Indulge in the creamy and saucy goodness of this Chicken Alfredo smothered with the perfectly blended seasonings and flavors. A quick and easy mouthwatering homemade combo that’ll surely satisfy your cravings.
I remember when I first came to L.A., the city was just so alluring with its creative cuisine. I just had to try all the new dishes I could get my hands on. What struck me the most is the creamy sauces of the different pasta places in town. And you know me, I just had to recreate it at home!
This post is made possible by our friends from Kroger. As always, all opinions and ideas expressed in this post are entirely my own.
Chicken Alfredo
Contrary to your first impression, this creamy sauce recipe is all American even though it uses Italian seasoning. The authentic recipe only carried two ingredients for the sauce; Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese and Butter. It was often paired with different varieties of pasta with other ingredients to make it more personal.
Today’s Chicken Alfredo recipe is perfectly crafted to pair with the natural flavors of chicken meat. Kroger’s private collection Italian seasoning makes it a lot easier to tweak this recipe and make it your own.
Recipe Ingredients
What goes in Alfredo Pasta? I like keeping them as authentic as possible but I’d also like to make it my own. You can make this easy recipe truly your own by tweaking and exploring flavor combinations for this dish. Don’t be afraid to mix and match.
- Chicken Breast – This is one of the leanest part of the chicken. It’s full of protein!
- All-Purpose Flour – An all-around ingredient you can use for different cuisines. Kroger conveniently carries a collection of flours you can use.
- Italian Seasoning – A simple mix of dried herbs you can make at home with this recipe or from Kroger’s private collection is a favorite of mine.
- Garlic Powder – A pungent ingredient that adds an earthy and aromatic tone to the whole dish.
- Butter – This super versatile ingredient that gives my dish a moist and flavorful sensation. Kroger has Simple Truth Butter that does the trick for me.
- Minced Garlic – Whether you use it fresh, dried, or powdered, this gives your whole dish a mouthwatering aroma. Check out my quick guide for this ingredient here.
- Thyme – using fresh herbs for this recipe is great but dried ones also work fine. I’m actually using dried thyme for this recipe because it has a longer shelf life.
- Heavy Cream – This liquid ingredient has a high fat content which also means … more flavor!
- Cream Cheese – A block of this creamy ingredient gives us a milky and a bit of salty cheesiness
- Chicken Stock – This ingredient has a lot of rich flavors in it. I can’t reiterate how important this is for the dish. Kroger’s Simple Truth Organic Chicken Broth also comes in a low-sodium option, for those watching their salt intake.
- Parmesan Cheese – Skip the bottled ones. Get freshly grated parmesan by grating them at home. I suggest buying the vacuum sealed cheese for better quality.
- Penne Pasta – A hollow type of pasta best used for creamy sauces as it catches a fuller serving and flavor.
- Spinach – A healthy leafy green that gives a slightly bitter undertone to a dish to make it more versatile
- Parsley – This aromatic green garnish is perfect for the creamy and buttery dishes
- Salt and Pepper – to taste.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t be scared when whisking – when your cream mixture clumps up, just keep adding the milk while whisking until you reach the consistency you desire.
- Just add the cheese – Don’t wait for the milk to thicken up or reduce. The cheese will thicken it for you.
- Sauce too thin? – if this problem arises after adding in the cheese. Just let it simmer to evaporate the water content. This will thicken the mixture up
- Use real cheese – I personally prefer real cheese than the pre-grated parmesan. It gives a richer and tastier flavor.
Making ahead and storage instructions.
My hubby and my son, Desmond, would often request this dish even if they just had it the night before. Luckily, Kroger’s ingredients are fresh so I can have a longer shelf life without compromising the quality. Here are some simple steps to make this dish in advance.
Chicken Alfredo Sauce
- Make the sauce. Prepare the sauce as you would normally do
- Let it cool. Once it reaches room temperature, you can add it in a container and cover it. I usually just use cling wrap to cover my container’s opening.
- Refrigerate. keep it in a draft-free and cool part of the fridge away from moisture. You can use this for up to 2 days.
- Freeze. If you plan to use it a while further, you can opt to freeze the sauce to give it about 4 months of shelf life.
Chicken
- Season the chicken. Rub the chicken meat with the Italian seasoning, whether homemade or from Kroger’s collection, but hold back on the flour.
- Wrap the chicken. A cling wrap will do but I highly suggest wrapping it again with a layer of foil. This is to avoid freezer burns as you store it. A frozen chicken breast can last up to a whole year.
