One Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Recipe video above. Pasta in a silky, creamy sauce with tender, juicy chicken, all made in ONE POT! (Well, pan:) ) NOTE: If scaling up, make sure to use a pan wide and deep enough.
Servings: 3
Calories: 491cal
Ingredients
- 200g/ 7oz chicken breast , cut in half horizontally
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 250g/ 8 oz fettuccine or other long strand pasta or similar thickness
- 2 cups milk , any fat %
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock / broth , low sodium
- 1 large garlic clove , minced
- 1/2 cup thickened / heavy cream (Note 1)
- 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan (Note 2)
- Parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Pan size - Use a pan just wide enough to fit the pasta so it fits flat on the base, and deep enough to stir without the liquid sloshing out.
- Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Sear chicken - Heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook for 2 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Remove onto plate and rest for 5 minutes, then slice while pasta is cooking.
- Add milk, chicken broth and garlic. Bring to simmer then add pasta.
- Cook pasta - Move pasta around every 30 seconds or so until it is softened (around 3 minutes) so it doesn't stick. Once pasta is softened, reduce heat to medium and stir every couple of minutes.
- Cream and parmesan - At about 9 - 10 minutes, the pasta should be almost cooked but there should still be liquid covering the base of the skillet. Add cream and parmesan and mix.
- Thicken sauce - Simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~2 minutes, until sauce is thickened and pasta is cooked. If you cook it too long and the sauce goes gluggy, add a splash of hot tap water - will go back to silky with a few tosses.
- Final seasoning - Have a taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Then serve immediately, garnished with freshly grated parmesan!
Notes
1. This recipe does actually work with any type of cream, even light cream. It just affects the richness of the sauce.
2. Using fresh grated parmesan ensures it melts into the sauce. You can use store bought but it tends to be larger grains so some of it may not melt into the sauce completely. Reduce to 1/2 cup (because that equates to about 3/4 cup freshly grated).
3. The key to this recipe is taking it off the stove while it's still quite saucy because the sauce evaporates quite quickly as you toss a bit, adjusting the salt and pepper, getting plates out, serving etc. See video and photos for amount of sauce in the finished dish.
4. COOKING WITH CHICKEN: You could dice the chicken, brown just the outside then leave it in the pan to cook with the pasta. But cooking the chicken separately yields a juicier chicken + prettier because it's golden brown.
5. If you have large brown bits stuck on the pan (e.g. if it's not non stick), scrape off the larger bits if you want a pretty white sauce. Also, the whiteness of the sauce is affected by how clear the chicken stock is. Better value brands can be a bit cloudy. I use Campbells.
6. This recipe is very forgiving. If the sauce gets too gluggy / thick, add a splash of hot water. I like my pasta al dente, but if the pasta is still not tender enough for your taste, add 1/4 - 1/2 cup hot tap water and keep cooking.
7. One Pot Chicken Alfredo nutrition per serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 400g | Calories: 491cal