Perfect, Creamy, Fettuccine Alfredo

Do you want the most perfect, flavorful, creamiest Alfredo sauce in the *entire* world? This recipe is seriously, the best. I could eat this every day. This is the perfect “for company” recipe when you want to serve a delicious dish that everyone will *love* and will super-impress your guests and have them all *begging* for the recipe. And it has a nice presentation on the plate!

Here’s how I make mine.. Let’s start with the chicken.

Rinse 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts in cold water.

Layer between 2 sheets of wax paper and pound until even thickness.

I almost always pound my chicken breasts, no matter what method of cooking, because if they’re even, they’ll cook more evenly *and* I think they make a better presentation. Culinary *and* cosmetic benefits! :)

Now for the marinade…

Ingredients:
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice (mix together and let sit for 10 mins and this becomes a substitute for buttermilk)
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

Mix together milk, lemon juice, egg and garlic powder. In a perfect world, you’ll want to pour this in a ziploc bag with the pounded chicken and marinate in the fridge for 2-4 hours. However, I can hardly ever get my act together enough to marinate the chicken 2-4 hours before I eat so…..

Usually I just go ahead and put the chicken right in and let it hang out in there while I’m making the breading mix.

The Breading Mix…

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tbsp Montreal Steak Seasoning

Whisk together flour, bread crumbs, salt, baking powder, and steak seasoning in a medium bowl.

Did you know that whisking produces the same texture as sifting? And it’s much easier! :)

Remove chicken from milk mixture, shake off excess, and coat both sides in flour mixture.

Now we’ve got all three of our chicken breasts nice and breaded. Let’s just let them hang out on this plate for a sec while we ready the noodles!

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tbsp of salt.

When the water has come to a nice, rolling boil, add your favorite pasta. I like to use 1/2 lb of linguine noodles for this recipe. It’s the perfect amount for 2-3 adults. Cook according to package directions.

Now… The Sauce…

Ingredients:
1 scant cup chicken broth (Scant means “a little less than”. So “a little less than” 1 cup. You may also use white wine instead of chicken broth. I give you permission. ;))
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8 basil leaves, chiffonaded
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

In a medium saucepan, heat chicken broth over medium high heat, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and whisk in heavy cream, cornstarch, and garlic. Bring to a soft boil and whisk for one minute. Reduce heat to low, whisk in parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Let simmer for about 10 mins to melt cheese, let thicken, and incorporate flavors, whisking occasionally.

Meanwhile…

Add 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat.

We want to let the butter and oil get nice and hot before we add the chicken, so let it get all sizzley, then it’ll calm back down when the butter starts to brown:

When it looks like this, it’s time to add the chicken.

Let the chicken cook 4-5 mins on one side.

Wow! 3 pots at one time! I feel all professional and stuff! ;)

Back to the chicken.

After 4-5 mins, or when the bottom is nice and golden, flip the chicken to the other side and cook an additional 4-5 mins, or until the other side is nice and golden. :)

While the chicken is cooking, let’s chop our herbs. Now I just ran right over to my lovely neighbor’s beautiful garden and picked some fresh basil and parsley right from the ground! :) But if you don’t have access to your neighbor’s garden, you can buy fresh basil and parsley from the produce section of your grocery store. Usually they are hanging in bags on the wall. They are labeled and everything! Very easy. :) But, if you can’t find them, don’t let that stop you from making this recipe. Go ahead and try it without the herbs, I bet you’ll still love it. :) (Note: I would try to buy the basil on the same day you plan on using it. It tends to wilt quickly. Parsley lasts forever though. Okay, maybe a week or two. I haven’t really tested my theory.)

Oh right! Back to the herb chopping.

Grab 6-8 basil leaves

Roll them up tightly

And slice thinly with a sharp knife (I use a paring knife). Oh btw, I am using a cutting board, I’m not doing this straight on my counter! LOL. The cutting board is just clear, so you can see right through it. hah.

Now! We have some chiffonaded basil. Pretty isn’t it? :) Basil smells soooooo good.

Now let’s chop up some parsley.

You could just take a knife and chop up these parsley leaves, but…

I have this Pampered Chef chopper and it does the job for me, much better than I could ever do. :p

Keep chopping until you have about 1 tbsp of chopped parsley.

Now! At this time, everything should be coming together!

Go ahead and throw your herbs into the Alfredo sauce and stir well with a spoon.

Your chicken should be all nice and golden now.

So it’s time to put it all together.

A Parmesan cream sauce with a hint of garlic, served over fettuccine noodles and topped with a lightly breaded, golden fried chicken breast.

And if you feel like it, go ahead and pour some more sauce right over that chicken. It’s *de*licious.

This recipe as is serves 2-3 adults. If you’re serving more than that, you’ll need to double the recipe or adjust it accordingly. :)

Perfect, Creamy, Fettuccine Alfredo

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tbsp steak seasoning
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb linguine noodles
1 tbsp salt
1 scant cup chicken broth
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
8 basil leaves, chiffonaded
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Layer chicken between wax paper and pound breasts to even thickness. In a small bowl, mix the egg, milk, lemon juice and garlic powder. Pour mixture into ziploc bag with chicken. Seal and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours. After marinating, whisk together flour, bread crumbs, salt, baking powder, and steak seasoning in a medium bowl. Remove chicken from milk mixture, shake off excess, and coat in flour mixture. Add 1 tbsp of salt to a large pot of water and bring to boil. Boil noodles according to package. Then, in a medium saucepan, heat chicken broth over medium high heat, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and stir in heavy cream, cornstarch, and garlic. Bring to a soft boil and stir for one minute. Reduce heat to low, add parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Let simmer for about 10 mins to melt cheese, let thicken, and incorporate flavors. Meanwhile, heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter just starts to turn brown, arrange chicken in skillet. Cook 4-5 mins each side until juices run clear and chicken is cooked through. While chicken is cooking, chop fresh herbs and stir into Alfredo sauce right before serving. Serve sauce over pasta and chicken.