Fettuccini Alfredo with Grilled Chicken

Homemade Alfredo sauce tossed with fettuccine noodles and served with grilled chicken and fresh Parmesan-Reggiano cheese.
One of my daughters favorite meals is Fettuccini Alfredo. We went to Sam's Club one day and they were giving out samples of Barilla's Alfredo Sauce. She loved it and was instantly hooked. 

We bought a couple jars and that is how we have been making Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken. I think the sauce is a bit to thick for my taste, so I wanted an alternative. I have tried a couple recipes and haven't really found a Homemade Alfredo sauce that I like.I saw a recipe at Recipezaar that looked really good so I gave it a try. 

I tweaked up the recipe a bit to my liking and I have now found a sauce that I am really happy with.  If you want you can click on the link for recipezaar for the original recipe and maybe you might prefer there's. I thought the sauce was so creamy and good not too thick and sticky at all.

This recipe is fancy enough for guests or easy enough for a weeknight meal. I chose to grill my chicken with a little olive oil instead of rolling in flour and frying it in butter.
I love grilled chicken so that is just how I prefer to cook it. 

You can also use heavy or light cream, I know this because the original recipe called for light cream and I grabbed heavy by accident.  I can tell you I made it with light cream and it curdled so I only recommend using heavy cream. 

If you want to lower the calorie intake use the light cream, but the results are not as good. I served my Fettuccine Alfredo with hot french bread and a salad on the side. I hope you give this recipe a try it really is so good.



While pasta is cooking season and grill the chicken breasts. I used an indoor grill pan. start on the sauce by adding 2 TBS butter, onions, and garlic to a large pan. Cook 1 minute, Add the cream cheese and heavy cream. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the sauce is reduced a bit. Add the Parmesan or Parmesan-Reggiano cheese and parsley if using, stir well using a wire whisk. 

Add remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and stir until everything is combined. drain the cooked pasta and add to a large pasta bowl or serving platter. Pour the sauce over the pasta and lightly toss making sure all the pasta is coated. Add the grilled chicken pieces on top and garnish with additional Parmesan or Parmesan-Reggiano cheese. 





Fettuccine Alfredo W/Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:
8 - ounces fettuccine or linguine pasta (I prefer Linguine)
2 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 - 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled
dash of salt and pepper or use your favorite chicken seasoning

Alfredo Sauce
3 - tablespoons real butter, divided
3 - tablespoon cream cheese. 
1 - tablespoon minced onion
1 - clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 - cups heavy cream
1/2 - cup fresh grated Parmesan or Parmesan-Reggiano cheese.
1 - teaspoon parsley, optional

Directions:
Cook linguine pasta according to package and drain. While pasta is cooking, prepare the chicken. 

Heat 12-inch skillet; on a stove top grill or skillet add 2-3 tablespoons olive oil. Salt and pepper chicken , cook and brown on both sides until cooked and juices run clear about 10 minutes.

You can also season with your favorite chicken seasoning as well. (Emerill's original essence, McCormick, Coronado Seasoning or whatever you like).

I cut my chicken breast pieces into smaller sections before grilling (see photo above). Remove from skillet and place on a plate lined with a paper towel.

To start on the sauce add 2 tablespoons butter, onions, and garlic to a large pan. Saute for 1 minute, Add the cream cheese and heavy cream and mix. Let the mixture simmer for
3 - 5 minutes or until the cream has reduced a bit. 


Add the Parmesan or Parmesan-Reggiano cheese and mix to combine. Stir well, using a wire whisk. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and stir until everything is combined. Add cooked pasta to the sauce, mix well.

At this point you can add the chicken back into the sauce or place it on top of the fettuccine. I prefer to add the grilled chicken on top and garnish with extra Parmesan or PParmesan-Reggiano cheese.

Cooks Note: For a 16 oz package of pasta you will need to double the recipe and add one or two more chicken breasts. 





26 comments

Melody said…
Yummy! I like a thinner sauce myself. This looks delicious!
Bunny said…
I love that bowl, it's so pretty!! I have been looking for a good Homemade Alfredo sauce too, this looks good!
Shawna said…
Ooooooooooo...Tina, this looks wonderful! :) I love homemade Alfredo sauce.
Susan said…
Hi!

If your Alfredo Sauce is ever a little too thick... Just add a little Chicken Broth. Start by adding 1 tablespoonful at a time til you get it to the right consistency.

~ Susan
Rachel said…
YUM! We are HUGE pasta fans at my house and this is sure to be a hit! I'm always in search of new pasta-related recipes!
Lara said…
My husband loves creamy pasta dishes and I never make them, because they seem a little too intimidating to me. Your recipe looks great and I love how pretty it turned out too!
Leslie said…
One of my all time favorite dishes!!
Anonymous said…
That looks great! My kids love alfredo sauce, too. I'll have to make this one.
Heidi said…
I have never eaten fettuccine alfredo before, but it looks wonderful and creamy. I need to try it!
Anonymous said…
I LOVE FETTUCCINE ALFREDO ALSO. ENOUGH THAT I LIKE LEFTOVERS, BUT THEY ALWAYS SEEM TO TURN TO CEMENT IN THE FRIDGE... A FRIEND TOLD ME TO TRY ONE STICK BUTTER MELTED, WITH 8 OZ. CREAM CHEESE, ADD ONE CUP 1/2 AND 1/2, AND WHISK IN ONE CUP (OR MORE TO TASTE) KRAFT GRATED PARMESAN. IT KEEPS FOREVER , AND RE HEATS IN A PAN OVER LOW HEAT WITHOUT SEPARATING. BY THE WAY, I LOVE YOUR SITE AND COPY SOMETHING TO TRY AT LEAST WEEKLY! DEBORAH
Laura said…
Love the picture and love the dish you put it in!
Anonymous said…
I made this last night. Yummy.
Tina Butler said…
Oh Donna so glad you liked it. It is the only recipe i have found that I really liked. Even if I tweaked it up a bit for my liking. Did you grill the chicken? thats the best part to me.
Anonymous said…
This alredo sauce was awesome! My boyfriend and I both loved it. We will definitely be making it again!!!
Anonymous said…
This was fantastic....I used shrip and basil but the cream was to die for!
Tina Butler said…
I bet shrimp would be good. That sauce is so amazing.
Karen said…
We had this tonight and it was so good! Thanks for the great recipes.
Anonymous said…
I cooked this last night and YUM YUM. I added black olives and diced tomatoes to my sauce but it was still good.
Melanie said…
Delicious, I will have to try this!
Lisa Voss said…
Oh you should try this with freshly grated asiago cheese on the top...... oh it is so yummy!!
Anonymous said…
I made this last night and it was good. Have a question on how thick your sauce was. Mine did not thicken at all and not sure what I did wrong. Any ideas? What heat should the sauce be cooked at? Next time I am adding more garlic!!! I love garlic.
Shannon said…
I made this for my family tonight. I don't eat Alfredo sauce but my kids thought it was too garlicy. I will cut back the garlic next time. First time I ever made homemade alfredo. I was so pleased with how easy this was.
Anonymous said…
If I used 16 oz of pasta would I just double the sauce recipe? I have a family of 7
Unknown said…
I make an alfreado sauce with cream of mushroom soup...milk and parmesan cheese...my family loves it.
Anonymous said…
Did anyone ever really about how to get sauce thicker? That's my fear before I tackl this recipe.