So Simple Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

I can’t hide it. My love for pasta is no secret. It is one of my favorite things to eat on the planet. It makes my soul happy. Chicken fettuccine is my favorite pasta dish of all time. I know a lot of people are intimidated by making their own alfredo sauce, but this recipe is so easy, pretty much anyone can make it. You really can’t mess it up. And it is sooooooo delicious! Easy + yummy = my kind of recipe!

Ingredients

1 pound of chicken breasts or tenders
1 box of fettuccine noodles
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 stick of butter (4 tablespoons)
2 tbsp. flour
1 pint heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
garlic powder

First, fill a large pot or pasta pot with water. Add a tbsp. of salt and turn on high heat to bring to a boil.

While the water is heating up, cut the chicken breasts or tenders into bite size pieces.

Pour 1 tbsp. of olive oil into a sauté pan. Add the diced chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. I don’t use exact measurements when I season the chicken. I just sprinkle over the pan with a good shake from each bottle.

Over medium-high heat, sauté the chicken until cooked thoroughly–the chicken should be a nice golden color. This usually takes about 7 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and put on a paper towel lined plate to drain off excess oil.

Add the fettuccine noodles to the pot of boiling water. I put a wooden spoon on top of the pot. This keeps the water from boiling over the top of the pot. It really works! Every so often, as the pasta is boiling, stir the pasta with a fork to keep it from sticking together.

I use the same pan I cooked the chicken in to make the alfredo sauce. I just rinse and wipe out the excess olive oil.

To the pan, over medium-high heat, add the 1/2 stick of butter. (This is the same as 4 tbsp. of butter.) When the butter has mostly melted, add 2 tbsp. of flour. Whisk, whisk, whisk until all of the butter and flour is combined.

Pour in the entire pint of heavy whipping cream. (I know, I know. This is not a low calorie dish, but a lot of recipes for alfredo sauce call for 2 whole sticks of butter, and mine only uses 1/2 stick, so that eases my mind. And I’ll be honest with you, the calories are totally worth it! You can substitute half and half if you prefer.) Continuously whisk the sauce for several minutes. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and whisk some more.

When the sauce starts to thicken, add 3/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese. Whisk, whisk, whisk some more. You’ll get a good arm workout whisking today!

The sauce will thicken quickly. You know it is ready when it coats the whisk and very slowly drips off. If you think your sauce is too thick, you can whisk in a couple of tablespoons of the boiling pasta water to the sauce. See–you just can’t mess it up!

When the sauce has thickened, remove the pan from the stove. Drain the fettuccine noodles. In a large serving bowl, combine the cooked chicken, fettuccine, and alfredo sauce. This recipe makes 4 large servings or six medium servings. Serve with garlic bread or salad, and you have the perfect supper!