The original fettuccine Alfredo did not have cream. As the story goes, back in 20th century Rome, Alfredo di Lelio created the dish with butter, Parm, and warm fettuccine noodles—that's it.
Similar to Pinoy carbonara, we later started adding heavy cream to Alfredo sauce, making it richer and creamier. No, it's not authentic. But this is probably how you had it the first time. Do as the Romans don't: embrace the cream, enjoy your cheesy pasta, and top it off with pan-seared chicken breasts.
Ingredients
Pan-Seared Chicken
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Fettuccine Alfredo
- 250g fettuccine noodles
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano, more for serving
- chopped parsley, for garnish
Prepare chicken breasts: Working one piece at a time, place chicken breast between pieces of parchment paper or inside a Ziploc bag (remove as much air as you can). Using a mallet, rolling pin, or an empty bottle of wine, gently pound the chicken into a uniform thickness. Don’t flatten into a pancake—you just want to even out the chicken's thickest parts. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
Season chicken breasts: Pat chicken breasts dry. Combine olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and ground black pepper in a small bowl. Coat each chicken breast evenly in the mixture.
Cook chicken: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once pan is warm, add chicken breasts (working in batches if necessary) and sear until golden brown on one side, 3 minutes. Flip to cook the other side, another 3 minutes. Let cooked chicken rest on a chopping board. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
Cook pasta: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook fettuccine to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain. Set cooked pasta aside.
Make Alfredo sauce: In the same pan over medium heat, add butter, onion, and garlic. Cook garlic in the melted butter until fragrant. Add heavy cream to the pan and whisk to combine. Once mixture starts to bubble, reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer. Cook to reduce slightly, about 2 minutes. Whisk in half of the grated cheese. Once fully combined, whisk in remaining cheese until you have a smooth, creamy sauce.
Coat pasta in sauce: Add cooked pasta to the pan. Using tongs, toss and stir pasta to coat in sauce, adding pasta water as needed if the sauce gets too thick. Once the pasta and sauce are well combined, taste and adjust seasoning to taste.
Serve: Transfer pasta into a large serving bowl, or divide between four pasta bowls (or two if you’re hungry). Top with extra cheese, if desired. Slice rested chicken breasts into strips, then transfer on top of the pasta. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
