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!
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Baked Mac and Cheese – and try the Shrimp version!
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Browse all pasta recipes
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
One Pot Chicken Alfredo recipe video!
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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.
Made this with my friend and failed miserably. Please make this fool-proof </3
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
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
Thanks for the recipe. Might be helpful to add the step as to when the chicken is added back into the pot 🙁
The video shows it
Another delicious recipe! Simple and quick.
Thank you!
Solid recipe, 5 stars! I did not have any Parmesan, so I substituted a small amount of mozzarella. It worked, but it was definitely missing the special flavor that comes from Parmesan. I added diced red onion, cherry tomatoes, and fresh spinach. Delicious! Thanks for yet another incredible recipe, Nagi!
Hi Michelle, at what stage did you add the spinach, tomato and onion? I just made this and it was delicious as is but if I can sneak in the a few extra veggies for the kids that would be great!
I made this for dinner tonight. It is quick, easy and best of all delicious! I did not have cream in the house so I substituted with sour cream. It turned out great!
I’ve made this recipe many times and it always comes out delicious! So easy and I love that it’s all done in one pot. I’ve recently cut heavy cream out of my diet and have used sour cream instead. Still so tasty!
Hi Nagi. In your written recipe you don’t mention when to add the chicken …. I guessed so it’s no biggy … but maybe add to to your written recipe ?
Every once in a while I come across a recipe that is a keeper and gets added to my permanent recipes, this is the one. Simple, and delicious every time!
Truly a delicious meal, if you follow the recipe to the letter it always turns out perfect. Thank you Nagi and Dozer, our lives have changed forever!
Hi from Brazil! I made your recipe and it was amazing. Loved your blog and your recipe its will be in my blog and you will receve the pingback. in this Coronavirus time, that I have to work and cook all day, its good to test new recipes one pot. Kind regards, Thaís Sinhorini Freire <3
I made this tonight and it was fantastic! We added some spring onion and bacon as well for some extra colour! Thanks for the recipe Nagi
Yum! Perfect Chelsea!! N x