Description
This simple chicken Alfredo recipe is the perfect follow on from my recent fresh egg pasta recipe and tutorial. If you have just made a batch of homemade pasta this is a brilliant way to use it and the silky chicken Alfredo sauce clings beautifully to fettuccine or tagliatelle. The chicken is cooked until golden then sliced and served over fresh pasta with a buttery garlic rich sauce made with double cream and a touch of nutmeg. It is easy, comforting and full of flavour and ideal if you want the best chicken Alfredo recipe ever without making things complicated. Whether you are completely new to pasta dishes or want a reliable chicken Alfredo pasta recipe that always works this chicken Alfredo recipe gives you a lovely bowl of comfort food that feels both simple and indulgent.
Of course the story about how chicken Alfredo came about is quite interesting. The dish as we know it today is really an American evolution of a much simpler Italian dish. The original Alfredo was created in Rome in the early twentieth century by Alfredo di Lelio who tossed fresh pasta with butter and parmesan until it turned silky and rich. It was meant to be a gentle dish for his wife who had lost her appetite after giving birth. When Hollywood actors began visiting Rome they tried the pasta and took the idea back to the United States where it grew into the cream based chicken Alfredo sauce many of us enjoy now. The version we make today is far more indulgent than the Roman original but it still keeps that spirit of comfort and simplicity that made people fall in love with it in the first place.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts sliced in half to make 4 thinner pieces
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 80 g butter for the sauce
- 7 large garlic cloves minced
- 400 ml double cream
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 100g Freshly Grated Parmesan
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 large pan of salted boiling water for the pasta
- 200g Fresh fettuccine or tagliatelle or dried pasta cooked as instructed
- Fresh basil or parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Warm a large frying pan on a medium heat then add the butter and olive oil. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and place it in the pan. Cook for about ten minutes turning once until the chicken is golden. Set the chicken aside while you make the sauce.
- In the same pan melt the 80 g butter. Add the minced garlic and cook gently for about one minute. Keep the heat low so the garlic softens without colouring.
- Pour in the double cream and stir slowly. Add the nutmeg and add the parmesan cheese. Let the sauce warm through until slightly thickened.
- Cook your pasta in the salted boiling water. Fresh pasta will be ready in two to three minutes while dried pasta should be cooked according to the instructions. Before draining the pasta keep a small cup of the pasta water in case you want to loosen the sauce later.
- Add the drained pasta straight into the cream sauce and toss gently so every strand is coated. If the sauce feels too thick stir in a little of the pasta water until you reach the consistency you like.
- Slice the rested chicken and place it on top of the pasta as shown in your photo. Garnish with basil or parsley and serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 15 Minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian