of cooking. I’ll have to post a heavy whipping cream version one of these days (I am a sucker for creamy pastas). This is definitely a lighter version but a little trickier in terms of cooking time.
I love creamy pasta also 😉 But this one wasn’t too creamy for me, so next time will definitely try it with whipping cream instead. Still a wonderful recipe. Thank you!
Well, it’s says half and half in the recipe, but you have heavy whipping cream in the picture.
Sorry I added that little tid-bit to the instructions; you can use either half and half or equal parts milk and heavy whipping cream.
How much salt to you add to the water you cook the pasta in? My cousin works at an Italian restaurant and says you have to make the water almost as salty as salt water.
It depends on the type of pot you use. In a medium pot, I would use 1 to 1 1/2 tsp salt. In a large pot, I’d use closer to a tbsp.
I made this yesterday and it turned out delishious. My husbend esp. like the creamy mushroom taste. I loved it too, but I must admit I felt a little guilty eating it, since it’s pretty rich. Definitly a comfort food, will make it again.
I’m glad you like the recipe Dina :).
Can I use milk instead of half and half?
I don’t think it will work. I think Milk is too thin for this recipe.
Thank you
If you want to use milk, you just need to make a roux first, then incorporate the milk. Melt 2 tablespoons butter, add 2 tablespoons flour then cook over low heat and whisk in the milk slowly so there are not clumps, then add to recipe 🙂
Anna; thanks for the tip!