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!
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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. If you prefer a creamier or thicker sauce, you can use heavy whipping cream instead.
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 8-10 min, or until just 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 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 unsalted butter
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- Add half-n-half and simmer over medium/high heat 8-10 min, or until 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).
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
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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! 🙂
Hi natasha, I will be using your recipe later on tonight but I’m wondering if you can convert the amounts for a 2-3 person serving. Thanks!
Hi John, this recipe serves 8 people but if you click “Jump to recipe” at the top of the post it will take you to our printable recipe where you’ll have the option to change the number of servings. Hover over the “8” highlighted in red and slide it to how many servings you would like to make. I hope that helps!
Very nice flavour and will be a favourite in our house. We added kale in with the dish to add some green, we cooked in in the pasta water with the pasta. We served with Parmesan cheese on top. We also didn’t add mushrooms.
Isn’t the flavor amazing for a simple recipe! Thank you for sharing that awesome review!
Hi Natasha! Can’t wait to try your recipe but just one question- how come you don’t add any Italian spices?
I’m excited for you to try this out. It’s not that I don’t use Italian spices, I just prefer to use simple ingredients that others can easily find.
I stumbled upon your recipe. It looks really good although I haven’t done it yet. However I wanted to bring to your attention that in the original recipe (in the list of ingredients) it calls for 3/4 pound of pasta for 8 servings (there’s no way you gonna do 3/4 lbs for 8 people, unless you are feeding 5 year-olds). 3/4s is usually for 4 people (even though like you said we can sneak in the full pound), so for 8 people you should aim at 1.5 – 2 lbs of pasta. Just wanted to let you know so you can correct.
I really don’t know if the people who said they followed your recipe exactly actually pulled it with 3/4s while keeping the rest of the ingredients in the same proportions as indicated in the original recipe (8 servings)
Thank you for sharing that with me, Juan! I’m so glad you found our recipes.
This is by far the best chicken fettuccine alfredo recipe I have ever made. I was a little skeptical about adding onions at first because I’ve never used them in Alfredo sauce, but this dish was fantastic! I did use the heavy whipping cream & added a pinch of nutmeg, but other than that, I followed the recipe as is. This will be the only recipe I use from now on. Thank you!
That is so great to hear, Sophia Thanks for sharing some tips too!
I made this tonight and it was amazing! I did substitute the half and half with heavy whipping cream and milk but definitely a new family favorite in my house!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m so glad you enjoyed that.
Made this tonight for the first time and omg amazing! I’ve made several of your recipes and haven’t had a fail yet! My parents loved it as did I! Another win for Natasha!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Karyn!
You’re welcome! Keep the ge eat recipes coming!
I forgot half & half, so I subbed 1.5 cups of whole milk w 1.5 TBS butter warmed (so it’s mixed), & a cup of shredded parmesan to into the chicken-onion mixture in the end (slowly) & let it simmer on low med heat. Perfect!!! Added pasta on top & it was so delicious!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Soo yummy! I used heavy whipping cream instead of the half and half then thickened it a tiny bit, definitely saving this one! Love your recipes.
That’s so great! Thank you for sharing that with me Chantel!
How much parmesan cheese should be added and when also what kind do you prefer?
Hi Monica, since it is a lighter sauce (half and half), we serve the finished pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese which melts over the top when served hot.
Hello Natasha! Can I use a Parmesan cheese in this recipe? Usually Alfredo sous is with Parmesan?!!
You sure can.
I made the chicken Alfredo and followed the directions completely but my sauce never thickened and I even used heavy cream for half of it. Do you have any idea as to what went wrong?
Hi Elena, it won’t thicken the same way as a heavy whipping cream sauce as it uses light cream (half and half), but it will thicken up slightly and coat the noodles nicely once the heat is turned off and you let it sit for a few minutes. I hope you love it! Also, be sure you are using half and half and not milk.
I made the chicken Alfredo but my sauce was incredibly liquidity. Any ideas why it didn’t thicken? I followed the recipe directions but I don’t know what went wrong.
Hi Elena, it won’t thicken the same way as a heavy whipping cream sauce as it uses light cream (half and half), but it will thicken up slightly and coat the noodles nicely once the heat is turned off and you let it sit for a few minutes. I hope you love it! Also, be sure you are using half and half and not milk.
Hi Natasha
Your recipes are really my favorite!
Have you ever made this with diced tomatoes or any other veggies? I feel like diced tomatoes would be really good in it!
Thanks for all your recipes!
Hi Katie, I have not tested this with tomato but I bet that could work! This works well with broccoli or spinach added.
i put chopped broccoli and carrot along with the pasta. it tastes
absolutely nice!
Yum! Thank you Mohamad!
I have never heard of Alfredo sauce without parmesan cheese.
Hi Jeff, we add parmesan at the end.
Simple and delicious.
My favorite kind of recipe! Thank you for stopping by!
Can I cook and make my chicken fetticuini dinner and refrigerate for company dinner the next day? if yes, will I have to add anything so it wont be dry? And what temperature and how long? Also, do I need to cover the dish and oil pan so not to stick. Thank you.
Hi Yvonne, We prefer it fresh and I believe it is best that way. But it does reheat well.
Did this tonight and couldn’t be happier with how delish it turned out to be! Thank you so much Natasha for all these great recipes!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Engie!
Natasha, I made this last evening, and it was absolutely delicious! Your recipes never disappoint! I followed your instructions exactly, and I did substitute half milk, half heavy cream as you suggested. There’s just the two of us, and we can’t wait for leftovers today! Thanks again. Happy New Year!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Linda!
Made this tonight for my family and everyone loved it!! Thank you for the recipe!!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Matt!
Hi Natasha’s,
I made this pasta and I loved it and my family too.
I do have a question, may I use penne rigate pasta instead of the spaguetti? I want to try it for Christmas, please let me know soon as I will buy the ingredients. Thank you.
Hi Destine, I haven’t tested that with penne rigate pasta but I imagine that should work! If you experiment please let me know how you like the recipe.