This is my family’s dream food! They are pasta fanatics and there is nothing that says comfort food classic pasta recipe like this baked chicken fettuccine alfredo. There are perfectly cooked al dente fettuccine noodles that are tossed in a super creamy homemade alfredo sauce. The easy alfredo sauce is made with cream cheese, heavy cream, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheese. Not diet food, but oh so good! Everything is nestled into a baking dish with whole chicken breasts on top, baked, and then sprinkled with bread crumbs and baked for five more minutes.
Those little breadcrumbs are crispy, crunchy, buttery, Parmesan-infused little bits of perfection. They add a wonderful texture contrast and really finish off this homemade fettuccine alfredo with chicken just perfectly. Whether you’re looking for a Sunday family dinner recipe, a weeknight comfort food dish so you can have planned leftovers in the coming days, or you’re a pasta lover at heart, I promise this will become a family favorite recipe that’ll go into your recipe rotation. Despite it being a 100% homemade, Italian recipe you can have it ready from start to finish in 1 hour.
Ingredients in Baked Chicken Alfredo
When you’re ready to make this comfort food baked chicken alfredo pasta, you’ll need to have on hand the following common, easy-to-find fridge and pantry ingredients including:
Fettuccine noodles Alfredo Sauce Unsalted butter Cream cheese Heavy cream Parmesan cheese Mozzarella cheese Garlic powder Nutmeg, optional Pasta water, optional but strongly recommended Chicken breasts Olive oil Salt Pepper Bread Crumb Topping Italian breadcrumbs Parmesan cheese Melted unsalted butter Mozzarella cheese Parsley, optional for garnishing
How to Make Baked Chicken Alfredo
Making baked fettuccine alfredo already isn’t hard and shouldn’t be intimidating if you follow my basic and straightforward steps. Step 1: Boil the fettuccine noodles according to package directions and drain and rinse after it has cooked. While the noodles cook, make the sauce and topping. Tip: Save some pasta water because if the alfredo sauce is a bit thick, you can thin it out with a bit of pasta water, and most likely you’ll want to. Step 2: Alfredo Sauce – Combine the butter, cream cheese, heavy cream, and heat gently and stir constantly until melted. Step 3: Add the Parm and mozzarella cheeses, garlic powder, optional nutmeg, and stir until melted. If the sauce seems thick, add 1/2 cup pasta water. Set aside. Tip: It’s better to start with a slightly thinner sauce if you’re going to err on the side of thin or thick because the pasta will continue to absorb the sauce as it cooks and it’s beneficial to not have too thick, or too tight, of a sauce at the outset. This is why adding pasta water is recommended. Step 4: Topping – Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, melted butter, and toss to combine. Set aside. Step 5: Pour the sauce over the cooked fettuccine and transfer it to a 2-quart baking dish. Step 6: Coat the chicken in olive oil and season it with salt and pepper and then lay it on top of the coated fettuccine noodles. Step 7: Bake for about 2o minutes. Step 8: Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese, bread crumb mixture, and bake for 5 more minutes. Step 9: Optionally garnish with parsley and serve!
What Kind of Chicken Should I Use?
I only use boneless skinless large chicken breasts that are close to 1 pound each. I halve them and then I pound the four halves and recommend pounding them so that they cook faster and more uniformly. While I’m sure you could use chicken thighs, I never have. I have also never used bone-in chicken as it’s not the style of this homemade chicken alfredo bake.
Can I Use Store-Bought Alfredo Sauce?
Even though it’s really not a big deal to make your own homemade alfredo sauce for this baked chicken alfredo pasta recipe, if you want to use store-bought alfredo sauce that’s fine. You will need about 2 cups worth, or approximately a 15-ounce jar which is a commonly sold side.
Do I Have to Add the Breadcrumb Topping?
My family loves the crispy breadcrumb topping on anything from mac and cheese to Chicken Parmesan Pasta Casserole, so I would never skip it. The fine, yet just-enough. crunchy and crispy element really adds a lovely touch. However, if you want to omit it you can.
What Kind of Cheese is Best for Baked Alfredo?
