Copycat Recipe: Olive Garden’s Chicken Alfredo
This is another great recipe from Aunt Mary!
I have always loved Olive Garden and everything they have on their menu. Although I think they are very reasonably priced, I don't have the opportunity to dine out very often because of the economy. So I came up with my own.
I fixed dinner one night for my sister Ruth, and my niece, Andrea and her family. Andrea wanted Chicken Alfredo, so I thought I would try this recipe out on them – yes, I used them for my own personal gain :)
To my surprise, Andrea said she thought it was better than the real thing!!
Chicken Alfredo Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut up into 2″ pieces)
- 4 tbsp Olive Oil (divided in half)
- 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/2 cup Onion (chopped and divided)
- 2 Garlic Cloves (chopped and divided)
- 1 tsp Oregano (dried)
- 1 cup White Wine (or chicken broth)
- 1/2 cup Whipping Cream (or Half and Half)
- 1/2 cup +1 tsp Parmesan Cheese (grated)
- 1 lb Fettuccine or Linguine
- 1 tsp Pepper (ground)
- 2 tsp Parsley flakes (dried)
How to Make Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo
- Place 6 quarts of water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add salt and pasta and cook until done.
- While water is coming to a boil, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tsp olive oil, 1/4 cup onion, 1/2 garlic and red pepper flakes.
- Add chicken pieces to skillet and saute until done (about 4 minutes) Remove chicken.
- Add remaining oil, onion and garlic to skillet and saute about 1 minute. Add white wine (take skillet off stove while adding the wine to prevent fire) and continue to cook over medium heat until reduced in half (about 5 minutes).
- Lower heat to simmer and add cream(milk) and parmesan cheese. Stir until thickened (about 2 minutes) Add parsley flakes and stir.
- Drain pasta and reserve 1 cup of pasta water in case you need it. Add pasta to sauce and mix. (If pasta is too thick at this point add the reserved pasta water) Place all but a few pieces of chicken in the pasta.
- Pour pasta into a serving bowl, place remaining chicken on top.
- Sprinkle with remaining cheese and some parsley.
Restaurant At Home Comparison
At Home: $9.22 total (family of 4)
Olive Garden: $10.75 each person = $43.00 (family of 4)
Thats about a 76% savings over eating out. And I didn't even count the tip!!
What is Olive Garden alfredo sauce made of?
You'll need heavy cream and parmesan cheese for this alfredo sauce made from scratch. Of course, the pan drippings from the chicken add some extra flavor with the onions and garlic. I've also subbed the parmesan cheese for cream cheese and it tastes great.
Does Olive Garden chicken Alfredo have garlic?
Yes! Garlic is in the restaurant recipe too! Don't skip on the garlic or onion. You can grab a bag of frozen chopped onions and keep the squeeze tube of garlic on hand so you can whip this alfredo sauce together quickly.
More Olive Garden Copycat Restaurant Recipes
Olive Garden Zuppa Tuscano Soup
Olive Garden Smoked Mozzarella Chicken and Penne Pasta
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If you want to see how meal plan and prep weekly can save you lots in your budget, check more meal plan ideas with easy recipes. Our family loves the restaurant copycat recipes too!
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PrintCopycat Recipe: Olive Garden's Chicken Alfredo
Copycat Recipe: Olive Garden's Chicken Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut up into 2″ pieces)
- 4 tbsp Olive Oil (divided in half)
- 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/2 cup Onion (chopped and divided)
- 2 Garlic Cloves (chopped and divided)
- 1 tsp Oregano (dried)
- 1 cup White Wine
- 1/2 cup Whipping Cream (or Half and Half)
- 1/2 cup +1 tsp Parmesan Cheese (grated)
- 1 lb Fettuccine or Linguine
- 1 tsp Pepper (ground)
- 2 tsp Parsley flakes (dried)
Instructions
- Place 6 quarts of water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add salt and pasta and cook until done.
- While water is coming to a boil, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tsp olive oil, 1/4 cup onion, 1/2 garlic and red pepper flakes.
- Add chicken pieces to skillet and saute until done (about 4 minutes) Remove chicken.
- Add remaining oil, onion and garlic to skillet and saute about 1 minute. Add white wine (take skillet off stove while adding the wine to prevent fire) and continue to cook over medium heat until reduced in half (about 5 minutes).
- Lower heat to simmer and add cream(milk) and parmesan cheese. Stir until thickened (about 2 minutes) Add parsley flakes and stir.
- Drain pasta and reserve 1 cup of pasta water in case you need it. Add pasta to sauce and mix. (If pasta is too thick at this point add the reserved pasta water) Place all but a few pieces of chicken in the pasta.
- Pour pasta into a serving bowl, place remaining chicken on top.
