Who can argue that pasta is one of the most delicious comfort foods that can be made in a multitude of ways? Alfredo sauce and chicken, for instance, is a great dish that you can easily make at home, allowing you to match the gastronomic experience of your local Italian restaurant. In slightly more time than it takes to boil spaghetti, you’ll have a creamy, decadently rich sauce enrobing chicken as it drapes itself luxuriously over pasta.
But Where Did Alfredo Sauce Come From?
Fettuccine Alfredo was created in the early to mid-20th century by Alfredo di Lelio. Lelio had a restaurant where guests enjoyed the ceremony of the servers preparing the dish tableside.
Back then, the recipe was made using fettuccine which was tossed with butter and parmesan cheese. The cheese would melt as the liquids emulsified to form a smooth, rich sauce coating the pasta.
When the dish was first created it was called Fettuccine Al Burro but it eventually became popularized and spread to America where it would be known as Fettuccine Alfredo.
Variations of Fettucine Alfredo
As the dish traveled, it also evolved. It is now often served with heavy cream and other ingredients and can be garnished with chicken to make it a heftier main course, known as Chicken Alfredo.
Of course, chicken isn’t the only ingredient that can be added to Fettuccine Alfredo. Veggie lovers can add broccoli florets, onion tops, peas, or garlic to make delicious dishes that will adhere to certain dietary restrictions.
If you are more of a meat eater, ham or shrimp will be the perfect complement to your pasta dish. You can also experiment with different spices like Cajun or Creole seasoning to give your recipe a kick.
But whatever variation you choose, this will always be an easy and delicious dish to make that is sure to please a variety of taste buds.
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe
Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound fettuccine
Directions for Chicken Alfredo:
1. Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet.
2. Cut chicken breast into small strips, add salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until cooked through.
3. In a saucepan, melt the butter, then add the cream and Parmesan cheese.
4. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Do not boil.
5. Mix chicken and Alfredo sauce together.
6. Cook fettuccine in 3 quarts of boiling water. Drain, and pour sauce and chicken over the noodles.
And just like that you have a perfect creamy chicken fettuccine Alfredo recipe that your whole family will devour. So, go ahead, warm some Italian bread, spread it with garlic butter, grab a bottle of wine, and have dinner a chef would be envious of at a fraction of restaurant prices. Happy cooking!
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Four Cheese Baked Ziti Alfredo
Tortellini and Broccoli Alfredo
The image featured at the top of this post is ©morgan23/ via Getty Images.