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.
My 13 year old wanted to cook dinner and we found this recipe. It was so simple, low mess, and DELICIOUS! She and I both agree that there is no reason to ever buy jarred “Alfredo sauce” (using the term loosely) ever again. This is a great recipe. Thank you for posting!
I’m so pleased to hear that Joy! Thank you for letting me know! N xx
I can’t believe how wonderful this turned out. You fixed the one pot recipe that I have been trying to tweak to my daughter’s liking. You are a genius, our dish was soo creamy and a hit. Thanks a bunch.
Fantastic to hear Esperanza! N x ❤️
Dear Nagi,
Thank you soooooo much for the recipe! I love chicken Alfredo and so does my girlfriend so I’ve used your recipe to satisfy the both of us.
That’s great to hear Mike! Thanks for leaving a review! N x
Hey Nagi,
The Chicken Alfredo Pasta looks too tasty in the pictures. Yumm Yumm!
I hope you try it Natasha! It is SO good! 😂
Nagi, this one is a keeper. Perfect for a quick dinner on a weeknight! I make this even easier by using leftover rotisserie chicken and (don’t hate me) minced garlic from a jar. Noms!
No judgement here! Always good to have the jarred garlic on hand! N xx
LOVE your recipes! My boyfriend is a type 1 diabetic so needs to manage his carb intake which is hard to do sometimes with main meals that have a variety of ingredients in them. However your recipes provide the nutritional values AND
they taste amazing! This recipe is one of his favourites 🙂 Thanks again!!
So fantastic to hear that Cass, thanks for letting me know! N xx
Looks really good! Will this recipe still work if I cook the pasta separately?
Hi Carolina! Yes of course but the sauce just needs to be cooked down before adding the cooked pasta. 🙂
Hi! What type of milk should I use? Sorry, I’m new at cooking. Should I use fresh milk, evaporated milk, all purpose cream? Would be more than happy if you could help me out
That’s ok! 🙂 Any drinking milk is fine – full or low fat. N xx
Hi Nagi. Very yummy I just added abit more stock/milk to make more sauce but yes great receipe, enjoyed by all
So pleased to hear you enjoyed it Marcia! 🙌🏻 Thanks for letting me know. 🙂 N xx
I made a double batch so I am hoping it freezes well. The expected teenagers all bailed on dinner.
We loved this, perfect flavours.
Generous portions, I think this would do 4 portions for us with garlic bread and salad.
We are still trying to lose the Christmas kilos ( I am starting to claim I am laying down my winter fat layer, so I don’t have to lose the Christmas kilos).
So pleased you enjoyed it Jenny! Thanks for letting me know! N xx❤️ PS I’m still trying to lose my Christmas kilos too 😂
Way too much liquid!
Hi Lonnie! It cooks out, I promise 🙂 Watch the video!
Thank you, Nagi,
This recipe was easy and delicious. My boyfriend likes it, too, and it was easy enough to make an extra batch for a friend whose wife is battling cancer. One question: Should the chicken go back into the pot during the emulsification step? That’s when I decided to add the chicken, and it seemed okay. (Maybe this detail was in the video. I just read the recipe and skipped the video.)
I also added some barely-steamed broccoli because, well, I love broccoli. It may not be authentically Italian, but I eat what I like, authentic or not. And I served mine with a spinach salad on the side. Costco has one with toppings and salad dressing included, so it was quick and easy.
I enjoy reading your blog. It is well-written, and so few are! Thank you.
Don’t worry about whether it’s authentic! If you enjoyed it, that’s what matters. 🙂 Thank you for the compliment! N xx
And once again you provided me with another great recipe, tasted great (and i still have enough incredients for sunday :3) Didnt expect the sauce to be this rich, adding the cheese last really did the trick.
I often lack any motivation to try something new and resort to the same simple meals but your meals are always fast (love one pots because im lazy) and the small amount of incredients very rarely leaves me with leftovers. Also i really enjoy reading your stories for each meal 🙂
That’s so fantastic to hear Max!! Thanks for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know you enjoyed it! N xx
Served this tonight to wife and daughter.. We all loved it…
Served a Trader Joe’s pre-made Caesar salad as a side… Terrific…
Oh geeze… I hope Robert doesn’t read about me not being a true “Foodie”… ;o)
WHOOT WHOOT! So pleased to hear you enjoyed this Ross, thank you for letting me know! Mmm…. Caesar on the side….what a match! N xx
I made onepot chicken alfredo last week, told my husband I should post it up, and then I find this! Great minds think alike! Great recipe, Nagi.
One pot pastas are great for those of us in drought areas. Not only is a pot of water not dumped down the sink, but less water is used for clean up.
Gosh Elizabeth, what a fantastic point! Thank you for sharing that 🙂 Interestingly, I’m camping right now (well, I ducked into town for coffee!) and we had to bring all our water and I was thinking the same thing for us! 🙂
I just prepared this for myself as I’m home alone and I’m in heaven. Just amazing, Nagi! Thanks.
Ooooh! i am SO HAPPY to hear that Martin, thank you for letting me know! N xx
Yummy! Made this tonight for the family and we all enjoyed it very much! I think it would be good with shrimp too!
I’m so pleased that you enjoyed this Alexis! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know – N x
Trying to access this recipe on my kitchen iPad I am told the page no longer exists, even though it appeared briefly before “ERROR 404” replaced it.
It seems to be fine on my desktop PC
How odd! 🙁 Thank you for telling me David, I will look into it 🙂
Hi Nagi
One Pot Chicken Alfredo
As fresh pasta cooks quicker than dried, could I use it in this recipe and what changes should be made?
Dozer is one handsome dog. Love reading about him.
Many thanks x
Hi Jayne! Gosh, I don’t think this will work with fresh unfortunately. Fresh pasta cooks super fast – 3 minutes at most – so the liquid won’t reduce enough. Sorry to say! N xx