‘A guide to an oh-so-creamy and silky-smooth staple’ is all I can say about this Chicken Alfredo recipe. Created in Rome, Italy in the 19th century, the very first recipe for Chicken Alfredo was constructed by a restaurant owner, Alfredo di Lelio, who had his creation named after himself.
Now, Chicken Alfredo has become a surprisingly quick meal that can be made one-pot. Simple ingredients, simple processing; You’ll no longer be pulling your hair out trying to feed a crowd that fills up your entire backyard.
What is Alfredo sauce?
Alfredo sauce is a creamy, silky sauce with three main ingredients: chicken broth, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Butter is used quite frequently, along with many other additions. This is totally no surprise since Chicken Alfredo has recently come viral worldwide with countless adaptations.
I myself had a great time with this dish. Honestly. To the point that I slapped a bookmark on the recipe. Not long after that, I figured out the tasty sauce is easy peasy cheesy to make! So why keep longing for it if I can make one myself? All I had to do was make a quick roux of the sauce, the pasta and the chicken— all done.
Enough words, here’s some note that I left for myself.
Okay, maybe I lied, it’s for you guys. (｀▽´)
“How can I make the Alfredo sauce better for me”?
So chances are that you might have, at least once, been through that watery pool of sauce on the bottom of your pasta bowl. I know. Yucky!
Here’s how I figured this thing out.
- For a silky but not gluggy sauce: If you cook pasta together with the sauce, it’s important to add the parmesan cheese only a minute before you remove the whole pot from heat. When emulsified with pasta too soon, it’s likely that the parmesan cheese will make the liquid thicker (because of fat and starch coming together), thus the pasta cooks unevenly. That said, you should cook the pasta to al dente in a combination of milk and chicken broth only.
- Make sure to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese if possible: It will ensure you a much better cheese-melting through the sauce, compared to the powdered one – that is if you don’t want your sauce to taste so starchy. Parmesan is so delicious, don’t accidentally make it a dud in such a lovely dish.
- Make sure your dietary requirements are met: If you need alternatives for heavy cream, there are lots of options. Either thickened cream, light cream or evaporated milk can make up for the absence of heavy cream. The good news is, by replacing heavy cream, the total calories and fat content of the dish will also decrease by tens (and possibly increase the sauce’s thickness— so please watch out). At the end of the day, it’s important to stick to your dietary requirement. By doing so, you can make good decisions on which ingredient to consume/ditch.
What pasta should you use?
I’d say fettuccini. Definitely. It has to be fettuccini to me, everytime.
But that’s just me. You really don’t have to be a martinet about choosing pasta for your own meal. Fettuccini has long been emblematic when it comes to Chicken Alfredo. But as long as your pasta is capable of being submerged and stirred easily in the cooking liquid, then it’s the pasta of choice for you— no matter if it’s a home-made or a high-end dried one.
You might want to take a peek at these simple swaps and check them out at stores:
- Angel hair
- Vermicelli
- Spaghetti
- Fusilloni
- Risoni
- Penne/ziti
- Macaroni
What goes well with Chicken Alfredo?
Know what’s the unsophisticated side/toppings for such rich dish like Chicken Alfredo? Yeah, I understand that the final product looks a bit queasy to some people, but it’s easy. You stir in some hefty heaps of spinach or so and then it looks just as mouth-watering as it’s supposed to be.
To enhance the savory and hearty meat-like taste of mushrooms (that will make your mouth water), you can also stir some of them or extra veg into the Alfredo sauce while cooking. For those who can still cope with more grease, I’d gladly serve it with lovely panko crumbs toasted in butter and call it a perfectly alluring topping.
And of course, generous sprinkles of parsley should not be left out either.
Chicken Alfredo Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz skinless boneless chicken thigh
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 6 oz dry fettuccine pasta
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 5.3 oz onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp garlic chopped
- 5 oz button mushroom
- 1 cup unsalted chicken broth
- 3/4 cup light whipping cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 tbsp parsley
Follow Healthy Kitchen 101 on Pinterest
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and thyme. Let them sit for 15 minutes.
- Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and stirring occasionally. Boil until al dente (8-10 minutes) and drain them immediately.
- Sear the chicken thighs in olive oil in a large pot over low heat for about 12 – 15 minutes until they’re golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pot and slice them into strips.
- Stir-fry mushroom with olive oil. Once the mushrooms are cooked, transfer them into a small bowl.
- Add butter in the same pot, then saute onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add in flour, chicken broth, milk, and heavy cream. Season the mixture the salt, pepper, nutmeg, thyme, and Italian seasoning. Then bring them to a boil.
- Add the pasta, mushroom and bring it to a simmer for an extra minutes.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese, and parsley to the pot and stir so it coalesces into the mixture. Add chicken to the pot.
- Serve. Garnish with fresh parsley and pepper if desired.
Notes
- You can either dice the chicken first and bring them to sear, or cook the chicken breasts in whole piece then slice them up after everything else is done.
- You can use thickened cream, light cream or evaporated milk as a substitute for heavy creamy if desired. Increase the amount for these if your sauce is too thick.
- Please be noted that in the beginning, the sauce is always very runny and watery, but it will thicken bit by bit during the simmering time. Plus, it also evaporates quickly after being removed from heat, so for best results: you should have your Chicken Alfredo served immediately.
Nutrition Info
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