Spicy Chicken Alfredo

Name: Spicy Chicken Alfredo
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms (sliced); 1 sweet onion, large (diced, about 1 cup but if the onion is large it'll be more like 2 cups which will work fine); 3-4 chicken breasts, about 2 pounds (diced, chicken tenders work great too); 4 tablespoons butter; 3 tablespoons cream cheese; 4 cups half and half; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated, plus more for garnish when serving); 1 cup sliced pepperoncinis (add an additional 1/4 cup for more spicy flavor and some for garnish on each serving ); fettuccine pasta (or any pasta of your choice, about 1 pound )

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Spicy Chicken Alfredo is a smooth homemade Alfredo sauce and the perfect base for crisp, tangy slices of spicy pepperoncinis, carmelized onions, simmered mushrooms and tender, diced chicken. The sauce is like something you'd enjoy in a fancy restaurant. Spoon over your favorite pasta with plenty of freshly grated parmesan cheese and enjoy.

A serving of spicy chicken Alfredo on a plate with a fork that has a scoop of pasta and sauce. — The smooth sauce in this recipe blends beautifully with tangy pepperoncinis, caramelized onions, mushrooms and tender chicken.

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Ingredients to Have on Hand

Chicken breasts
Half and half
Mushrooms
Pepperoncinis
Parmesan cheese
Butter
Cream cheese

Spicy Chicken Alfredo ingredients on a wooden block, displaying a carton of half and half, mushrooms, uncooked chicken, a sweet onion, grated parmesan cheese and a plate of pepperoncinis. — Simple ingredients combine in this recipe for a restaurant quality pasta sauce that's ready in about an hour.

You Control the Spiciness

This spicy Alfredo sauce can be less, or more spicy depending on how many pepperoncinis pepper slices you add. One cup of sliced pepperoncinis gives the sauce a tangy "bite" but the sauce is so creamy, thanks to butter and cream cheese, it's still mild enough even for kids. My family loves a spicy Alfredo sauce so we add extra slices of those juicy pepperoncinis on each serving.

A stick of butter and a package of cream cheese on a wood block. — Butter and cream cheese are added to the hot skillet as the base for the sauce.

Diced mushrooms and onions on a cutting mat. — Chop the onions and mushrooms into bite-sized pieces.

Easy to Make, Ready in About an Hour

Although the end result is impressive and full of flavor, and may remind you of a tasty Alfredo sauce from a restaurant - this is an easy recipe to make.

I dice the onions and mushrooms, then toss them in the pan with the hot olive oil. While the diced ingredients are cooking and carmelizing in the oil, I dice the uncooked chicken and shred the Parmesan cheese. From start to finish, your delicious spicy Alfredo sauce is ready in about an hour.

Diced onions and mushroom in a large skillet. — Cook the diced onions and mushrooms until the onions start to caramelize and turn soft, it takes about 10 minutes over medium high heat. Stir often.

One Large Pan, Pot or Skillet

Everything for Spicy Chicken Alfredo cooks in the same pan. Well, almost everything. The pasta will need to cook in a large stock pot of boiling water of course. But each step of this recipe uses just one large pan, pot or skillet.

I cook it in the biggest skillet I own because the sauce and ingredients need plenty of room to simmer together. But a Dutch Oven such as Le Creuset will work great too.

Diced chicken, cooked and in a skillet on the stove. — Cook the chicken until it's lightly browned.

FAQ and Tips

Do I need to use a sweet onion?

I highly recommend it. Sweet onions are milder than other varieties like white or yellow onions and they caramelize beautifully in the hot butter with the sliced mushrooms. Here's a great article in Bon Appetite about the differences between onion varieties.

Can I use milk instead of half and half?

You can, and it will taste fine but the Alfredo sauce will not be nearly as creamy. I totally understand the desire to cut down on calories or fat which is why I use half and half instead of heavy cream, which most Alfredo sauces call for.

Butter melting in a hot skillet on the stove. — Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat, be careful not to burn it. See the little bits and pieces of the chicken, onions and mushrooms in the pan? That all adds to the flavor.

