I’ve talked about this recipe often on my cleaning podcast, and I’ll tell you how to make it in this post. I do need to explain a few things first.
When making the sauce, do not attempt to use the kind of dry parmesan cheese that you shake over spaghetti. That stuff is fine as a topping, but it will take too long to dissolve into your sauce, making it difficult to achieve the desired consistency.
That said, I’m not saying you have to use the super-expensive stuff, either.
The happy medium is buying fresh pre-shredded parmesan that comes in a bag. Kraft is one example of a brand I use. Sargento is another.
If you have company, and they’ll be watching you prepare the sauce, go ahead and use a more bougie brand and grate it yourself.
But the Kraft or Sargento cheese works fine for a weeknight meal that doesn’t break the bank. I had been buying the expensive stuff until I found a recipe on this website that uses Kraft.
You can also cook your own chicken, but I’ve found that people are impressed enough that I make my own sauce. And the John Soules precooked chicken strips are delicious!
The Recipe
Here are the ingredients and instructions:
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 ounces precooked chicken strips
- 1 stick butter (8 Tablespoons)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (jarred minced garlic or freshly minced garlic can also be used)
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
- 12-16 oz uncooked fettuccine
Instructions
- Slowly melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.
- Meanwhile, bring some water to a boil in a pasta pot and cook the fettuccine according to the package instructions/until al dente.
- Add heavy whipping cream, garlic, and salt. Then increase the heat to medium.
- Add parmesan cheese, and stir almost constantly until it melts in.
- Meanwhile, heat up some precooked chicken strips either in a skillet or the oven.
- When the sauce is done, gently combine it with your freshly cooked and drained fettuccine noodles or other pasta (I sometimes use bowties).
- Plate your pasta, topping each serving with a few chicken strips.
Obviously, you can double this recipe for a large family. But the pasta is so rich; you don’t need much. Also, your fettuccine will be saucier if you only use 12 oz of pasta instead of 16.
Serving suggestion: Fettucine alfredo with chicken goes great with freshly baked bread and steamed broccoli.
If you liked this recipe, you can thank me by listening to the Clean With Me Podcast.