When it comes to Italian chicken recipes, my Olive Garden chicken alfredo tops my list of personal favorites. This isn’t just one of those pasta recipes with doctored-up jarred alfredo sauce on it! It’s one of those really impressive chicken pasta recipes that taste amazing and it’s very easy to make.
What I Love About This Recipe
This is perfect for when you need an easy meal that you can pull together on a busy weeknight without tearing up the kitchen! I LOVE that it’s a meal my entire family loves, and my kids think I’m a total rock star when I make it! Added bonus, it’ll also save you $50 for eating at home and skipping the restaurant!
After you try this recipe, check out my other Chicken Alfredo recipe. It’s loaded with mushrooms, tomatoes, and lots of creamy sauce! If you’re looking to pump up the spice level, my Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel is your ticket to flavor town! If you’re craving tortellini, try my Tortellini Al Forno, it’s another Olive Garden copycat recipe that will knock your socks off! I mean, who can EVER have enough great pasta recipes?!!
Let’s make this!
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Chicken Recipes Notes
Chicken: Be sure to let your cooked chicken rest before slicing it up. This is very important! If you cut it too soon, all the juices will run out and you’ll end up with dry rubbery chicken.
Toast the Flour: You’ll want to sauté the flour in the butter/garlic mixture for just a minute and remove it from heat. This is another critical step. First, it helps coat the flour in butter, so it acts the way we want it to, and it gets rid of that flour flavor. Removing it from heat stops it from cooking so you end up with a white roux. Here’s a little about the different types of roux, just in case.
Ingredients Notes
This c recipe is one of the best I’ve tried to date, and the best part is that it doesn’t take a bunch of crazy ingredients. You can probably make this recipe with what’s currently in your fridge.
Pasta: I prefer using Fettucine pasta because it’s got plenty of valuable real estate to carry that yummy Olive Garden alfredo sauce. It should be cooked al dente with an adequate amount of salt for best results.
Chicken: Two boneless, skinless breasts will do the trick here. It makes the ideal amount for this recipe.
Cheese: Parmesan cheese is the star of the show here so it’s important to use quality cheese. The green container isn’t going to deliver on flavor. I like to use fresh parmesan that I shred myself.
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo Storing Tips
You can toss leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and it’ll keep just fine. Large Ziplocs work well too.
Can You Freeze This?
Unfortunately, it’s not a good idea to freeze this. Pasta is notoriously finicky in the freezer and this recipe is just never quite the same when it thaws.
Fettuccine Alfredo Make Ahead Tips
Fettuccine alfredo is always best when it’s fresh but the leftovers are quite yummy too. The pasta will continue to absorb the sauce in the fridge so you may need to thin it out, depending on your preferences. If that’s the case you can add a little milk when you reheat it.
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
This will last for up to 5 days in the fridge when stored properly. It’s also best to reserve the FDA-recommended 2-hour serving rule just to be on the safe side.
Recipe Variations
- Some people do like to add mushrooms to their chicken alfredo.
- Add Seafood- it’s really easy to switch out the chicken with shrimp and turn this recipe into shrimp alfredo!
- Other types of pasta- I’ve always preferred fettuccini pasta in this recipe but feel free to use whatever shape you’d like.
Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Fettucine
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
- 2 tablespoons, plus 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup, plus more for passing grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions in well-salted water. Drain.
- Pat chicken breast dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, in a 12-inch skillet. Cook chicken breasts in the hot skillet until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes without flipping them or moving them in the pan. Turn breasts over and add 2 tablespoon butter. Cook the breast another 5-7 minutes or until an instant thermometer reads 165 degrees. Do not overcook or chicken will be dry. Remove to a plate and allow to rest for 7-10 minutes. Slice chicken and cover with aluminum foil; set aside.
- In a clean large, high sided skillet, melt the remaining 1/2 cup butter over medium-low heat and saute garlic until fragrant, about a minute. Sprinkle flour over butter and cook, whisking constantly for 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and slowly whisk in cream and milk until smooth.
- Return skillet to medium-low heat and stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese and white pepper and simmer gently until cheese is melted.
- Toss cooked pasta with sauce. (At first, the pasta may seem soupy but, as it sits, the pasta will quickly absorb more sauce and you will have plenty of sauce to coat the pasta generously and it won't be dry when you go back for seconds!) Arrange pasta on plates and top with sliced chicken. Sprinkle with parsley and serve extra Parmesan on the side.
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More Italian Chicken Recipes
Here are some of my best Italian chicken recipes I’d love for you to try.
- Pesto Chicken – Fragrant full-flavored and just plain yummy.
- Chicken Milanese – Full-flavored and decadent in a way that wins your heart.
- Chicken Vesuvio – An Italian-American classic that is finger-lickin’ fantastic!
- Chicken Lasagna – This is off the charts delish! Next time you have people over, you’ve got to make this one!
Are you sautéing garlic in the butter before you add in flour to make the rue?
Yes, Ma’am! It makes the best rue you’ll ever taste. I do the same thing in my Chicken Lasagna! <3
This is absolutely fabulous. I wouldn’t change a thing the sauce was so creamy and flavorful. Plus I have enough leftovers for a few days. Thank you so much
Yay! Thank you, Colleen! <3 🙂
Oh. My. Gosh. This was fantastic.
1. It was super easy, with everything done on the stovetop and ready within half an hour.
2. The hubs has been ordering chicken Alfredo at Olive Garden for decades and he swears this tastes EXACTLY the same! Next time I need to make breadsticks and put a little extra sauce in a bowl to dip in, cuz our arteries need to get a little harder.
Seriously, my college kids were practically licking their plates. (In fact, they may have when I wasn’t looking.) I will never look for another Alfredo recipe. Thank you so much!
This is exactly how I make this chicken Alfredo. I would like to see more soups please. My mom was a fantastic cook and our Sunday meal always started with a dish of home made soup. I try to continue the tradition.
Hi Rose! WE’ve got lotsa of soups coming. I hope you enjoy!!