Can You Freeze Chicken Alfredo Pasta?

Chicken Alfredo pasta’s tastiness is so delicious that most times, you could be tempted to make way more than you could eat in a single sitting.

In that case, you might need to preserve it for later, and you are probably wondering if freezing it is a good idea?

When I tried these tips, my pasta was still tasty, creamy, and fresh. So much so that you will believe that the pasta was made a few minutes ago. And I am here to give you those tips.

But first, is freezing your chicken Alfredo pasta a good idea? Yes! It is still good to eat later as long as you do it right.

Your chicken Alfredo pasta, whether it’s baked or not, can be frozen in your freezer. In fact, you can freeze half of your chicken Alfredo pasta and eat the other half. You can divide it into different portions where you can bake some and freeze others to reheat and eat later.

However, the trick is to store it properly. To do that, you have to store it in a container that is both airtight and safe for freezing.

If not stored in the right way, your chicken Alfredo pasta can get bad, but when the right containers and methods are used in the freezing process, your chicken Alfredo pasta can last as long as 3 months. If not longer.

Tips For Freezing Your Chicken Alfredo Pasta

One of the favorite and well-loved meals that most people can’t do without is the Chicken Alfredo Pasta. It’s loved not just for its heavy cream but because of the parmesan cheese and buttery flavor.

A sure way of ensuring that you never run out of this creamy deliciousness is by making a very large batch of it and storing them in your freezer. That way anytime you crave the pasta dish, you can quickly thaw them with the methods I’ll be providing below.

You can ensure that your pasta is safe and yummy to eat later after freezing by following these steps;

Pre-boil the pasta for a minute or two; this will ensure that your pasta won’t be overlooked when you are reheating it later.
To ensure that your dish isn’t scattered when you freeze it, make use of whole milk when preparing the sauce. The high-fat content in whole milk will ensure your sauce is not separated when frozen.
After cooking the pasta, allow it to cool down for a while. However, for food safety reasons, you should make sure that the pasta is placed in your freezer in the space of 2 hours.
Once you’re ready to freeze your pasta, put it in freezer bags or an airtight container. This is to ensure that it retains its freshness. In the event that these are not available, aluminum foil or plastic wrap can serve.

It is important to take note of the shelf life of your delicious pasta; to do this, you should put a label on the airtight container or freezer bag you used in storing your pasta. The label should show the date you stored the pasta.

Your Alfredo sauce can be frozen on its own if you desire. You’ll need freezer bags or ice cube trays.

How to Thaw and Reheat Frozen Chicken Alfredo Pasta

Thawing your frozen chicken Alfredo pasta is not as difficult as you may think. It’s very easy and can be done in three ways.

Below is how to use each method to thaw your frozen Chicken Alfredo pasta.

Oven

The oven method is one of the best ways of defrosting and heating defrosted chicken Alfredo pasta. It’s fast and will make sure that the pasta heats up evenly, and the sauce will not be affected.

The steps are as follows:

Remove your Chicken Alfredo pasta from your freezer and allow it to thaw either in your refrigerator or at room temperature.
Let your oven preheat to about 375° Fahrenheit.
Place the defrosted pasta inside a clean baking dish. A glass one would do.
To prevent your pasta from drying out, you need to add water, a few drops will do.
Make sure you use aluminum foil to cover your pasta inside the dish. Doing this will keep the heat inside. And make sure they are evenly distributed. It will also help to retain your pasta’s moisture.
After covering, place your dish inside your preheated oven, and leave it there for as long as 10 minutes.
Then remove it from the oven. Using a ladle or anything, stir your pasta so that it will cook around. So you don’t end up with half-cooked or heated Alfredo pasta.
Cover your disk back and place it inside the oven for 10 more minutes or as long as you want. But once the temperature inside the pasta is above 165° Fahrenheit, it’s well heated and ready to be served.

Microwave

If you want to defrost your Chicken Alfredo pasta in a very quick fashion, using the microwave will be the best option for you.

It is fast and will allow your pasta to thaw or reheat evenly without any cold parts left.

The steps are as follows:

Remove your chicken Alfredo pasta from your freezer and leave it at room temperature until it thaws. Either room temperature on a countertop is fine. Or leave it in your refrigerator overnight.
Place your thawed chicken Alfredo pasta inside a container that can be covered and is safe for the microwave.
Add some drops of water into the pasta and stir.
Make sure the container is covered very well. An aluminum foil or plastic wrap will do. But you’ll need to put holes in the cover for steam to escape. 3 holes will do, but 2 will do the job well.
Put the covered container inside your microwave and allow to heat for some minutes.
Take it out of the microwave, remove the cover and stir the pasta. If you feel you need to add water to the pasta, go right ahead. But if it feels moist enough, no need to. The idea is to make sure your Alfredo sauce consistency is creamier.
Replace the cover of the container and return it to the microwave.
Allow it to heat for some more minutes. 2 to 3 will be just fine.
Then remove and stir again and take note of the consistency of the pasta. If there is a need for water, you can add some drops. If there’s no need, don’t add.
You can repeat the last process either 1 or 2 times before you get what you are looking for.

You will know your Chicken Alfredo pasta will be ready for consumption when its internal temperature is at or higher than 165° Fahrenheit. This is because, at this temperature, it’s believed that your frozen foods might have been properly heated up.

Stove

This is another very effective way to thaw your frozen Chicken Alfredo pasta. The method differs from the other two methods above because it gives your pasta this rich and creamy taste anyone would expect from a meal as delicious as chicken Alfredo pasta.

But the problem and disadvantage of this method against the other two is that it takes up a lot of time.

Here are how to thaw with the stove.

Get a clean pot. Stainless steel or aluminum pots will do. Then add water until it is halfway filled.
Then get a container that can withstand heat and is small enough to enter the pot but large enough to contain your pasta.
By now you must have already thawed your chicken alfredo pasta at room temperature or inside your refrigerator overnight. Then place the thawed pasta inside this container.
Ensure that the container is properly covered and that the water inside the pot is not filled enough to seep into it.
Place the water-filled pot with the container containing your pasta on a stove and heat.
The water in the pot should be left to simmer for as long as it takes for your Alfredo pasta to heat up evenly.
Be careful while heating the water. The goal is to let the water simmer for a very long time. And not to boil. Boiling the water can cause water to splash into your pasta. And you don’t want that. No one does.
Stir your Alfredo pasta until the consistency of the pasta is as creamy as you want it.
You can then turn off your stove and allow your pasta to heat some more inside the container.
After this, your chicken Alfredo pasta is ready to be served.