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This One Pot Chicken Alfredo cooks the pasta right in the sauce, so there’s nothing to drain and only one pan to wash. Seared chicken, tender pasta, and a creamy parmesan sauce come together in about 30 minutes. It’s the kind of dinner that feels like a splurge on a regular Tuesday.
More Creamy Pasta Dinners: Chicken Alfredo Bake | Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta | Creamy Shrimp Alfredo Pasta
Before You Get Started
Alfredo sauce is simple, but it can break if you rush it. These three things make the difference between silky and greasy.
- Simmer gently, never boil — A hard boil separates the butter and cream and leaves an oily layer on top. You want small bubbles around the edges of the pan.
- Use heavy cream, not milk — Milk has too much water to thicken into a proper alfredo. Half and half will work if that’s what you have, but the sauce comes out thinner.
- Shred your own parmesan — Pre-shredded parmesan is coated so it won’t clump in the bag, and that coating keeps it from melting smoothly.
Bought a big package of chicken breasts and need ideas for the rest of them? Check out my collection of Ways to Make Chicken Breasts for Dinner Tonight for more.
RECIPE OVERVIEW
How to Make One Pot Chicken Alfredo
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
The trick to a one pot pasta is the cooking liquid. Most alfredo recipes are cream and butter only, which is too rich to cook raw pasta in. Adding a cup of chicken broth gives the pasta enough liquid to soften, and the starch it releases helps thicken the sauce as it goes. That’s why you don’t need a separate pot of boiling water.
1. Brown the Chicken
Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, add them to the pan, and cook for a few minutes, turning once or twice so they brown on most sides.
You’re not cooking the chicken through here. It finishes in the simmering sauce, so pull it off the heat around 150 to 155 degrees F. Once the chicken is browned, add the minced garlic and cook another 30 seconds or so, just until you can smell it.
- Use the biggest pan you have: A 12-inch skillet with tall sides or a small Dutch oven gives the pasta room to move. If everything is crowded, the noodles stick together.
2. Add the Liquid and Pasta
Stir in the chicken broth, heavy cream, dry pasta, cream cheese, butter, and Italian seasoning. Bring it up to a boil, then immediately turn it down to a simmer.
The pasta should be mostly submerged. If you’re using long noodles like fettuccine, break them in half first so they fit under the liquid. The ratio that makes this work is about two cups of liquid per half pound of dry pasta, so keep that in mind if you scale the recipe up.
Prefer the pressure cooker? My Instant Pot Pasta with Chicken uses the same idea with even less stirring.
3. Simmer Uncovered
Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes so nothing sticks to the bottom. Keep the heat low enough that you see gentle bubbling around the edges, not a rolling boil.
The sauce will look thin for most of this. Don’t worry about it. It thickens as the pasta releases starch and the liquid reduces. When the pasta is tender, the sauce should coat the back of a spoon.
Adding broccoli? Stir in small florets during the last 4 to 5 minutes so they steam right in the sauce. No need to cook them first.
4. Stir In the Parmesan
Take the pan off the heat before you add the cheese. Stir in the parmesan a small handful at a time, letting each addition melt before you add the next. Dumping it all in at once gives you a clump in the middle that never fully mixes in.
Parmesan is what makes alfredo taste like alfredo, so it’s worth the extra minute here. If you want to make the sauce from scratch another time, my Creamy Homemade Alfredo Sauce uses the same base without the pasta.
5. Garnish and Serve
Serve right away, while the sauce is at its creamiest. A little more fresh parmesan, some minced parsley or basil, and cracked black pepper are all optional but they do dress it up.
Short on time? Skip step 1 and stir in 2 to 3 cups of chopped leftover or rotisserie chicken with the parmesan at the end. Dinner drops to about 20 minutes.
Easy Ways to Change It Up
This recipe takes add-ins well, so use what’s in the fridge.
- Vegetables: broccoli florets, baby spinach, peas, or sliced mushrooms. Add hardy vegetables during the last few minutes and delicate ones like spinach at the very end.
- Protein: swap the chicken for shrimp (add it in the last 3 to 4 minutes so it doesn’t overcook) or sliced Italian sausage.
- A little heat: a pinch of red pepper flakes with the garlic, or a spoonful of roasted green chiles stirred in at the end.
What to Serve Alongside
This is a rich, creamy dinner, so the best sides are the simple ones. Bread for scooping up the extra sauce and something fresh and green to balance the cheese is really all you need. If you’re feeding a crowd, a salad and a loaf of garlic bread turn this into a full spread without much extra work.
- Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Homemade Garlic Breadsticks
- Easy Copycat Olive Garden Salad
- Side Salad
- Oven Roasted Broccoli
- Garlic Butter Green Beans
Storage Tips
Storage and Reheating
Make ahead: This one is best made right before you serve it. The pasta keeps absorbing sauce as it sits, so it won’t have the same texture if you assemble it early.
Leftovers: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
Reheating: Warm leftovers in a pan over medium-low heat with a splash of cream or milk to loosen the sauce. Stir often. The microwave works too, but go in 30-second bursts and stir between each one so the sauce doesn’t separate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use jarred Alfredo sauce instead of homemade?
