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Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Alfredo is all cooked in ONE POT! Ready and on the table in less than 20 minutes!
Crispy golden seared chicken is mixed through a super creamy garlic parmesan Alfredo sauce! My favorite chicken alfredo recipe with the pasta cooked right in is perfect comfort food at its finest.
Chicken Alfredo
Move over store-bought Alfredo sauces and even restaurant Alfredo. This chicken alfredo recipe has the best homemade Alfredo sauce! SO MUCH FLAVOR!
This recipe is for those emergency dinner moments, a throw-it-all-in-a-pot recipe you can do in minutes! Just a simple pot and humble stovetop needed.
How to Make Chicken Alfredo
Sear chicken thighs (or skinless chicken breasts) first to enjoy the crispy golden texture through the creamy pasta, then remove them to ensure juicy chicken pieces.
You’re more than welcome to dice the chicken first, sear it, then leave it right in the pot to continue cooking as you add in the rest of your ingredients.
Alfredo Sauce
The sauce in this recipe naturally thickens as the starch from the penne pasta is released into the sauce while cooking. If the sauce for your chicken Alfredo pasta is too thick for your liking, add extra cream (or evaporated milk) in 1/4 cup increments until smooth and silky. While I use penne for this one-pot method, you can easily swap it out for long noodles if you prefer a classic chicken fettuccine alfredo.
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Tips for One Pot Alfredo
There are three main steps to this recipe. CHICKEN → ALFREDO SAUCE → PASTA.
- The sauce I use includes wine. I love wine in this, but you can leave it out altogether if you wish.
- If using wine, please use a good quality dry white wine. I use a $20 bottle of Pinot Grigio in most of my recipes on this site, but a good Sauv Blanc or Chardonnay will suit the flavors in this creamy sauce.
- You can substitute the heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) with half and half, light cream, or a reduced-fat cooking cream to lower the overall fat content and reduce the calories. My secret for a smooth texture is sticking to the full-fat options, but you can also use evaporated milk depending on your dietary requirements.
- Using freshly grated parmesan cheese enhances the flavor and ensures the cheese melts through your chicken alfredo sauce. Please don’t use powdered parmesan.
- The sauce in this recipe naturally thickens as the starch from the penne pasta is released while cooking. If the sauce for your chicken alfredo pasta is too thick, add hot water, extra cream, or evaporated milk in 1/4 cup increments until smooth and silky.
- Remove the pot off the stove while there’s still a bit of sauce in the bottom of the pot and the pasta is cooked al dente (firm to the bite). The sauce begins to evaporate quite quickly while it sits waiting to be served, and as you mix it through adjusting salt and pepper.
Chicken alfredo has never been easier!
More Pasta Recipes
Pasta is so versatile that you can create tons of recipes with it. I love to have it with a piece of garlic butter bread to soak up the sauce. There are so many ways to switch it up, from a simple dinner dish to a lighter version with bacon.
You can also take pasta in a different direction with pan-seared chicken breasts with Tuscan mac and cheese.
If you have extra skinless chicken thighs on hand, they’re also great for making chicken with champagne sauce.
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One Pot Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 1 pinch salt to season
- 1 pinch cracked pepper to season
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced, or 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup dry white wine optional
- 8 oz brown mushrooms sliced
- 2 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream divided, thickened cream, light cream, evaporated milk can also be used
- 1 pinch salt to taste
- 1 pinch pepper to taste
- 8 oz dry pasta penne or fettuccini
- 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1 pinch fresh parsley chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- Heat half of the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs and sear on both sides until golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside.
- Add the remaining oil in the pot. Fry onion until transparent, stirring occasionally (about 2 minutes). Sauté the garlic until fragrant (30 seconds), then add in the white wine and allow to reduce to half (about 4-5 minutes). Add the mushrooms and cook for about a minute, while stirring occasionally.
- Pour in broth and 1 cup of cream (or evaporated milk); season with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer then add the pasta. Mix well, reduce the heat to a slow simmer while stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente (about 15 minutes).
- Stir in the parmesan cheese until it melts through the sauce. Remove from heat immediately and slowly add in 1/4-1/2 cup remaining cream if sauce it too thick for your liking. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste.
- Slice the chicken into strips and stir through the pasta. Garnish with fresh parsley and extra parmesan, if desired
Notes
- Fridge: Let your pasta cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: I highly recommend eating this fresh. Freezing is not ideal because cream-based sauces tend to separate and become grainy when thawed, and the cooked pasta will turn mushy.
- Reheating: The pasta naturally absorbs the liquid while it sits in the fridge. When reheating chicken alfredo, add a splash of milk, broth, or extra cream to the pot or bowl to bring the sauce back to life. Heat gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring frequently. If using a microwave, warm it in short 30-second bursts, stirring in between so the sauce doesn’t break.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Easy perfection!Thank you so much for this recipe,I am always looking for easy chicken and pasta dishes and this one right here is a winner. I also steamed some broccoli and added to the pot after the cheese and cream…yummy ?
Seriously bookmarking this forever ..so delicious!
I use fat free half and half to lighten it up. Is that the reason my sauce always breaks? It still tastes delicious, but doesn’t look as good. Love your recipes!!
The easiest and flavorful recipe I have ever made. Simple with a punch of flavors I added some broccoli for texture and to put greens in our life . Thank you for the great recipe!❤️❤️❤️
You’re welcome, DJ Simpson!
I just made it! Tastes great but there is so much extra sauce. Its not thick and is like soup 🙁 lol what did i do wrong? Followed recipe exactly and with all your ingrediants.. wait no i didnt… i didnt have chicken stock i used water and a chicken cube.. shouldnt have made a difference though?? 🙁
did you cook the pasta in the sauce? the starch will help thicken the sauce, as well as the sauce naturally reducing as you simmer it. Mine on the other hand was too thick and rich! Maybe we could mix ours together
Hi! I wanted to make this for a Christmas party. I need to at least double it. Should I just double all ingredients? I know that’s
whats logical, but with some recipes that’s not the case. Also, should I save sauce to add once I get to the party so it isn’t dry? Sorry, I just want it to be yummy for the party.(: thank you
Hello Michel!
This is a great idea for a party. Yes, with this you will double all the ingredients. It will work out the best. It would be a great idea to take sauce to the party. That will help keep it moist. Thanks for the comment and for following along with me!!
I just made this recipe tonight and it is hands down the best home made Alfredo sauce I’ve ever made! I’ve used a few different recipes in the past and they came out okay, the texture was always off and they were always missing something. I took out the mushrooms as both myself and my boyfriend don’t love them. I was wanting to use up the rest of our spinach and broccoli before they went bad so I sautéed the spinach with the onions and garlic and added the cut up broccoli when I added the pasta and it came out cooked perfectly. I used about 1/2 cup light cream and 3/4 cup heavy cream bc I was also wanting to use it up from my fridge before they spoiled. This was seriously delicious, it tasted just like a great Italian restaurants Alfredo sauce and thats what I’ve been looking for all this time! This will definitely be a keeper, I don’t think I’ll have look for another Alfredo recipe !
Do you have any suggestions for warming up this recipe? I like to have the option for leftovers, but the sauce is usually an issue. Recipe looks delish
I would recommend baking it in the oven. You are welcome to leave some sauce out and when preparing it for reheating adding the extra sauce on top so it does not become dry.
Just made this for dinner tonight and would definitely make it again. Great recipe. I did not include the wine and I added sun dried tomatoes. Tasted great.
Hello,
Im a little nervous to use Pinot Grigio- Ive used it in the past and the sweetness of the wine overpowers the recipe.