This copycat Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo is pan-cooked chicken breast sliced over fettuccine tossed in a from-scratch sauce of butter, garlic, half-and-half, heavy cream and freshly grated Parmesan. The sauce is made in the same pan as the chicken, so the browned bits go right into it. It takes 25 minutes and serves 4.
How to make it: Boil the fettuccine. Cook the seasoned chicken in olive oil until it reaches 165°F, then set it aside. Melt butter with garlic in the same pan, add the half-and-half, cream, salt and pepper and simmer about 5 minutes. Whisk in the Parmesan, toss in the pasta, and top with the sliced chicken.
Why You’ll Love It
- 25 minutes: the pasta boils while the chicken and sauce cook.
- Five-ingredient sauce: butter, garlic, half-and-half, cream and Parmesan. No flour, no jar.
- One pan for chicken and sauce: the browned bits add flavor to the sauce.
- Hearty portions: 1 1/2 pounds of chicken and a full pound of fettuccine for 4.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken breast: 1 1/2 pounds, boneless and skinless. Cutlets pounded to an even thickness cook evenly.
Fettuccine: 1 pound, cooked in well-salted water.
Butter and garlic: 6 tablespoons of butter and 6 minced cloves of garlic start the sauce.
Half-and-half and heavy cream: 1 1/2 cups of each make a rich but pourable sauce.
Parmesan cheese: 1 cup, freshly grated. Grate it yourself so it melts smoothly.
Olive oil and seasoning: 2 tablespoons of olive oil for the pan plus a drizzle for the chicken, salt and black pepper, and optional Cajun seasoning. The sauce gets 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
Parsley: chopped, optional, for serving.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast (boneless, skinless; or cutlets pounded to an even thickness)
- 1 pound fettuccine, uncooked
- Salt, for the pasta water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, for the pan (plus a drizzle to rub on the chicken)
- Salt and black pepper, to season the chicken
- Cajun seasoning, optional, for the chicken
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, for the sauce
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, for the sauce
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- Fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for serving)
How to Make Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo
1. Boil the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the fettuccine according to the package directions while you make the sauce.
2. Season the chicken. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil, rubbing it on both sides. Season with salt and black pepper, and with Cajun seasoning if you like.
3. Cook the chicken. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the chicken and cook about 5 minutes, flip, reduce the heat to low and cook about 5 more minutes, until cooked through and a food thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part. Set the chicken aside.
4. Melt the butter and garlic. In the same pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute, scraping up the brown bits from the pan.
5. Add the cream. Pour in the half-and-half and heavy cream, then add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Stir to combine and slowly bring to a simmer until the sauce starts to thicken, about 5 minutes.
6. Melt in the Parmesan. Add the Parmesan and whisk until smooth, letting the cheese melt. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
7. Toss the pasta. Drain the pasta and toss it in the sauce until well coated. The sauce may look a little thin, but the starch from the pasta thickens it quickly.
8. Slice and serve. Slice the chicken and arrange it on top of the pasta. Sprinkle with parsley if you like and serve right away.
How to Get a Smooth Alfredo Sauce That Clings
- Keep the heat gentle. Medium-low for the garlic and cream, and bring it up to a simmer slowly.
- Grate the Parmesan fresh. Add it over low heat and whisk until it melts into a smooth sauce.
- Don’t panic if it looks thin. Right after tossing, the pasta can look a bit soupy. The starch from the noodles thickens the sauce quickly, and the pasta keeps soaking it up as it sits.
- Too thick? Save a cup of pasta water before draining and whisk in a little at a time until the sauce is smooth and pourable.
- Scrape up the brown bits. When the garlic goes in, scrape the bottom of the pan; that’s where the chicken flavor is.
For juicy chicken: pat it dry, don’t move it while it browns, and take it off the heat as soon as it reaches 165°F so it doesn’t dry out. Let it rest 7 to 10 minutes before slicing into strips.
Variations
- Thicker, roux-style sauce: stir about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of flour into the melted butter and garlic and cook 1 minute before adding the liquid.
- Milk instead of half-and-half: use whole milk with the heavy cream; 1% or 2% works in a pinch.
- Parmesan and Romano: use half Parmesan and half Romano, at room temperature.
- White pepper: add a pinch, about 1/8 teaspoon, to the sauce.
- Cajun chicken: season the chicken with Cajun seasoning before cooking.
- Breaded chicken: coat cutlets in egg, Italian breadcrumbs and Parmesan before pan-frying.
- Just the sauce: skip the chicken and serve the Alfredo over fettuccine on its own.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours (1 hour if it’s above 90°F) in shallow covered containers. They keep 3 to 4 days. The pasta keeps soaking up the sauce, so leftovers are thicker.
Freezer: It’s safe frozen for 3 to 4 months, but cream sauces don’t freeze well and may separate after thawing. Thaw in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave.
Reheating: Reheat covered on the stove, in the microwave or in the oven to 165°F. In the microwave, cover, rotate and add a little liquid if it looks dry. Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with homemade cheesy garlic breadsticks and a vegetable like roasted asparagus and carrots. For a full copycat night, start with Olive Garden slow cooker pasta fagioli.
More creamy pasta dinners: chicken broccoli Alfredo pasta bake, steak Gorgonzola Alfredo and Italian chicken pasta.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this copycat alfredo taste so good?
It’s all rich dairy: butter, garlic, half-and-half, heavy cream and freshly grated Parmesan, simmered in the pan the chicken cooked in.
Does this Alfredo sauce need flour?
No. The cream simmers until it starts to thicken, and the pasta starch finishes the job. Add a little flour if you like a thicker sauce.
Why is my Alfredo sauce thin?
It thickens as it’s tossed with the pasta and as it sits. Give it a minute before adding anything.
How do I know the chicken is done?
A food thermometer in the thickest part should read 165°F.
Can I freeze chicken Alfredo?
You can, for 3 to 4 months, but the cream sauce may separate after thawing.
Final Notes
Cook the chicken, build the sauce in the same pan, and let the pasta thicken it. If you try the Parmesan and Romano mix, tell me in the comments how you liked it.
Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo (Copycat)
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast boneless, skinless; or cutlets pounded to an even thickness
- 1 pound fettuccine uncooked
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for the pan; plus a drizzle to rub on the chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon salt for the sauce
- 1 teaspoon black pepper for the sauce
- salt and black pepper to season the chicken
- salt for the pasta water
- Cajun seasoning optional, for the chicken
- fresh parsley chopped; optional, for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the fettuccine according to the package directions while you make the sauce.
- Drizzle the chicken with olive oil, rubbing it on both sides. Season with salt and black pepper, and with Cajun seasoning if you like.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the chicken and cook about 5 minutes, flip, reduce the heat to low and cook about 5 more minutes, until cooked through and a food thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest part. Set the chicken aside.
- In the same pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute, scraping up the brown bits from the pan.
- Pour in the half-and-half and heavy cream, then add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Stir to combine and slowly bring to a simmer until the sauce starts to thicken, about 5 minutes.
- Add the Parmesan and whisk until smooth, letting the cheese melt. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
- Drain the pasta and toss it in the sauce until well coated. The sauce may look a little thin, but the starch from the pasta thickens it quickly.
- Slice the chicken and arrange it on top of the pasta. Sprinkle with parsley if you like and serve right away.
