Looking for a healthy alfredo sauce recipe you can enjoy guilt-free? Look no further than this delicious Skinny Chicken Alfredo!
What is not to love about any alfredo recipe? – creamy, smooth, and full of flavor (and this one is a bit lighter than a traditional recipe). Toss some chicken, fried mushrooms or other veggies into this creamy noodle dish and it will get rave reviews every time.
A Healthier Alfredo Pasta Recipe
When I’m craving comfort, alfredo is a go-to for me and I sure did eat a lot of it in Italy! I love that such simple ingredients can create such delicious decadence however, I wanted to create a version I could enjoy a little more often.
FACT: A chicken alfredo at the average restaurant has a whopping 1200 – 1547 calories and up to 97 grams of fat! CRAZY huh? This healthy chicken alfredo recipe cuts the calories and fat weighing in at under 400 calories and 10 grams of fat.
- Enjoy alfredo without the guilt! This is a recipe worth repeating.
- This homemade sauce has all the flavor without the extra fat!
- Easy, tasty, and quick. Perfect for a weeknight dinner!
- For an even lighter dish, serve with zucchini noodles (made with a spiralizer) or even over roasted cauliflower.
Ingredients & Variations
NOODLES Fettuccine are long flat noodles, generally made with flour and eggs. Purchase fresh noodles, make homemade noodles, or buy the typical dried pasta in a box. Linguine noodles can also be used with this recipe. I use 12 oz fresh noodles which is about 8 oz dried pasta.
THE SAUCE A homemade alfredo sauce is almost as easy as buying a jar of alfredo, this sauce has fewer calories and is so quick to make. Unlike a traditional fettuccine alfredo sauce, this sauce is thickened with a bit of flour and some cream cheese (instead of heavy cream and cheese).
PROTEIN We love to add cooked chicken to this recipe. Use shredded chicken, poached chicken, or even grilled. Short on time? Then use a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
VARIATIONS Add in steamed broccoli, asparagus, or mushrooms to get some extra veggies in. Use whole-wheat noodles or replace the chicken with some shrimp, to make a lighter shrimp alfredo.
How to Make Healthy Alfredo
We love a true alfredo with butter, cheese and cream but sometimes something a bit lighter fits the bill. This healthy alfredo is a great way to enjoy a decadent flavor with fewer calories and fat.
- Prep the quick sauce on the stove (as per the recipe below).
- Cook the pasta.
- Toss the pasta and cooked chicken with the sauce.
Tips for the Sauce
- Whisk the flour into cold milk for the best results (it doesn’t mix as smoothly into warm liquids), ensure there are no lumps.
- Some brands of cream cheese don’t melt as smoothly. If the cream cheese isn’t smooth, you can use a hand blender to mix the sauce for a few seconds.
- Spreadable or light cream cheeses do work in this recipe (and flavored cream cheese like herb and garlic are great too).
- Save a little bit of pasta water, it can help to get the right consistency but pasta water is starchy and will also help the sauce stick to the pasta.
5 Star Favorite Pasta Dishes
- Crock Pot Mac and Cheese – a crowd favorite
- Easy Shrimp Scampi Recipe – ready in 20 minutes!
- Chicken Tetrazzini – easy yet elegant
- Easy Homemade Lasagna – the best comfort food
- Easy Baked Ziti – so cheesy & flavorful!
Did you make this Skinny Chicken Alfredo? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Skinny Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup cold milk
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons light cream cheese not fat free
- salt to taste
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 12 ounces fresh fettuccine or 8 oz dried fettuccine
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken optional
- chopped fresh parsley to taste
Instructions
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Whisk flour into cold milk until dissolved, set aside.
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Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
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Add the milk/flour to the saucepan and cook while whisking constantly until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes.
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Once thickened turn the heat to low and stir in cream cheese, salt, & nutmeg whisking until the cream cheese is melted.
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Remove from the heat and stir in parmesan cheese. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper.
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Meanwhile, cook pasta according to the package direction, reserving ½ cup of pasta water.
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Toss pasta and warmed chicken with the sauce, adding pasta water a spoonful at a time if needed. Garnish with parsley and additional cheese if desired.
Notes
- Whisk the flour into cold milk for the best results (it doesn't mix into warm liquids as smoothly), ensure there are no lumps.
- Some brands of cream cheese don't melt as smoothly. If the cream cheese isn't smooth, you can use a hand blender to mix the sauce for a few seconds.
- Spreadable or light cream cheeses do work in this recipe (and flavored cream cheese like herb and garlic are great too).
- Save a little bit of pasta water, it can help to get the right consistency but pasta water is starchy and will also help the sauce stick to the pasta.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Entree, Pasta
Cuisine American
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Note: The actual nutritional information on this recipe will vary based on the ingredients used. With 2% milk, this recipe using the brands I used made 6 servings at approximately 388 (or 302 without chicken) calories and 8-10g fat per serving. You can enter your information in an online nutritional calculator to calculate your nutrition based on the ingredients and brands you’ve used. Information provided on this page is for informational purposes only.
Adapted from Food Network Magazine
Excellent!
So quick and easy and so good!
So glad you loved it, Bobbi!
Will almond milk work in this recipe?
I haven’t tried almond milk in this recipe but I think it would work. It will change the flavor slightly but I’m sure it would still be delicious.
hi why have you different calories in each of these skinny alfredo,which is the right calorie count please
Hi Roseleen, the nutrition information is posted on the bottom of the recipe. For the most accurate nutrition information I recommend using an online calculator like myfitnesspal. I hope this helps!
Fast, simple, delicious…we threw in some peas for our vegetable. This was great for a busy school night.
Deliciously creamy and flavorful. Made a great side on fettucine noodles with some leftover rotisserie chichken thighs. Thank you, Holly!
Hit the spot! My family loves Alfredo but it usually doesn’t love us because it’s so fatty and high in salt. This was a perfect substitute!! Definitely a keeper!
So happy to hear that it was a hit, Amy!
This was very,good,used with Shrimp ,and Asparagus in it.liked the skinny sauce because I did not have cream.