Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with Golden Garlic Chicken
By Isabella Quinn
Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
Pan-frying chicken pieces dusted with flour in a mixture of oil and butter browns the chicken before the pieces finish cooking. The same pan is used to make the sauce. Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo consists of cooked chicken strips and fettuccine pasta mixed with parmesan and garlic cream sauce.
Soft cream cheese is one of the main ingredients in the sauce and is used to add tartness and thickness to the sauce along with other ingredients such as heavy cream, butter, chicken stock, garlic, and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Chicken breasts are sliced lengthwise to make cutlets and seasoned with garlic powder, salt, and pepper, as well as coated with flour. Fettuccine is a type of long pasta that pairs well with the sauce.
Mix cream cheese into the hot liquid mixture until well combined. Cook for five minutes to partially thicken the sauce. Add shredded parmesan cheese to the sauce. Taste the sauce to check if it adheres to cooked pasta. Tips: Do not use cold, low-fat dairy products such as cream cheese. These dairy products can prevent the sauce from thickening properly and cause separation.
Serve with fresh, crusty bread or garlic bread with cheese and various salads, such as Caesar salad and Parmesan arugula salad. Fresh pasta should be served. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated gently over the stove in a skillet, with more cream if needed.
Why we keep this one around
- Flour-coated cutlets are brown and crunchy because of the flour coating, which helps prevent sticking, and oil and butter used in pan-frying.
- Halving chicken breasts lengthwise makes thinner cutlets that cook faster and can be sliced into tender strips.
- Soft cream cheese in the sauce adds thickness and an acidic flavor as it melts, helping the cream stick to the noodles.
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese mixes better into the sauce and leads to a smoother sauce without grainy bits.
- Gentle bubbling of cream, broth, and butter before adding pasta helps the sauce adhere to the pasta by reducing it.
- Boiling water from cooked pasta can help adjust a pasta sauce that is too thick by adding liquid without changing its core flavors.
Ingredients
- •4 oz cream cheese (softened)
- •1 cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
- •8 oz uncooked fettuccine
- •2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (large)
- •½ tsp garlic powder
- •salt & pepper (to taste)
- •flour (for dredging)
- •1 tbsp olive oil
- •3 tbsp butter (divided)
- •1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- •¼ cup chicken broth
- •2 garlic cloves (large, minced)
Instructions
- 1
Take the cream cheese out of the fridge to soften at least 30 minutes before starting, or microwave it for 20-30 seconds.
- 2
Grate the parmesan cheese.
- 3
Boil a large, salted pot of water for the fettuccine.
- 4
Cook the fettuccine al dente according to the package directions.
- 5
Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make 4 thinner cutlets.
- 6
Sprinkle the cutlets on both sides with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- 7
Coat the chicken in flour.
- 8
Add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to a deep skillet over medium-high heat.
- 9
When the pan is hot, cook the chicken for 5 minutes per side or until golden and cooked through.
- 10
Take the pan off the heat and transfer the chicken to a plate.
- 11
Wipe out the skillet or give it a quick rinse if there is a lot of extra grease.
- 12
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, cream cheese, cream, chicken broth, and garlic to the skillet.
- 13
Return the skillet to the burner over medium heat.
- 14
Once the butter has melted and the pan has heated up, use a spoon to help the cream cheese melt into the sauce.
- 15
When the cream cheese is incorporated, let the sauce gently bubble for 5 minutes until it has reduced somewhat, stirring occasionally.
- 16
Slice the chicken into bite-size strips while the sauce cooks.
- 17
Stir the parmesan into the sauce and cook for about 1 minute.
- 18
If desired, reduce the sauce longer to thicken it, or add a splash of hot pasta water if it becomes too thick.
- 19
Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- 20
Drain the fettuccine, add it to the skillet, and toss with the sauce.
- 21
Serve the pasta with the chicken on top or mixed in, and grate on more parmesan cheese if desired.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
878
Calories
44g
Protein
56g
Fat
50g
Carbs
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