Buttery Chicken Alfredo

Ingredients

• 500g chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 400g fettuccine
• ½ tsp white pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 200ml double cream
• 100ml whole milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 75g unsalted butter
• 120g Parmesan, finely grated
• 1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
• Crusty bread, to serve
• Dressed green salad, to serve

Method

1. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to a rolling boil and cook the fettuccine until just shy of al dente per packet instructions, around 8–9 minutes. Scoop out a mugful of the starchy pasta water, then drain.
2. Season the chicken slices with salt and white pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large, wide frying pan over medium-high until shimmering, then lay the chicken in a single layer — don't crowd it. Fry for 3–4 minutes per side until deeply golden at the edges and just cooked through. Lift onto a warm plate.
3. Drop the heat to medium-low and add the butter to the same pan. Once it's melted and foaming, stir in the garlic and cook for 30–40 seconds until fragrant but not coloured — you want it perfumed, not toasted.
4. Pour in the double cream and milk and let it simmer gently for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
5. Pull the pan off the heat and rain in the Parmesan a handful at a time, stirring constantly until the sauce turns silky and glossy. Off the heat is key — it stops the cheese splitting.
6. Slide the chicken back in along with the drained fettuccine and a good splash of pasta water. Toss vigorously over a low heat for a minute until the sauce clings to every ribbon in a glossy coating, loosening with more pasta water if it tightens up.
7. Taste for seasoning. The texture should be rich and velvety — coating, never gloopy.
8. Twirl into warm bowls and finish with lemon zest, parsley, a flurry of extra Parmesan and a crack of black pepper at the table.