- Sprinkle with remaining cheese and some parsley.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I love there Chicken Alfredo. I’m definitely trying this one.
Thanks Andrea. I have been craving to make a pasta dish like this. I will definitely try …
I have always loved this dish. The savings part amazes me also.
I too love Olive Garden. i cannot wait to make this!
thanks my wife loved it.
Thanks for this! I tried it out and it worked perfectly! The only problem is that I was low on parmesan cheese, so the sauce wasn’t quite as cheesy/flavorful as I would have liked. But I could tell it would be absolutely divine if I had done it right. I’m excited to make it again!
I’m not seeing where you put the pepper and oregano in. I am putting it into the sauce and trying it that way but if you could clarify where YOU put it in that would be great. Thanks!
We made this to a T and the sauce was terrible! SO thick and the cheese wouldn’t even melt.. it was like a brick. So disappointing.
Sorry, Nancy!! I’ve had it with the exact instructions and it was delish. I wonder if you need to add more cream maybe?
prob used the wrong parm, if it comes in a plastic shaker can it wont work, have to grate it your self from a block or buy it already shredded in the cheese section.
I followed this recipe almost exactly. To clarify, the writer did miss where to add the pepper and oregano. I just tossed it in with the wine.
The write specifies you must reserve some of the pasta water when draining it. Very important.
I used the powdered grated Parmesan, and yes, the sauce got VERY thick – I had a small carton of heavy cream, so instead of only using 1/2 cup, I added the entire 8oz (one cup), and then I added pasta water as needed until it reached the consistency I liked.
(I also added a few slices of cooper cheese for extra creaminess, but you don’t have to, the pasta water is what will thin the sauce to a manageable texture)
GREAT recipe.. I made it for my girlfriend and she LOVE IT. It was easy to make and tasted excellent. Thank you so much.
Luis, thanks for sharing how it turned out. Glad your girlfriend loved the dish too!
Definitely going to be trying this tonight. I have been wanting to make him a good chicken alfredo and I love Olive Garden’s. I will definitely keep you posted on how this turns out! STOKED!!
Casey, definitely let us know!
is there a substitute for the white wine?
Shelayna, you could use chicken or vegetable stock.
Where do you add the pepper and oregano?
I never cook, but I really want to make this for my boyfriend for Valentine’s day. I hope I can do it…
Everyone loved it! But you didn’t say when to put in the pepper and oregano so I put it in number 4. Also would agree next time to double the sauce Will definitely make this again!
This was OK. The cream separated a bit when I added it to the wine (no, it wasn’t soured) and the sauce was a bit thin. I added a little corn starch for thickening and it came out fine.
Also, depending upon the dryness of the wine used, a tad of sugar might be added. I will next time. I used Chardonnay.
The chicken done in the onion and red pepper was very tasty.
I was wondering what kind of wine to use in this recipe
Hi Tammy, any dry white wine will work. HTH!
I just made this and it came out yummy!! Only problem was my sauce came out watery. I guess I didn’t have enough cheese, but it was good either way!
Pretty good, up your inrediants by half and it will work out where you can use the one pound pack of noodles and still be creamy enough , 1 1/2 pounds of chicken, 1 1/2 cup of paramisain, 1 1/2 cups of cream and 3 tablespoons of olive oil after you remove chicken. Dont be shy with cream .
Do you add step 4 on top of step 3 o do u remove step 3?
I followed the steps but the sauce was very very runny. It never thickened.
Also, you mention oregano in the ingredients list but not in the steps
I’ve never made Alfredo before. I doubled the recipe. At first I thought the sauce was too thin – but when I added the chicken it thickened up. It tasted very good – but it was a little grainy and not as creamy as I’d hoped. I didn’t add any pasta water – perhaps that would have helped.
I have a question. The directions call for 4 tbls of oil divided in half. If the chicken/onion mix uses 2 tsp, that leaves 3tblsnand 1 tsp for the sauce – is this what you meant?
I’m sure you meant to use shredded Parm instead of grated right??
Cheryl, it was actually fresh parm that was grated.
LOVE it! I made this about a month ago and it was a huge hit! I’m making it again tonight.
Tried this tonight. It was quite tasty. I really liked the little bit of spiciness you get with the chicken.
Where do you put the oregano and pepper?? I can’t seem to figure it out
Made it, turned out good but not exactly the same as Olive Garden’s. (The overall color of the dish wash much darker I assume from the sauteing) The red pepper flakes added a nice little heat, but my kids didn’t like it to much. Will definitely be keeping the recipe on hand, just hold the peppers until after the kids get their helping. Using grated Parmesan makes a big difference, I’d suggest adding a little more cream as well. Other than that… we loved it.
What kind of pasta do you use? Also, what can substiture the White Wine?