Silky Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce (Printable)

Fettuccine coated in a rich butter and Parmesan sauce, optionally served with tender sautéed chicken and fresh parsley.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 14 oz fettuccine

→ Sauce

02 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter
03 - 1 cup heavy cream
04 - 1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
05 - 1 garlic clove, finely minced (optional)
06 - Salt, to taste
07 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
08 - Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

→ Optional Chicken

09 - 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
10 - 2 tbsp olive oil
11 - Salt and pepper, to season

→ Garnish

12 - Fresh parsley, chopped
13 - Extra Parmesan cheese

# Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fettuccine according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
02 - Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté chicken for 6-7 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate, let rest for 5 minutes, then slice thinly.
03 - In a large pan over medium-low heat, melt butter. If using, add minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
04 - Pour in the heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes.
05 - Reduce heat to low. Gradually whisk in Parmesan cheese until melted and sauce is smooth. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and nutmeg.
06 - Add the drained fettuccine to the sauce, tossing to coat evenly. Add reserved pasta water gradually if needed to adjust sauce consistency.
07 - Serve fettuccine topped with sliced chicken if desired. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and additional Parmesan cheese.
08 - Present immediately for optimal flavor and texture.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Ready in thirty minutes, which means weeknight dinner that tastes like you spent all afternoon in the kitchen.
  • The sauce comes together with just three core ingredients, each one doing exactly what it's supposed to do.
  • Forgiving enough for beginners but impressive enough to make you feel like a real cook.
  • Scales beautifully from a quiet dinner for one to feeding a whole table of hungry friends.
02 -
  • Low heat during the cheese addition is the secret to a silky sauce; high heat scrambles the cheese into a broken, grainy mess that no amount of stirring fixes.
  • Pasta water is your emergency brake if the sauce thickens too much, so always reserve it before draining.
  • Fresh grated Parmesan melts smoothly, but pre-grated cheese with anti-caking agents stays grainy no matter what you do.
03 -
  • Bring all dairy ingredients to room temperature before cooking so the sauce comes together smoothly without temperature shocks that cause breaking.
  • Keep the residual heat of the pasta water and melted cheese in mind; don't add boiling pasta directly to the cream or you'll shock the temperature and risk curdling.
  • Reserve twice as much pasta water as you think you'll need because you can always add more but you can't take it back out.
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