This is how to make a One Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta with al dente pasta and a silky creamy sauce. The secret? Simple. Add the cream and parmesan at the end to avoid gluggy sauce and unevenly cooked pasta. Watch the video and see how easy this is!
One Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta
This is not meant to be an authentic Italian pasta. It’s a quick mid-week meal that you can get on the table in just over 15 minutes and is stellar for effort vs output.
I don’t want to offend pasta-purists (or the entire nation of Italy for that matter!), and to be honest, I never thought I would ever share a (long-strand) one-pot-pasta recipe. I’ve previously declared on multiple occasions that I’m not a fan. I tried a couple of recipes, ended up with unevenly cooked pasta and a gluey sauce. Once it was so gluey that I was able to make fritters without using egg to bind them. 😳
So I gave up, and stuck to the classic way of making Alfredo. It wasn’t until a friend (who’s a huge fan of all things one pot) bluntly asked me “have you tried to fix it?” that it even occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, there was a better way to make a creamy long-strand pasta in one pot.
And so I experimented. And fixed it.
For fellow food nerds out there, here was my thinking: With the classic way of cooking pasta, the sauce and just-under-cooked pasta is tossed in the same pan with a splash of the pasta cooking water. What happens is that the oil in the sauce and starch in the pasta cooking water transforms into a glossy sauce that clings to every strand of pasta (it’s called emulsification). So when you serve it, there is no watery pool of sauce on the bottom of the bowl, it’s all in your mouth via the pasta!
If you dump cream with milk/broth/water into a large pot / skillet with the pasta, the reason you end up with a gluey rather than silky sauce at the end is because you’ve been emulsifying the sauce for the entire pasta cooking time (i.e. fat in cream, starch in pasta). Plus, the cream makes the cooking liquid thicker which makes the pasta cook unevenly.
Solution: Cook the pasta in just milk + chicken broth, add cream at the end.
End result: Near perfectly* cooked al dente pasta + silky sauce.
* I say “near perfect” because the fact is, pasta cooks more evenly in a large pot of boiling water than in a skillet with the sauce. Just being honest!
I was so paranoid about ensuring this One Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta delivers on my promises, I made it four times last week to quadruple check that it works as I’m describing. I filmed it three times – once making a plain Alfredo, once using cubes of chicken and once searing whole chicken then slicing it.
I was contemplating sharing the version with bite size pieces of chicken that stays in the sauce while the pasta cooks. And that’s an even easier variation, but you’ll end up with slightly overcooked chicken with far less caramelisation. So I opted for my favourite way which is to sear chicken until golden brown, rest it for optimum juiciness before slicing and tossing through the pasta.
I know there are many people out there who are thinking “how hard is it to cook pasta in a separate pot??”. And sure, it sounds easy. But you know those crazy days when your household is in chaos and you’re trying to get dinner on the table for your family? When you’ve just had an awful day at work, you hate your boss, you’re tired and tempted to order a greasy pizza?
This is for those days. I know boiling a pot of water and cooking pasta isn’t a big deal. But when you can cook it all one pot, it’s just one less thing to think about, one less pot to wash.
And know this is easy – and it works as promised. Watch the video below! – Nagi xx
PS Just to clarify, I’ve always been a fan of one pot short pastas – risoni, penne/ziti, macaroni etc because the shape makes them easy to stir and cook evenly in a sauce. Like stove top Mac N Cheese, One Pot Vegetable Pasta, Cheeseburger Casserole and Chili Mac. And this Italian Chicken & Risoni/Orzo. Long strand pastas are where I always had an issue!
More ways to get your creamy pasta fix!
-
Baked Mac and Cheese – and try the Shrimp version!
-
Browse all pasta recipes
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
One Pot Chicken Alfredo recipe video!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
One Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Ingredients
- 200 g / 7oz chicken breast, cut in half horizontally
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 250 g / 8 oz fettuccine
- 2 cups milk, any fat %
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock / broth
- 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
- Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Use a skillet large enough to fit the pasta.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately, garnished with freshly grated parmesan and parsley!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
It was one of those days when I just couldn’t deal with a soaking wet dog at the end of a long, tiring day. So I popped a rain jacket on him before taking him out to the dog park, intent on keeping him on the grassy area and out of the water.
Honestly, I don’t know why I bothered.
This was so easy and equally delicious. Everyone loved it even the fussy kid. Thanks for another fab family recipe
This recipe was amazing! Simple and only a few ingredients! And Quick!! I actually grilled the chicken ahead of time and it added to the fettuccine.
I made this today with dairy free subs of rice milk and coconut cream (I left in the parmesan this time) and it was fantastic! The kids liked it too. Thank you 🙂
Hi lovely Nagi, How would I adapt this for fresh pasta whcih doesn’t need to cook for as long? Thank you!
Last night and cooked this recipe omg delicious. Definitely will make again soon thankyou Nagi
This was lovely and creamy and the only thing we changed was the type of pasta, only because the shop didn´t have Fettuccine so we used spaghetti instead, was enough left over for the day after with some garlic bread. Thank you. Going to marinade the bbq beef brisket recepi from you later on and eat it for new years day, can´t wait to taste it! X
I made this last night turn out great! I had to add 2 more minutes for the pasta to cook, Loved it, it was quick to make, love all your recipes. Thx Nagi !
LOVE this recipe. It is always a favorite of the whole family! I double it and love the leftovers too.
Can I make this and keep it warm in a crockpot for about five hours for a potluck event?
Loved this! And so did my kids! Quick, easy and yummy, thanks Nagi
Made this and me and my family all loved it! Added in some greens like peas, broccoli and spinach all chopped really small. It was great, and so simple
Amazing recipe! 10/10
This was so good. I switch the breast with some boneless skinless thighs, added some paprika and garlic powder to it, and doubled everything for my family of 7. Turned out great and was really easy.
Oh my! I rarely rate recipes, but this was just delicious!! I used some BBQ chicken we had leftover, which was perfect! Thanks for sharing this recipe, it will definitely be a go to weeknight dinner from now on!
Made this with my friend and failed miserably. Please make this fool-proof </3
Maybe you did something wrong? I tried this recipe and it was fantastic. Recipes cannot be 100 % foolproof
Wow, just wow. I rarely comment on recipes, but this one is just 🔥🔥. My partner and I returned home late and he wanted to eat something different today. I looked up this recipe and decided to make it because it was a quick one. I changed the pasta type, used extra light cream, added in a bit of boursin in addition to the parmesan, and some Italian seasoning and paprika. My partner absolutely loved it, and asked me to bookmark the recipe! Thanks so much for sharing it!
That sounds totally yum Sreya!! N x
Can you double this recipe?
Yes Bonnie – if you have a skillet big enough to hold it all! N x
This is by far the BEST chicken alfredo I have ever made! It’s my go to recipe when my kids ask for alfredo! The only question I have is can this be made in the crockpot?
Hi Valarie – it won’t work because the heat isn’t high enough to cook the pasta sorry. N x
This was amazing!! Our house smelled like Olive Garden! The whole family enjoyed it and asked for the recipe.
Delicious and so easy to make!!
Just made this for lunch. The pot was empty in 2 minutes!
This one is a winner. Super nice to eat. Easy to cook. Minimal washing up at the end. My family loved ut