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One pan is all you need for this skillet Chicken Alfredo Pasta recipe. From-scratch alfredo sauce, sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts make this a no-fuss, elegant dinner idea.
I grew up completely in love with chicken alfredo. We didn’t have it often, but besides fork-tender roast beef, chicken alfredo was my all-time favorite dinner. Since I’ve been married, I had often thought about making that chicken alfredo bake, but I knew it was a more time-consuming recipe that was not going to fit into my taxi-mom schedule.
I’ve known that Maddie also likes alfredo sauce and realized I needed to come up with an easy way to have that delicious alfredo flavor. This Chicken Alfredo Pasta recipe is it. You just need 1 pan and about 30 minutes. How easy is that?
EASY CHICKEN ALFREDO
I’m all about recipes that take only 1 pan because who has time to wash pots and pans along with all of the plates and silverware from dinner?
Keep this recipe in one pan by starting with browning the chicken. Then you’ll remove the chicken and add chicken broth to boil the noodles. Then once the noodles have soaked up most of the chicken broth, you add the heavy cream and chicken back in, melting the Parmesan cheese in as you go. Simple as that.
FROM SCRATCH ALFREDO SAUCE
The basic ingredients in alfredo sauce are butter, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. It’s really that easy! The most important thing to remember is to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese. You can buy a block of Parmesan in the deli and artisan cheese section of your grocery store. There are no additives and that freshly shredded cheese will give you the best flavor and texture. Stir the cheese in slowly so that it melts smoothly and doesn’t clump up. Sprinkle about 1/2 a cup into the pan, stir, then add more cheese and stir again until it is all melted in. And that, my friends, is how you make alfredo sauce. Easy!
CHICKEN ALFREDO ADD-INS & TOPPINGS
One thing I love to add into this chicken alfredo pasta recipe is sun-dried tomatoes. Alessi has julienne cut sun-dried tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil. Their tomatoes are hand-picked from the vine when they are at prime ripeness. Their highly concentrated flavor makes this 7-ounce jar the perfect size for adding to this skillet pasta recipe for a uniquely Italian flavor pop.
I also like to top my chicken alfredo pasta with Alessi pine nuts. I had honestly never had pine nuts (or really even heard of them) before using them in this pasta dish. I was highly surprised! Although they are traditionally used in pesto recipes, their creamy texture pairs so well with the alfredo sauce and pasta. You can even use these pine nuts on cakes and in macaroons. Imagine the possibilities!
Lastly, top with freshly snipped Italian flat-leaf parsley. This makes a gorgeous green and red presentation that is perfect for upcoming holidays.
