Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo is an American Italian dish loaded with chicken and pasta in a creamy, buttery, cheesy, homemade alfredo sauce and is an easy weeknight dinner and is always a welcomed addition to the dinner rotation.
One of my favorite pasta dishes is chicken fettuccini alfredo. I love it more than almost any other kind of Italian food. I especially love spicing up the creamy alfredo with some Slap Ya Mama. Now, I know this is my go-to seasoning, but nothing calls for this Cajun spice blend more than chicken alfredo. It enhances the flavor of the sauce and the flavor of the chicken.
Whenever I can get a Cajun chicken alfredo pasta, I do. So I wanted to come up with a good recipe for making it and this is what we got. The alfredo sauce with the cream cheese came out so great. It’s easy to make a bland alfredo, but this has a lot of great flavor components going for it. Before you make it, I came up with a few important notes to discuss how to proceed. I hope you find these tips useful.
Tips for Cooking Pasta According to the Package
I have to issue a disclaimer about following the instructions on the pasta box. While it’s always advisable to prepare your pasta the way they suggest, sometimes we have our own preferences. I totally understand letting it cook a little longer than the box says, so think of this part of the recipe as merely a suggestion, although they give very good instructions on how to make authentic al dente pasta. Also, this recipe assumes that you are using dry pasta rather than fresh, but of course, fresh is better when you can get it. Keep that in mind. Either way though, this chicken fettuccine alfredo is going to knock your socks off!
Why Do You Rinse Pasta with Cold Water?
The main reason to rinse cooked pasta in cold water is to stop the cooking process. This is especially important if you want that al dente bite. But it also can help stop the pasta from sticking together. Most recipes that call for rinsing the pasta in cold water are pasta salad recipes because they are enjoyed cold, and rinsing in cold water understandably brings the temperature down. However, if you are cooking a sauce, like this magnificent alfredo, incorporating your cooked pasta will heat it right back up, and then rinsing helps protect it from getting soggy from overcooking.
Heat and Butter
Heat and butter are essential for cooking just about anything in a pan or a skillet. You have to let the pan get hot before you go to work. Otherwise, you’ll be in for a mess. Let the butter melt in the pan. That’s how you will know the pan is hot enough and the butter will give the pan an even coat. Both of these things are necessary for keeping the chicken from sticking to the metal. The heat promptly sears the chicken, so it doesn’t adhere to the pan, and the butter makes it a slick surface to further protect your pan from getting tough-to-clean, burnt, welded chicken meat all over it.
Dicing Chicken Safely
This recipe calls for diced chicken. Boneless skinless chicken breast is the way to go if you want to start off on the right foot. It’s the easiest to cut and you won’t leave any waste. What I love about doing chicken this way is that it’s so easy to make sure it cooks evenly and it doesn’t take long to cook through.
Dicing the chicken is not difficult, but you should avoid cutting your chicken up until it is time to use it. In the meantime, store your fresh chicken breast on the bottom rack of your refrigerator in an air-tight bag or container. Keeping the chicken on the bottom ensures that no raw chicken juice will contaminate other food in the fridge.
If you decide to freeze your chicken instead, let it thaw out in the refrigerator. Same rules apply. One thing to note is that chicken is easiest to cut when it’s still a little bit frozen, so you can pull it out and start working with it before it is completely thawed. It’s even preferable to do it that way.
Precautions Against Bacterial Spread
Regarding Salmonella, it’s always best to exercise caution when handling raw chicken. Some people like to rinse the chicken before cutting it, but that is actually riskier than not rinsing. That’s because water contaminated by the chicken can spread salmonella wherever it splashes and collects in the kitchen. So, don’t run your chicken under the sink! Washing your hands is a different story, though. You should always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water after you touch raw chicken but before you touch other foods, utensils, or cooking surfaces. That’s why dicing your chicken separately before you do any other kitchen prep is better.
How to Cut Your Chicken Breast into Cubes
I always used to think cubed or diced chicken looked so manufactured. Then I realized that many home recipes also utilize diced chicken and it’s actually very easy to prepare. It’s not manufactured at all. It just requires a little bit of skill with a knife.