Reheating
- Start with the chicken. I would thaw down the chicken until it soft enough to handle. This is when I use the flour to coat the meat.
- Cook the chicken. I’ll fry it until golden brown
- Reheat the sauce. I directly reheat the sauce while vigorously whisking the mixture until it’s smooth and silky.
- Combine the ingredients. This is the time when I add in the cooked pasta, and the chicken
More Delicious Chicken Recipe
- Creamy Garlic Tuscan Shrimp
- Creamy chicken Pasta Salad
- White Pizza Sauce
- Tuscan Chicken
- Blognese Sauce
Making Chicken Alfredo
Prep to Cook the Chicken
- Season the Chicken: Salt chicken, then season with Italian seasoning. You may salt and pepper only if desired. (Photo 1)
- Make the Flour Coating: On a plate, mix flour, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder (Photo 2). Coat the chicken breast in this flour mixture. Remove the excess flour. (Photo 3)
- Cook the Chicken: Heat oil in a large sauce-pan or large skillet over medium heat until hot, and then add the chicken. Brown about 4-5 minutes on each side to ensure even brownness. Gently remove the chicken and set it aside. (Photo 4)
Make the Sauce
- Melt the Butter: Add butter to the same skillet over medium heat until melted (Photo 5), then add garlic thyme. and sauté for about 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic is soft and fragrant (Photo 6)
- Make the Cream: Turn the heat down to medium-low. Whisk in the heavy cream (Photo 7) then add cream cheese while whisking, until blended. Cook for about 2-3 minutes (Photo 8)
- Mix in the Cheese: Then add the chicken broth and mix. Throw in the parmesan cheese and stir until melted. (Photo 9) Reduce heat to low. Whisking often to make sure everything melts together and to avoid burns. Let it cook for about 4-6 minutes, or until the sauce thickens (Photo 10)
- Season the Sauce: Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the Pasta: Add drained pasta, followed by spinach to the skillet, mix to fully combine all ingredients. Adjust seasonings. (see photo 11)
- Place the Chicken Back: Turn off the heat, return the cooked chicken breasts into the pan and let it soak up some of the sauce. (see photo 12.)
- Enjoy! Serve warm on a plate or bowl with sliced chicken on top.
Watch How To Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”y8feA7Y7″ upload-date=”2020-12-03T13:14:08.000Z” name=”Chicken Alfredo” description=”Chicken Alfredo – perfectly rich and creamy chicken pasta dish cooked in one pan using just a handful of ingredients with a dreamy and hearty Alfredo sauce that’s ready to take you head over heels. Easy and fancy meal that’s perfect for dinner date night or for busy weeknights.” player-type=”collapse” override-embed=”false”]
This was first posted on Aug 5, 2018.
Ines Di Lelio says
HISTORY OF ALFREDO DI LELIO CREATOR IN 1908 OF โFETTUCCINE ALLโALFREDOโ (โFETTUCCINE ALFREDOโ), NOW SERVED BY HIS NEPHEW INES DI LELIO, AT THE RESTAURANT โIL VERO ALFREDOโ โ โALFREDO DI ROMAโ IN ROME, PIAZZA AUGUSTO IMPERATORE 30
With reference to your article I have the pleasure to tell you the history of my grandfather Alfredo Di Lelio, who is the creator of โFettuccine allโAlfredoโ (โFettuccine Alfredoโ) in 1908 in the โtrattoriaโ run by his mother Angelina in Rome, Piazza Rosa (Piazza disappeared in 1910 following the construction of the Galleria Colonna / Sordi). This โtrattoriaโ of Piazza Rosa has become the โbirthplace of fettuccine allโAlfredoโ.
More specifically, as is well known to many people who love the โfettuccine allโAlfredo”, this famous dish in the world was invented by Alfredo Di Lelio concerned about the lack of appetite of his wife Ines, who was pregnant with my father Armando (born February 26, 1908).
Alfredo di Lelio opened his restaurant โAlfredoโ in 1914 in Rome and in 1943, during the war, he sold the restaurant to others outside his family.
In 1950 Alfredo Di Lelio decided to reopen with his son Armando his restaurant in Piazza Augusto Imperatore n.30 “Il Vero Alfredo” (โAlfredo di Romaโ), whose fame in the world has been strengthened by his nephew Alfredo and that now managed by me, with the famous โgold cutleryโ (fork and spoon gold) donated in 1927 by two well-known American actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks (in gratitude for the hospitality).
