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!
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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.
I used a bit more garlic and cheese and it was INCREDIBLE. Still learning how to cook for my husband and I always end up screwing something up but this was so easy and super tasty.
I’m glad you enjoyed this B! Thank you for letting me know 🙂 N x
This was greattt! Super easy & everyone enjoyed it! I made mine more of a Cajun Alfredo by adding a little chili powder. Delicious !
That’s so great to hear Raylynn! I’m so happy to hear that! N x ❤️
Can I use nestle dessert/cooking cream?
Yes!
I made this recipe the other night and it was delicious! I noticed that once the chicken is cooked and removed, the recipe never mentions it again, at least, I didn’t see it. I had to guess when to add it back in to the noodle mix. When is the best time to add the chicken back in?
I made this last night, but double the serving. I used more than just salt and pepper seasoning and bow tie pasta. It took me a little more like 30-45 minutes total to cook, but I am not a pro at cooking so maybe that’s why.
I let the pasta sit for 5 minutes after it was finished cooking so it got dry quick as mentioned in this blog. So I boiled hot water and added a little in the skillet as suggested and it worked! But I really should’ve served the food out immediately. Ultimately, it came out good though!
Made this tonight and it was amazing. Used 1cup of Romano instead of parm and added a few tbsp of butter. AMAZING and EASY!
3. Heat oil over **medium high** heat.
4. **Reduce heat to medium high.**
5. **reduce heat to medium**
I’ve made it twice and it’s fab, but could you revisit the instructions? It works out OK but it takes me a lot longer than 13 minutes. Wondering if it might be my confusion with the heat settings?
You’re awesome and I probably make more supper from you than any other single source.
Thanks!
Hi Michelle! I know there’s multiple heat adjustments but it’s how I find this works best 🙂 Sorry! I will double check next time I have this for supper, see if we can streamline it 🙂 N xx
I don’t mind the adjustments, it’s that they don’t make sense! =)
We’re at medium-high, then we “reduce” to medium-high.
Thanks!
Oh duh! 🙂 I will fix!! Thanks for picking that up for me – N x
Hello. I tried this recipe today but used penne.. easier and less messy for my kids. I have never done a one pot pasta before. I just want to say thank you so.much for your guidance and recipe. It is awesome and ticks all the boxes for our family. Definitely a keeper.
Hello! How will I make sauce a little thick if using light cream? Thank you
Xanthun gym also thickens sauce if cornstarch is something you can not eat.
Hi Krizia! I would add 1 tsp of cornflour / cornstarch mixed with a splash of water, then add that into the sauce 🙂 N x
Thank you!!! Love your Blog!
This dish was superb! I loved your detailed instructions too. Thanks!
I LOVE hearing that Carol! Thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
Thanks so much for this recipe. Made it for dinner tonight and my kids and I love it.
I doubled the recipe using my 5qt deep pan. Instead of chicken, I used shrimp.
This ones a keeper 👍🏻👍🏻
LOVE hearing that!!! So glad you enjoyed it! N x
Hello Nagi !!
I want to thank you so much for this tasty recipe ! Turned out fantastic
Found your blog one night while searching for easy carbonara sauce and bumped into creamy chicken and bacon pasta recipe. Not having any bacon at home though, I decided to give this one a try to make a nice Sunday dinner for me. There are only two things I changed: cooked pasta the traditional way (silly reason because I don’t have a pot that would fit spaghetti without me having to break it in half 🙂 ) and added a small onion. So this is hands down the best chicken pasta I have ever had in my life ! Not kidding! I loved the cheesy silky sauce, and I praise you for letting me know that I actually can fry the chicken first and then slice it.
And what I think it’s great in your blog and your recipes is that they really look (and taste, like this one) like expensive take out from a restaurant but take little time to make at home and are full of homey ingredients. And I, (as a student who likes to cook a bit but ain’t always got time) love it !! Also the amount of heart I can see you put into the making and all the pictures of food and the doggy!!
I’m definitely going to check out other pasta recipes from your site ! And other dinner ones.
Thank you very much again !!! 🙂 🙂
P.S – I also have your books- surely going to look closer at 15 Minute Meals !
Greetings from Poland
~~~Monika
Hi Monika! Thanks so much for your lovely message. I’m so glad you enjoyed this pasta and like other recipes you see on my blog!! N xx PS AND my doggy!
I loved this recipe ! I changed it up a little to be healthy . Instead of heavy cream I used a little bit of whole wheat flour for thickness & used fat free milk & veggie pasta . It was so good !!!!
That’s terrific to hear Jessica! Thanks for letting me know! N xx
Nagi, thank you so much for the AMAZING recipe.
You made it so easy with all your notes and attention on details.
I made exactly how you showed and it came out incredibly delicious.
Thank you again.
Please keep feeding is with your fantastic recipes.
X
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Ronaldo! Thanks for letting me know – N x
Hi Nagi,
First time commenter here. I found your site a while ago with your pulled pork carnitas: absolute winner!!! Then I tried your Greek chicken gyros/marinade. Also stellar!!
I’ve never made an alfredo (or carbonara) recipe before, but I trust you and your site and once again, you did not fail to deliver :). So simple yet legit restaurant quality!!! I settled on this one tonight because I only had chicken breast, although I have at least a dozen tabs open of recipes with chicken thighs I’m salivating over…
Seriously, I’ve never subscribed to a food blog before, let alone commented. I used to crowd source my recipes with Taste.com.au but you have become my first port of call when its my turn to cook. My only complaint is that it is too difficult to decide on which single recipe to cook… 🙂
p.s. I also came across your ramen noodle enhancer recipe. Why am I not surprised your favourite instant noodles are Nong Shim ramen?!? The Kimchi flavour are the best noodles ever! I’ve literally given presents of packets of these just to get people onto them…
I’m blushing from such a high praise!!! Thank you Andrew 🙂 You made my evening! N xx
Nagi, You saved the day. My son’s 17th birthday and he requested a “creamy chicken pasta” for dinner. I was low on energy.. I went to your site and lo and behold this fit the bill. We had it tonight and it delivered. Restaurant quality. I garnished it with fresh herbs. My family is always polite, thanking me for dinner whether they liked it or not, but tonight it was “thank you for dinner, that was A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!”
Thanks for making my world a better place. (:
That’s so great to hear Debra! Thanks for letting me know – N x ❤️
It was delicious!!! Absolutely loved it!
That’s so great to hear Sandra! Thanks for letting me know – N x ❤️
Yummy, yummy, yummy. I was a little skeptical about making this one pot dish but I was desperate for a quick and easy meal with the simple ingredients I had to work with. Well, It was really good and very easy to make. I omitted the heavy cream and used lactose free milk with flour to thicken the sauce. I also used thin spaghetti since I didn’t have any fettuccine noodles . This is a winner and I will definitely make this again!
Thanks a million
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this Christine! N x ❤️
I would love to add fresh broccoli to this dish. Any suggestions on how best to do so?
Hi Brittany! I would chop it up pretty small then boil or steam, then stir it through right at the end 🙂 N x
Hi!
I’d like to follow baked chicken alfredo recipe from Tasty but slightly hesitate about cooking the pasta with chicken, broth and heavy cream altogether. I found yours to be more acceptable! But can you tell me what the milk is for? Can I just boil the pasta in broth, skip the milk and add heavy cream towards the end?instead? Thanks!
Hi Jeje! Use water instead of milk, don’t increase the broth because otherwise the broth flavour will be too strong 🙂