Named after the famed Italian restauranteur Alfredo De Lelio I, chicken alfredo is one of many variations of the classic pasta dish that captures the essence of old Italy. While modern convenience has allowed us to become spoiled with store bought sauces in a jar, we will do away with such frivolities as jarred sauce, and make alfredo sauce the way De Lio intended: from scratch. Follow along if you’re hungry:
Related articles about How to make chicken alfredo
· The sauce: Obviously the most important part of the meal, alfredo sauce’s main ingredient is grated parmesan cheese. The amount of cheese to add depends on the amount you want to make, but for a pot that serves a few people, I recommend about 10-16 oz. (1-2 cups). You’ll also need a half-stick of butter, a cup or two of heavy whipping cream, and a bit of salt and pepper for seasoning. You want to mix the butter, cream, and seasonings in a medium-hot saucepan and bring it to a bubble. The last bit is to gradually add in the parmesan while stirring so that it evenly spreads throughout the saucy mix, then leave it simmering on low heat.
· The chicken: There are ton of ways to prepare the chicken part of chicken alfredo. The most important part is to make sure it is cooked through before adding it to the alfredo sauce, as the heat distribution between the sauce and the meat will not be enough to cook it if it is raw. As pre-cooking prep, it is advisable to take a few lean chicken breasts, cut them into cubes or fajita strips. Take a pot of water and bring it to a boil. You then toss in the chicken and lower the heat a bit (170 degrees), and let it boil for at least at least 20 minutes or until the strips or cubes no longer show pink. For seasoning, feel free to add anything you like to the water—onions, salt, and pepper work nicely. From here, the choice is yours as to whether you want to add the chicken to the simmering sauce or leave it separate and top the sauce and noodles with it later.
· The last part of the meal is the noodles. You have your choice of any noodle here, but alfredo is commonly associated with fettuccini noodles. These are a lot thinner than most, and they absorb the flavor of the sauce well. Cooking noodles is just bringing water to a boil, adding noodles after the bubbling starts, and lowering the heat after adding a dash or two of salt. You then just need to let it boil until the noodles are softened until your liking. You can also add a bit of butter to enhance the flavor.
That’s all there is to it, but you don’t need to stop there. Now that you have the basic recipe for chicken alfredo, you can begin to experiment with other ingredients like garlic, broccoli, and shrimp, and it never hurts to top it all off with more cheese!
