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 flour
- 3 tablespoons light cream cheese not fat free
- salt to taste
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- ½ cup fresh parmesan cheese shredded
- 12 ounces fresh fettuccine or 8 oz dried fettuccine
- 2 cups cooked chicken optional
- fresh parsley to taste chopped
Instructions
- Whisk flour into cold milk until dissolved, set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the milk/flour to the saucepan and cook while whisking constantly until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes.
- Once thickened turn the heat to low and stir in cream cheese, salt, & nutmeg whisking until the cream cheese is melted.
- Remove from the heat and stir in parmesan cheese. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta according to the package direction, reserving ½ cup of pasta water.
- 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© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Like our recipes?
Follow us on Pinterest!
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
Love this recipe ! But where does the trans fat come from ? That was a surprise
Hi Tish, the trans fat comes from the type of pasta noodles we used. It is very minimal but rounds up to one. For more accurate nutritional information we always recommend using a nutrition calculator like My Fitness Pal or something similar.
Can this Skinny Alfredo Sauce be made a day ahead then warmed before serving?
Love all your recipes!!
JD
Thanks, JD. Glad you are enjoying them! That should work well for this sauce. You can reserve a little extra pasta water to help thin it out if it thickens too much when warming to serve.
Recipe looks great however am a bit confused about the number of servings. It says 8 but you say in your notes “With 2% milk, this recipe using the brands I used made 4 servings ….” Please clarify for me. Thanks!
I have tried some of your recipes before and they have always been good.
This recipe has been updated for clarity and flavor! We find this recipe, as written now, makes 6 generous side dish portions. For larger portions or to serve as an entree, the recipe can be doubled. We hope you enjoy the new and improved version.
Good weekday meal. Easy to make, tasty and quick! My daughter gushed over it, so she would have given it 5 stars. I’ll have to try it again add some additional items to my own taste and include some of the suggestions, such as steamed asparagus or mushrooms. Will make again!
Glad she enjoyed it, Michele! You will have to let us know how your additions turn out. It sounds like it will be delicious.
This literally could not have been easier. I had just grilled some chicken and was trying to figure out what to pair it with and whipped this alfredo up in 10 minutes. So yum! Thank you.
Such a great and easy recipe. Way better than expected! A keeper for sure.
Turned out way better than expected! What a great simple recipe!
I just fixed this for my family, including my mom and her friend. Rave reviews all around. I followed the recipe exactly – even doubled the recipe – it worked out perfectly. Two of us have never had Alfredo before and this was delicious. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you for sharing!!!!
Yay!! So happy to hear that Diane!
My daughter loves alfredo sauce. All I have is the grated parmesan cheese in the canister.. Would that work in this recipe? Tia
Hi Joanie, that should work in a pinch. It may cause your sauce to be on the salty side with a less of that cheesy texture.
I’ve tried other homemade recipes but this one is AMAZING!! I used garlic salt instead of regular salt and it really added some extra flavor. This is a must try!!
Thanks so much Cheyenne! I am so glad you enjoyed the alfredo!
Absolutely delicious! Used 2% milk and 52g of light cream cheese. Next time will use whole milk or maybe a little less cream cheese!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it Kayla!
Too bland.
Sorry you didn’t love it as much as we do Tanya.
Super easy and yummy. Will try it next time with zoodles. :)
Great idea Sheila! So glad you love the alfredo!
Looks good
Thanks Ashley!
Seriously delicious
So glad you liked it Joe!
This recipe is FABULOUS!!!! I omit the Garlic as We aren’t Garlic Fans and it still tastes Awesome!!! Love that You don’t miss the Fat and Calories or Sodium.
So glad you loved it Amy!
Awesome ! Very good doesn’t way you down.
I can not eat lactose dairy products. What can I use instead of the cream cheese?
Thanks!
Have you tried freezing this? Would love to make but its just me so would love to freeze for easy go to meal.
Can you use cornstarch instead of flour?
I’m sure that would work just fine. You will need about half of the amount of cornstarch as you would flour.