Eleven ingredients and forty minutes, using a pot and a very hot skillet.
The spice never meets the sauce. The breasts are blackened whole, rested and sliced, and they sit on top of a plain ivory Alfredo.
Why This Recipe Works
- A whole breast can take a heavy spice coat and a very hot pan without drying out.
- Coating evenly gives the dark, even crust the photograph shows.
- Five minutes of rest means the slices stay juicy when they are fanned out.
- Keeping the spiced chicken out of the sauce leaves the Alfredo pale.
- Pasta water brings the Parmesan sauce to a glossy coating rather than a thick paste.
Why the Spice Stays Off the Sauce
This Alfredo is about presentation: A SEPARATELY BLACKENED WHOLE BREAST SLICED AND FANNED OVER CLASSIC IVORY ALFREDO, NOT CAJUN CHICKEN PIECES TOSSED THROUGH THE SAUCE. Read from the plate up.
PARSLEY and CRACKED PEPPER
2 tbsp CHOPPED PARSLEY and BLACK PEPPER over the top. The pepper stays visible against the pale sauce.
The BLACKENED BREAST - fanned
1 1/4 lb WHOLE CHICKEN BREASTS COATED EVENLY IN 1 1/2 tbsp BLACKENING SEASONING and SEARED IN A VERY HOT LIGHTLY OILED SKILLET UNTIL A DARK CRUST FORMS AND THE CENTERS REACH 165°F, then RESTED 5 MINUTES, SLICED AND FANNED. Be careful: the crust can look finished before the centre is safe.
FETTUCCINE in ALFREDO
12 oz FETTUCCINE cooked AL DENTE and TOSSED with a sauce of 2 tbsp BUTTER, 2 MINCED GARLIC CLOVES given 30 SECONDS, 1 cup HEAVY CREAM SIMMERED GENTLY and 3/4 cup FINELY GRATED PARMESAN WHISKED IN, LOOSENED WITH UP TO 1/3 cup PASTA WATER UNTIL THICK AND GLOSSY. No spice goes in here; this layer stays ivory.
How to Make It
Fettuccine cooked al dente, pasta water kept
Cook the fettuccine until al dente, reserving pasta water.
Breasts coated, seared to a dark crust and 165°F, sliced
Coat the whole chicken breasts evenly with the blackening seasoning. Sear in a very hot lightly oiled skillet until a dark crust forms and the centres reach 165°F. Rest 5 minutes, then slice and fan.
Butter and garlic, then cream simmered gently
Lower the heat. Melt the butter, add the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the cream and simmer gently.
Parmesan whisked in, fettuccine tossed and loosened
Whisk in the Parmesan, then toss with the fettuccine, loosening with pasta water until thick and glossy.
Sliced breast fanned over the plated Alfredo
Plate the Alfredo and fan the sliced blackened breast over the top. Finish with the parsley and cracked pepper.
Ingredient Notes
- Blackening seasoning
- A tablespoon and a half, coating the breasts evenly. It stays on the chicken and out of the sauce.
- Whole chicken breasts
- A pound and a quarter, cooked whole rather than cut up - that is what makes the fanned slices possible.
- Heavy cream and Parmesan
- A cup of cream with three quarters of a cup of finely grated Parmesan for the Alfredo.
- Reserved pasta water
- A third of a cup, added as needed to bring the sauce to a glossy coating.
Success Tips
- Get the skillet properly hot before the coated breasts go in, and leave the extractor running.
- Trust the thermometer over the crust; blackening seasoning darkens in the first minute.
- Slice at a slight angle so the pieces fan neatly across the pasta.
Serving Ideas
Four plates of ivory fettuccine Alfredo, each topped with a fanned sliced blackened chicken breast, chopped parsley and cracked black pepper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should the chicken be tossed through the sauce?
No. It is blackened whole, sliced and fanned on top, which keeps the Alfredo underneath pale and clean.
How do I avoid overcooking it?
Check 165°F in the thickest part rather than waiting for a visual cue. The dark crust forms long before that point.
Can I add shrimp or vegetables?
Not in this version. It is pasta, Alfredo and blackened chicken only.