When it comes to making decadent, rich oven-baked chicken fettuccine alfredo, for the alfredo sauce you need to use:
Cream cheese Heavy cream Parmesan cheese (also use this for the bread crumb topping) Mozzarella cheese (also used for a final sprinkling)
Do not use use lite cream cheese, which has too much water and not enough fat. Do not use milk or half-and-half in place of heavy cream. Do not use green “Parmesan” cheese in a can. Use freshly grated or shaved Parmesan. Tip: If you have a Trader Joe’s in your area, their prices on Parmesan are as reasonable as I can find without buying a Costco-sized block! This isn’t a light, diet-friendly dish so my suggestion is to use full-fat dairy and high quality cheeses and embrace it Ina Garten style!
What to Serve with Baked Fettuccine Alfredo
When you’re ready to serve this Italian-themed masterpiece pasta recipe, in my opinion it needs nothing else! You can however serve it with more carbs, such as garlic bread. Or if you’re feeling like adding a fresh element, you can’t go wrong with a classic Caesar salad or another favorite salad recipe.
How to Store Leftovers
Extra chicken fettuccine will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Can This Recipe Be Frozen?
While pasta in general freezes fairly well, I haven’t ever frozen this one because sometimes cream sauces can get a little funky looking during the freezing-thawing process and so have never frozen it.
Make-Ahead Instructions
In terms of making this dish ahead of time, it’s possible to assemble it, get it totally ready to go, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight and bake it off the next day. However, take note, the noodles will absorb lots of the alfredo sauce as it sits overnight so definitely thin your sauce out with at least 1/2 cup pasta water if you plan to make ahead.
Tips for the Best Baked Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
You can’t have baked chicken fettuccine alfredo without alfredo noodles. However, if you want to use another type of long strand pasta noodle like pappardelle, spaghetti, linguini, or your favorite, it’s fine. When you’re making the alfredo sauce and you’re stirring in the cheeses, as I mentioned already, the fettuccine noodles will continue to absorb sauce as the dish bakes. This is why a thinner sauce is recommended. You can see how it looks after you’ve stirring in the cheeses, but if it’s thick, add 1/2 cup pasta water. Make sure not to cook or heat the sauce over high heat. Anything with dairy can “break” (the proteins denature or break and the sauce looks horrible) if you heat it too fast or it simply gets too hot so use a medium-low flame. As you’re baking the chicken fettuccine alfredo, 20 minutes is a good guideline. However, if your chicken breasts were thicker, they may need an additional 5 to 10 minutes which is fine. Add the breadcrumb topping mixture after the chicken has totally baked through. All it needs is about 5 minutes to toast to a nice golden browned color. Make sure to select regular or traditional or Italian-style breadcrumbs and not panko bread crumbs. I have a ton of panko bread crumb recipes but this isn’t one of them.
More Easy Pasta Recipes:
ALL OF MY EASY PASTA RECIPES! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs — A family favorite recipe that never goes out of style! Made with homemade beef and pork baked meatballs, homemade marinara sauce, and perfectly cooked al dente spaghetti, this Italian classic is sure to get rave reviews! Not only do they taste FABULOUS but both homemade meatballs and homemade marinara are FASTER and EASIER than you may think!
Cheesy Gnocchi and Meatballs — True Italian comfort food with these beef and pork homemade meatballs along with pillowy gnocchi. Everything is covered in homemade tomato sauce , smothered with cheese, and baked! Easier than it looks, and an instant family favorite that everyone will beg you to make again!
Homemade Italian Sausage Lasagna — Made with Italian sausage, ground beef, three kinds of cheeses, and plenty of herbs and spices for the BEST homemade lasagna that your friends and family will LOVE! Easier than you think to make and everything is spelled out in detail for lasagna-at-home that tastes like it’s from a fancy Italian restaurant!
Cheesy Ravioli Lasagna — This EASY lasagna comes together with just four simple ingredients, making it perfect for busy weeknights!! The whole family will LOVE this cheesy comfort food lasagna recipe!
Cheesy Ground Beef Pasta Casserole — Hearty comfort food that’s EASY and IRRESISTIBLE!! Cheesy pasta and beef coated in marinara sauce and topped with more CHEESE! Makes planned leftovers and is freezer-friendly!!
One Pot Italian Sausage and Tomato Basil Pasta – An EASY comfort food recipe that’s loaded with Italian flavors, ready in 20 minutes, made in ONE pot, and a family favorite!! No need to boil the pasta separately to save time and dishes!!
