Having a sister who orders Chicken Alfredo at pretty much every restaurant she visits, I needed to make a better version at home. And trust me when I tell you, this is not better. This is the best! I love my spices. And I totally understand that I don’t need to throw in cayenne pepper and paprika in everything, but why the hell not? If these “revered” spices give that extra wow factor to my platter, I’m gonna go right ahead and throw in a good sprinkling. And just to clarify, I do keep check on the amount of spices I put in my food. This Chicken Alfredo is not spicy, it has a kick to it. That kick comes from making the sauce in the very pan I sear the chicken in. So basically, I make the white sauce in all that caramelized chicken flavor that sticks to the pan. That adds amazing depth to the sauce; the cayenne and nutmeg and mustard powder are there to make all those flavors really sing.
That red stuff you see in the picture is paprika. I love paprika because it’s really not a spice at all, and is perfect if you want to add a touch of red to your dish. And Chicken Alfredo definitely needs some rouge, so to speak. But please don’t sprinkle cayenne. That stuff is hot!
I packed some of this deliciousness for my dear friend suffering from a terrible toothache. She left her noodle soup and gobbled my Chicken Alfredo. You see where I’m going with this?
Chicken Alfredo Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb chicken breast
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp All-Purpose flour
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- salt to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 packet fettuccine pasta
Instructions
- Begin by mixing the spices (cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper) and rub it onto the chicken tenders.
- In a saucepan, add about 2 tbsp of oil and sear the chicken on high flame for 3 minutes. Flip and sear on high flame for additional 2 minutes. Cover the pan and let the chicken cook all the way through about 4-5 minutes. (Chicken tenders don't take very long to cook).
- Once chicken has cooked, remove to a plate and shred.
- Now in the same pan on medium heat, melt 3 tbsp of butter.
- Next, add flour and stir it really well using a spatula for about a minute. Scrape all the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan that was left over from the chicken. This is where the flavor comes from!
- Next, add mustard powder and stir.
- Slowly pour milk and stir as you go along. The sauce will thicken up in no time.
- Once sauce has thickened, add salt, nutmeg and paprika and stir. Turn flame to very low.
- In another saucepan, bring water to a boil.
- Add a tsp of salt and drop your fettuccine pasta in and cook it according to the packet instructions.
- While the pasta is cooking, finish the sauce by adding heavy cream and the shredded chicken.
- Stir well to combine.
- Once pasta is done, dump it into the sauce and stir really well.
- To garnish, sprinkle chopped parsley and some paprika for color.
- Eat warm!
This looks amazing. You deserve a lot more viewers. I honestly can not wait to make this pasta. I wanted to know how many people does this make for. keep working, your doing great job!
Thank you so much for your sweet words, Aisha.. This is good for at least 3 people if not more. Really depends on the appetite:)
Thank you so much! This will feel at least 4 ppretty happily:)
Tried it and loved it!!!!
Hi Ayesha! I’m so glad to hear that! This is definitely my favorite way of making Alfredo. I hope you try some other stuff on here too:)