Yes, but you’ll need to change the order. Jarred sauce has thickeners in it that scorch if you simmer them for 15 minutes, so cook the pasta in the chicken broth first, then stir in a 15-ounce jar at the end with the heat off. One jar is about right for a half pound of pasta.
Jarred sauce also tends to taste flat, so a little garlic, cracked pepper, and a handful of freshly shredded parmesan goes a long way.
Can I use milk instead of heavy cream?
Not in this recipe. Milk has too much water and not enough fat to thicken into an alfredo, so the sauce stays thin no matter how long you simmer it. Half and half is the closest substitute that still works, though the sauce will be a little looser.
If milk is all you have, you’d need to start with a roux instead, the way I do for my Chicken Alfredo Baked Ziti.
Why did my sauce turn out greasy?
Almost always too much heat. When cream sauces boil hard, the butter fat separates out and pools on top instead of staying blended. Keep it at a gentle simmer the whole time, and take the pan off the burner before you add the parmesan.
If it does separate, pull it off the heat, let it cool for a minute, then stir in a splash of cold cream to bring it back together.
Do I need to cook the broccoli first?
No. Cut it into small florets and stir them in during the last 4 to 5 minutes of simmering, and they’ll steam right in the sauce. If you add them at the beginning they’ll overcook and start falling apart.
Frozen broccoli works too, though it releases extra water, so add it straight from frozen and expect the sauce to need another minute or two to tighten up.
Can I make this with fettuccine?
Yes. Fettuccine is the classic pairing for alfredo, and it works here as long as you break the strands in half so they fit under the liquid. Long noodles also clump more than short shapes, so stir a little more often during the first few minutes.
Penne, rigatoni, and rotini are easier to manage if you’d rather not fuss with it.
More One Pot Dinners
- One Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles
- One Pot Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta Skillet
- One Pot Bacon Chicken Ranch Pasta
- One Pot Beef Stroganoff
- Garlic Parmesan Pasta (One Pot Pasta)
One Pot Chicken Alfredo
Equipment
- Large deep skillet, sauté pan, or small Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup chicken broth vegetable broth may be substituted
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ pound uncooked pasta such as penne, rigatoni, or rotini
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup butter
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup parmesan cheese freshly shredded
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Fresh minced parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Brown the chicken: Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add it to the pan, and cook a few minutes, turning to brown on most sides. The chicken doesn't need to be cooked through.
- Add the garlic: Stir in the minced garlic and cook about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add everything else: Stir in the chicken broth, heavy cream, pasta, cream cheese, butter, and Italian seasoning. Break long noodles in half so they sit under the liquid.
- Simmer uncovered: Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the pasta is tender and the sauce coats a spoon.
- Stir in the parmesan: Remove from heat. Add the parmesan a small handful at a time, stirring until each addition melts before adding more.
- Serve: Serve immediately, garnished with extra parmesan, minced parsley, and fresh cracked black pepper if desired.
Notes
- Keep the heat low: A gentle simmer is the single most important part of this recipe. A hard boil separates the butter and cream and leaves the sauce greasy.
- If it looks greasy: Pull the pan off the heat, let it cool a minute, then stir in a splash of cold cream to bring the sauce back together.
- Shred your own cheese: Pre-shredded parmesan is coated to prevent clumping, and it won’t melt smoothly into the sauce.
- Scaling up: Use about 2 cups of liquid per half pound of dry pasta so the noodles stay covered while they cook.
- Shortcut: Skip the browning step and stir in 2 to 3 cups of chopped rotisserie or leftover chicken with the parmesan at the end.
- Add vegetables: Stir small broccoli florets, peas, or mushrooms in during the last 4 to 5 minutes. Add spinach at the very end.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat over medium-low heat with a splash of cream or milk, stirring often.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
This is one of my favorite recipes to make! Thanks for sharing — I love that it’s one pot and the sauce comes together really nicely. I use slightly less butter and half and half since I didn’t have cream. I’m exceptionally busy sometimes, so I’ll cheat and use the pre-cooked chicken from Trader Joe’s. I add freshly roasted green chile (since they’re in season right now in New Mexico), and it makes for a delicious and easy dinner. I love that it’s a versatile base. Thank you again!
You are so welcome Cindy! Fantastic feedback! Thanks for stopping by.
Easy, quick and tastes delicious! Clean up is easy cause it’s only one pan!!
Love the feedback Tammy! Thanks for stopping by.
Can I use 2% milk instead of heavy cream
Hi Laura, In my experience, milk doesn’t work for this particular recipe because it has too much water and won’t thicken. If you want to make a Bechamel sauce you by making a roux first, you can do that. You can see how I make it for my Chicken Alfredo Baked Ziti.
This recipe took more effort than I thought it would. Not as quick and easy as I had hoped. Be sure to use a nice chicken breast. The one I used was a bit fatty. The taste of this dish is good. The parmesan adds a lot to the flavor. However, I think the 1/2 cup of butter is way too much. The dish was rather greasy. In fact, it was so greasy I strained it before serving it. I don’t think I will make this again, but if I do, will cut down on the butter.
Hmm, sounds like the butter may have separated which can happen when using too high of heat. Alfredo sauce typically calls for a half cup of butter and 2 cups of cream, which we substituted in some chicken broth. I actually just made this recently, and it was nice and creamy and not greasy at all.