First, you’ll want to place it on a cutting board. I like hard plastic or another nonporous material for easier cleaning. Then, cut your breast to the desired thickness. If it already isn’t overly thick, you can skip this step. Otherwise, you might butterfly the chicken or wrap it up in plastic wrap and pound it flat with a mallet. Once you have the thickness right, safely discard the plastic wrap and begin cutting the breast into long strips. Make sure the distance between the strips is equal. Then, rotate the cutting board and cut again, making the cubes.
Incidentally, you can dice cooked chicken, too. Some recipes specifically call for it. Consider salads for instance. You can buy cooked diced chicken in a can, but you can also make your own. I like poaching it in chicken stock and then cutting it up the same way as I do raw.
Add Vegetables
- Broccoli
- Tomatoes
- Roasted asparagus
- Roasted red bell peppers
How to Store and Reheat Fettuccine Alfredo Leftovers
This chicken fettuccine alfredo recipe will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. For longer storage, you can place it in the freezer and store it for up to 3 months.
To reheat the pasta, place in a skillet and stir continuously until heated through. If the fettuccine alfredo is frozen, let it defrost in the fridge before reheating it. Add a little liquid if it is too thick.
Ingredients For Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
- Fettuccine noodles
- Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, diced small
- Butter
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic salt
- Black pepper
- Slap Ya Mama
- Onion, finely diced
- Mushrooms, slice
- Garlic cloves, minced
- Heavy whipping cream
- Cream cheese
- Parmesan cheese, shredded
- Fettuccine pasta
How to Make Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
Step 1: Prep
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
Step 2: Cooking the Chicken
In a large pan or large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic salt, pepper, and Slap Ya Mama. Stir to combine. Cook chicken until almost thoroughly cooked and then add in onions and mushrooms.
Continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink, onions are translucent, and mushrooms are tender.
Step 3: The Alfredo Sauce
Add remaining butter and garlic and sauté for 2 additional minutes. Stir frequently. Over low heat, pour in heavy cream, stir, and let simmer. Add in the cream cheese and ½ of the parmesan cheese and whisk until it is fully incorporated.
Add the remaining parmesan cheese and whisk together until the cheese is fully incorporated. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 4: Fettucine Alfredo
Add fettucine pasta to the skillet and stir until noodles are coated in alfredo sauce. Serve immediately. Garnish with parsley and serve with a side of garlic bread. Enjoy!
Try This Delicious Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo Today
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta – This delicious pasta recipe is loaded with perfectly seasoned chicken, a creamy sauce, crispy bacon, ranch, garlic and onions and a pasta dish the whole family will enjoy.
Homemade Lasagna – This is a hearty and delicious, homemade lasagna with a scrumptious meat sauce, lots of cheese, made from scratch with added flavors from Italy, fennel, oregano and basil. So good and easy to make.
Italian Sausage Pasta – This is a quick and easy pasta recipe that is perfect on those busy weeknights. Loaded with Italian sausage, cheese, and rigatoni pasta that holds in all the delicious sauce.
Try this creamy Chicken Sausage Alfredo Pasta from Great Grub Delicious Treats.
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, diced small
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 1 cup mushrooms
For the Sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 6 ounces Parmesan cheese freshly shredded
- 16 ounce box fettuccine pasta
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
- Using a large pan or skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter over medium heat.
- Add chicken and sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic salt, pepper and slap ya mama. Stir.
- Cook chicken until almost thoroughly cooked, then add onions and mushrooms.
- Continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink and onions and mushrooms are tender.
- Add remaining butter and garlic. Saute for 2 additional minutes, stirring frequently.
- Pour in heavy cream, stir, lower heat and simmer.
- Add ½ of the Parmesan cheese and all of the cream cheese. Constantly whisk until cheese is fully incorporated.
- Add the remaining Parmesan and whisk continuously until the cheese is fully melted and mixed well.
- Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Add fettuccine pasta to the sauce mixture and stir.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Here are a few pics that are the perfect size for pinning to Pinterest.