See the website of โIl Vero Alfredoโ.
I must clarify that other restaurants “Alfredo” in Rome do not belong and are out of my brand “Il Vero Alfredo โ Alfredo di Roma”.
The brand “Il Vero Alfredo – Alfredo di Roma” is present in Mexico with a restaurant in Mexico City and a trattoria in Cozumel) on the basis of franchising relationships with the Group Hotel Presidente Intercontinental Mexico.
The restaurant โIl Vero Alfredoโ is in the Registry of โHistoric Shops of Excellence – section on Historical Activities of Excellenceโ of the Municipality of Roma Capitale.
Best regards Ines Di Lelio
Brittany says
I love your recipes and I’ve cooked several of them!! I would like to know how would I adjust the ingredients using a 16oz box of pasta? thank you in advance.
ImmaculateBites says
Thank you. Double the the recipe and adjust thickness with chicken broth or cream.
James says
Forgot to mention, I also like to add half squeezed lemon sometimes also. Give it a little zest ( but I do love citrus)
ImmaculateBites says
Nice!! ๐ Thanks for sharing.
James Whitehead says
Finally, I was just skimming thru stuff and found your recipe. Unbeknownst to me ( I just use what I think will taste good ). I read yours and see ours are almost identical, except I dont put chicken broth ( so to speak ). I use thighs and when almost done add a little pasta water and half stick butter to the chicken. Then it creates a little sauce and I use that. And the cream cheese is a must i say, have always used it ( room temperature of course) . I also like to chop ( fine ) scallion on top because I like green onions.
ImmaculateBites says
Wow. Your tweaks sound delicious!! Thanks for sharing, James.
Nate says
Hi Imma love ur cooking, I once saw ur recipe I believe is a Chinese dish made with egg plant and soy sauce not the name, looks like stir fry ty
Imma says
There is a stir-fry chicken recipe. But it doesnโt have eggplant. https://www.africanbites.com/stir-fry-chicken/ Let me know if this is the one you are looking for?
Justice says
Hello,
First off, I love all of your recipes, I’ve been teaching myself how to cook since recently married and I win every time when I use one of your recipes, thanks!
What if I do not have any milk? I have almond milk here but I doubt that will taste good. Any suggestions?
imma africanbites says
Hi, Justice. Thank you for dropping by. I can’t provide any suggestions tho since I haven’t tried playing around with this recipe yet using other types of milk. But almond milk works fine, I guess, as long as you don’t skip the heavy cream.
Fizza says
Can we use cream instead of cream cheese?
Lisa says
What I I have got the Alford sauce in the jar because that is what my husband bought ,but I have boiled my chicken and drained it and cut lt up and I am boiling my pasta now .so where do I go from here I mean what do I do after my pasta has boiled and i dran it like I said my husband bought the alfordo sause in the jar? And I need a answer asap cause like I said I’m just waiting on my pasta to finish boiling I’ve done got chicken boiled and cut up and set aside!!!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Lisa,
Your best bet would beto follow the manufacturer instructions , It will yield a better outcome. It’s best to make this recipe from scratch ,
Dave says
Really great to have a home cooked meal. I enjoyed this recipe a lot, and it was easy to make.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Dave. Glad you loved it! Thanks for stopping by!
Melissa says
My whole family loved this recipe !! Was easy and tasted great ! Will make it again and often !!!
ImmaculateBites says
Hello Melissa. I am so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by!
Olga says
Love the recipe sweetie
Will do my cooking today
Hopefully would be beautiful as yours
I
Decided to grill chicken first so will see if it will give any difference
I
Love to cook Eastern Europe dishes cause my origin from there
So would love to share with you if you interested
Regards
Olga
wen says
Been visiting your site alot lately. I’ve tried a couple of your recipe with great results. This looks good, might be my next dish. I have one question about the chicken when you say set aside you mean continue cooking in the oven?
imma africanbites says
Hi, Wen! Set aside here means you simply put the chicken in a plate after browning it or having it ready on the side as you proceed with the next steps.
Val from Southern Maryland says
(Hate auto correct!) Comment should have been “how much oil to use to saute the chicken.”
Val from Southern Maryland says
Loved the recipe. However, you don’t list how much oil to use to share the chicken.
I’m an avid cook so I knew how much is use. Sauce was a little thin but thickened upon cooling. Great taste! Really easy.