Pasta Options

Any shape pasta will work great with this recipe, but fettuccine is the most common pasta variety to serve with an Alfredo sauce and that's what I like to use.

Alfredo sauce, chicken, mushrooms, onions and pepperoncinis in a skillet. — Once the sauce starts to thicken, add the cooked chicken, mushrooms and onions back to the pan. The sauce will continue to thicken.

Stir and Thicken the Sauce

The spicy Alfredo sauce thickens as it cooks so don't worry if the sauce seems a little too thin at first. Watch the video below to see how thick my sauce was right after I mixed in the chicken and pepperoncinis. After simmering for about 15 minutes the sauce will be creamy and perfect.

How to Serve and Store

Serve your Spicy Chicken Alfredo in pasta bowls, I love the ones I bought at Sur la Table and I use them all the time. Store leftovers in a covered bowl in the refrigerator, the sauce sometimes thickens a little after being refrigerated so just add a little milk when you warm it to create the consistency of when it's served hot from the stove.

A serving of spicy chicken Alfredo on a plate with a fork and a napkin on the side. — Tangy pepperoncinis are the perfect complement to this smooth Alfredo sauce. I like to add a few more slices on top of each serving for eye appeal.

More Pasta Recipes and Toppings

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Spicy Chicken Alfredo

A smooth homemade Alfredo sauce is the perfect base for crisp, tangy slices of spicy pepperoncinis, carmelized onions, mushrooms and tender, diced chicken. Spoon over your favorite pasta and enjoy!

5 from 52 votes

Print Rate Pin Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings:

Calories: 594kcal

Author: Melinda O'Malley Keckler

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ pound fresh mushrooms sliced
1 sweet onion, large diced, about 1 cup but if the onion is large it'll be more like 2 cups which will work fine
3-4 chicken breasts, about 2 pounds diced, chicken tenders work great too
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons cream cheese
4 cups half and half
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated, plus more for garnish when serving
1 cup sliced pepperoncinis add an additional ¼ cup for more spicy flavor and some for garnish on each serving
fettuccine pasta or any pasta of your choice, about 1 pound

Instructions

Cook Onions and Mushrooms

In a large skillet on the stove add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat on medium high heat until the oil starts to shimmer. Add sliced onion and mushrooms and cook until softened and the onions have started to caramelize, about 10 minutes.

Cook Chicken

Remove onions and mushrooms from the pan, place in a dish and cover to keep warm. In the same large skillet, place diced chicken breast, season lightly with a little salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned. Remove from pan, add to the dish with the onions and mushrooms, keep warm.

Make Alfredo Sauce

In the same skillet melt butter, add cream cheese and stir until melted. Mix in half and half, garlic powder, salt, pepper and add parmesan cheese. Stir until it begins to thicken. This is an Alfredo sauce. Whisk frequently over medium heat. It takes about 10 minutes until it starts to thicken.

Simmer then Serve

Add the chicken, onions and mushrooms back into the skillet with the sauce, stir to combine then add sliced pepperoncinis. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes while your pasta cooks. The sauce will continue to thicken.
Drain the pasta and serve with large spoonfuls of the sauce on top of each serving.
Garnish with more freshly grated parmesan cheese.

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Notes

Please note, the calories and nutrition calculated for this recipe do not include your serving of pasta.

Nutrition

Calories: 594kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 30gFat: 47gSaturated Fat: 26gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 162mgSodium: 979mgPotassium: 782mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1344IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 466mgIron: 1mg

Please note, the nutrition details are estimated using a food database and are offered here only as a guideline for informational purposes.

Pin Recipe

Spicy Chicken Alfredo

Ingredients to Have on Hand

You Control the Spiciness

Easy to Make, Ready in About an Hour

One Large Pan, Pot or Skillet

FAQ and Tips

Pasta Options

Stir and Thicken the Sauce

How to Serve and Store

More Pasta Recipes and Toppings