American Fettuccine Alfredo
Cream, butter, garlic, a mountain of Parmesan and sliced chicken. The Alfredo on almost every Italian-American menu.
This is the American one: fettuccine in a thick cream sauce with butter, garlic and plenty of Parmesan, usually with sliced chicken on top. It's built to be foolproof, because cream almost never breaks, so the sauce holds, reheats and waits on a buffet line.
The one trick is heat. Keep it low once the cheese goes in, and save a cup of the pasta water to loosen the sauce at the end.
🇺🇸 This one is American
Cream, butter, garlic, a mountain of Parmesan and sliced chicken. The Alfredo on almost every Italian-American menu.
🇮🇹 The original
The Roman original has no cream, no garlic and no chicken: just fresh pasta, butter, Parmigiano and starchy pasta water. See the Roman Fettuccine Alfredo (Fettuccine al Burro) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Cream
Cream is already an emulsion, fat suspended in water, so it holds the cheese and almost never breaks.
Off the heat
Cheese proteins tighten into clumps when the pan is too hot. Whisking it in off the heat keeps the sauce smooth.
Step by step
- Step 1
Boil the fettuccine in well salted water until just al dente. Save a cup of the pasta water before you drain it.
- Step 2
Season the chicken and sear it in a hot pan with the oil, about 5 minutes a side, until the middle reaches 165°F. Rest it, then slice.
- Step 3
In a wide pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and cook the garlic for about a minute. Don't let it brown.
- Step 4
Pour in the cream and simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes, until it thickens slightly.
- Step 5
Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the Parmesan a handful at a time, so it melts instead of clumping. Season with salt, pepper and the nutmeg.
- Step 6
Toss the pasta in the sauce, loosen it with a splash of the pasta water, and top with the chicken.
American Fettuccine Alfredo
Serves 4 · 35 min total
Pasta and sauce
- 1 lb dried fettuccine
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
- Salt and black pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg (optional)
Chicken (restaurant style)
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp oil
Method
- Boil the fettuccine in well salted water until just al dente. Save a cup of the pasta water before you drain it.
- Season the chicken and sear it in a hot pan with the oil, about 5 minutes a side, until the middle reaches 165°F. Rest it, then slice.
- In a wide pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and cook the garlic for about a minute. Don't let it brown.
- Pour in the cream and simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes, until it thickens slightly.
- Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the Parmesan a handful at a time, so it melts instead of clumping. Season with salt, pepper and the nutmeg.
- Toss the pasta in the sauce, loosen it with a splash of the pasta water, and top with the chicken.
A standard American cream Alfredo, with chicken cooked to 165°F per USDA guidance. Americanized. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
Tips
- If it thickens as it sits, a spoonful of pasta water brings it right back.
- Leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge. Reheat gently with a splash of milk; high heat makes the sauce greasy.
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