Cora's Cottage

Pasta is the perfect comfort food that can take many different shapes and flavors. Great in skillets, casseroles, soups, stews, and more, pasta is very versatile. The perfect comfort food!

Some of my family’s favorite pasta dishes include spaghetti, Italian skillets, and lasagna though the options are endless, especially with a dish like a skillet. Mix and match proteins, sauces, and vegetables and you can create a large variety of meals that all include pasta.

This chicken Alfredo is the perfect for the pasta lover looking for a replacement to using Alfredo sauce out of a jar especially, if you are trying to be conscious of the ingredients you use in your kitchen, and it doesn’t require any special skills or technique like a traditional Alfredo sauce.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Simple: No fancy skills needed to make the “alfredo” sauce.  This recipe is straight forward and simple enough for a beginner or a mom with lots of littles needing her attention while she makes dinner. Not only are the steps simple but so are the most of the ingredients with mostly pantry staples. No need to make a special trip to the grocery store for ingredients!

Quick: This recipe only takes about 30 minutes, or as long as it takes for your pot of water to boil and noodles to cook. 

Delicious: This delicious comfort food is perfect for the alfredo or pasta lover.  You don’t need niche or specialty ingredients to make a tasty dish.

Tips & Trick

Bulk & Long Term Storage: If you only grocery shop occasionally or do a bulk grocery order through Azure like I do, it is simple to have the ingredients on hand for a long period of time without having them spoil. I keep the all the ingredients for chicken alfredo on hand in my freezer so that I can decide at any time to make chicken alfredo without having to run to the store.

It is best to shred the parmesan and freeze it in small increments (I measure 1 cup increments) and buy or portion out the cream cheese into 8 ounce portions.  When I am ready to make chicken alfredo, I simple thaw the cream cheese and the parmesan in the refrigerator, but if I forget to thaw either of them (or both), they can be used frozen, the sauce just takes longer and must be made on low and requires a bit more attention to prevent scorching.

Chicken: Chicken breasts or boneless skinless thighs both work for this recipe and the chicken can be cooked on the stovetop in a skillet as the recipe calls for, or leftover grilled or baked chicken can also be used. If using leftover chicken, it can be cut in strips instead of cubes and only needs to be warmed in the frying pan before being added to the noodles.

Nutritional Yeast: I like to add in the nutritional yeast because it makes the sauce creamier and adds some additional nutrition and flavor, but it is optional if you do not have any on hand.

Sharp Knife: A sharp knife can make a huge difference when cubing the chicken.  Learning to use a steel or using a small tool like this before using a knife can help to keep an edge on a knife and avoid injuries in the kitchen as well as speed up preparations.

Tools

• Frying Pan
• Sauce Pan
• Stock Pot – Be sure you chose one that is large enough to mix all the ingredients together at the end.
• Whisk
• Pasta Fork – While this tool may seem unnecessary, it saves a lot of headaches when trying to serve spaghetti noodles. (I resisted purchasing one for 2+ years and which I would have purchased on much sooner!)
• Wooden Spatula
• Cutting Board
• Knife
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons

Ingredients

• Chicken – Cubed
• Lard – Alternative fats like tallow, olive oil, butter, and avocado oil would work as well as this is to use in the frying pan while cooking the chicken to prevent sticking.
• Spaghetti Noodles – Fettucine or a similar shape would also work.
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder  – Granules work well too
• Onion Powder – Granules work well too
• Parmesan Cheese – Shredded
• Cream Cheese – Soft
• Milk – I prefer whole, but any fat content will work and cream would work as well
• Nutritional Yeast – Optional
• Dried Parsley – Fresh could be used here but you would need about 3 times the amount called for in this recipe.

How to Make Stovetop Chicken Alfredo

Start by filling your pot for noodles with salted water and set it to boil.  While you are waiting for the water boil, cube the chicken, removing in excess fat. 

When the chicken is cubed, add it to a frying pan with your oil of choice and seasonings. Fry the chicken until it is cooked through and no pink shows when slicing into a cube.  I find this to take about the same amount of time it takes to finishing boiling the water and cooking the noodles, but this can vary depending on how large the chicken is cubed and how high of a heat is used to cook the chicken as well as boil and cook the noodles.

While the chicken is cooking and the water for noodles is getting ready boil, I also start my sauce on low by placing the cream cheese and milk into a sauce pan.  Keep gently whisking the milk and cream cheese, breaking apart the cream cheese until the cream cheese has melted into the milk. 

When the noodles are finished cooking, drain them and add the cooked chicken to the stock pot with the cooked noodles.  By now the cream cheese should be melted into the milk and the parmesan can be added while whisking. 

When the parmesan has melted into the milk and cream cheese, add the nutritional yeast and parsley while whisking.  After the sauce is well combined, pour it over the chicken and noodles into the stock pot and mix it all together with a pasta fork.

Serve while hot with a vegetable like peas or with garlic bread.  Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 7-10 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people will this recipe feed?

This will depend on the individuals you are feeding, but on average it will feed about 8 people.

How long will leftovers keep?

Leftovers can be stored for 7-10 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.  It can be left in the freezer longer, but may begin to shows signs of freezer burn.

I don’t have nutritional yeast. Can I still make this recipe?

Yes! The nutritional yeast makes the sauce creamier and adds nutritional benefits and flavor, but is not necessary.

Can I use fresh parsley instead of dried?

Yes. However, if you are using fresh herbs instead of dried you generally need about 3 times the amount called for in the recipe.

An Alternative Recipe

If you are looking for a similar dish that can be made in a slow cooker, this recipe might be for you! This recipe allows you to dump in ingredients before walking away for a several hours when you can come back and add the finishing touches.  Perfect for a busy family that has to be out of the house in evening but still wants a nutritious, shared family meal.