Chicken Alfredo with Mushrooms and Peas
This fettuccine chicken Alfredo recipe is made with fresh mushrooms and peas covered in a decadent rich and creamy sauce. It is perfect for a quick weeknight meal.
I absolutely love pasta and I especially love this dish. If you’re looking for a lighter pasta dish, well this isn’t the one. Bring on the carbs! But if you are looking to indulge in an amazingly delicious fettuccine Alfredo dish, then look no further! It is SO hard to resist. It’s satisfying, comforting and it is sure to leave your family and friends going back for seconds. This meal comes together quickly and it is made with easy, simple ingredients.
Ingredients list:
- 2 chicken breasts, cut in strips
- 8 ounces of baby bella mushrooms, or different mushrooms of your choice
- Frozen peas
- 3 garlic cloves
- Fresh Italian parsley
- Fettuccine pasta
- Chicken broth
- Heavy cream
- Parmesan cheese
- Butter
- Flour
- Olive oil
Instructions:
- In a large pot, heat water over high heat for the fettuccine. Generously salt the water. Once it is boiling, add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, about 10-11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Set aside.
- Cut the chicken breast in slices to the desired size. Generously coat them with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a deep skillet or large pan. Toss in sliced chicken and cook them for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan. Set aside on a plate. Next, heat the butter in the pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add washed and sliced mushrooms and the peas. Add flour to make a “roux,” which will thicken the sauce. Cook vegetables until they are soft.
- Whisk in the chicken broth followed by the heavy cream. Then, slowly whisk in the Parmesan cheese until the sauce is well combined.
- Next, add the cooked chicken breast back to the pan in the sauce. Then add in the fresh chopped parsley, reserving some to garnish the top. Add the reserved pasta water to the sauce to desired consistency (if sauce is too thick, add more but if sauce is thin, add less). Mix well until everything is combined.
- Finally, stir in the Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Toss the fettuccine in the sauce and mix until the pasta is completely coated with the sauce. Scoop into bowls and garnish with some fresh chopped parsley and more Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Pro Tips on how to make the BEST Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo and Substitutions:
Be sure to save some of the salted pasta water and set it aside. The starchy pasta water helps the sauce bind to the fettuccine better and combines with the fat and cheese that you add, as well. The pasta water is also used to help get the desired consistency of the sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add more pasta water to thin it out.
Do not overcook your chicken! It results in chewy, tough chicken and I have made this mistake in the past, more times than I care to admit. Cook it just until it reaches 165 degrees F then take it off the heat immediately and set aside. It will have another chance to cook for a little longer later on in the sauce if you think it needs more time. You can either slice your chicken while raw, and toss it in the pan that way, which is how this recipe calls for it to be done. Or you can cook it in the pan as whole chicken breasts and slice it after it is cooked before tossing it in the sauce. But you will have to adjust the cooking time. It will take longer to cook so if you’re pressed for time, I suggest to slice it first because it will cook faster.
No need to go buy the most expensive Parmesan cheese out there. I find that the cheaper, pre-grated Parmesan cheese actually mixes in the sauce better. However, you can get a better quality Parmesan cheese to garnish the top of the pasta dish with.
If you’re not too crazy about mushrooms and peas in your Alfredo dish, swap them out with a different vegetable such as broccoli.
Looking to make this dish vegetarian? No problem! Omit the chicken completely and swap out the chicken broth for a vegetable broth instead!
Chicken Alfredo with Mushrooms and Peas
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms washed and sliced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 12 ounces fettuccine
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley chopped, plus more for topping
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp butter
- salt and ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat water over high heat. Generously salt the water. Once it is boiling, add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, about 10-11 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Set aside.
- Cut the chicken breast in slices to the desired size. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In a skillet or large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Toss in chicken and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 165℉.Once chicken is cooked, remove from pan. Set aside.
- Heat the butter in the pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add washed and sliced mushrooms and the peas. Add flour, which will thicken the sauce. Cook vegetables until they are soft.
- Whisk in the chicken broth and heavy cream. Then, slowly whisk in the Parmesan cheese until the sauce is well combined. Next, add the cooked chicken breast back to the pan. Then add in the parsley, reserving some to garnish the top. Add the reserved pasta water to the sauce to desired consistency. Mix well until everything is combined.
- Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Toss in the fettuccine and mix until it is completely coated with the sauce. Garnish with some parsley and more Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes