Healthier Chicken Alfredo Recipe (Lightened Up) (2024)

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25 minutes mins

56 Comments

4.50 from 2 votes

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This Healthier Chicken Alfredo made with a simple homemade alfredo sauce is so delicious that you won't even miss all the fat and calories of traditional chicken alfredo.

Healthier Chicken Alfredo Recipe (Lightened Up) (1)

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo is one of my favorite comfort food recipes! This healthy recipe gives a fraction of the calories, but the same taste without all the guilt and heavy cream!

It’s a great way to still enjoy your favorite recipe, but as a lightened up version with less calories everyone will love! Our recipe uses regular pasta and homemade alfredo sauce that is so easy to make for any weeknight dinner, you’ll never go back to the store bought typical alfredo sauce!

Ingredients needed to make Healthier Chicken Alfredo:

  • Low Fat Milk
  • Cream Cheese
  • Flour
  • Salt
  • Butter
  • Garlic minced
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Chicken Breast
  • Fettuccine Pasta
  • Parsley for garnish

How to make Healthier Chicken Alfredo:

  1. Place milk, cream cheese, flour and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.
  2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter and saute garlic for 1-2 minutes.
  3. Add milk mixture to the pan and stir constantly over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until it begins to simmer.
  4. Continue stirring over heat for a few minutes until sauce reaches desired thickness.
  5. Add cheese and cooked chicken and toss together.
  6. Pour over prepared al dente Fettuccine noodles and serve.
  7. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
  8. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Change up this Skinny Chicken Alfredo:

To change up this Healthy Chicken Alfredo Recipe you can add:

  • added protein
  • steamed broccoli
  • cooked asparagus
  • roasted red peppers
  • sun-dried tomatoes
  • spinach
  • cooked peas
  • black pepper
  • garlic powder or minced garlic
  • Italian seasoning
  • red pepper flakes
  • substitute butter for Olive Oil
  • switch out regular for whole wheat pasta
  • store-bought rotisserie chicken in place of chicken breast

More Alfredo Recipes we LOVE:

  • Chicken Bacon Alfredo French Bread Pizza
  • Chicken Alfredo Dip
  • Chicken Asparagus Fettuccine Alfredo
  • Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Casserole
  • Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells

Looking for an EASY Chicken Dinner:

  • EASY BAKED CRACK CHICKEN RECIPE
  • SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TORTELLINI TOMATO SOUP RECIPE
  • BAKED CHICKEN PARMESAN CASSEROLE RECIPE
  • POPPY SEED CHICKEN CASSEROLE RECIPE
  • INSTANT POT CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP RECIPE

Love cooking as much as we do? Join our FREE private Facebook Group: Six Sisters’ Dinner Club!

Healthier Chicken Alfredo Recipe (Lightened Up) (2)

Serves: 6

Healthier Chicken Alfredo Recipe (Lightened Up)

4.50 from 2 votes

This Healthier Chicken Alfredo made with a simple homemade alfredo sauce is so delicious that you won't even miss all the fat and calories of traditional chicken alfredo.

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

PrintPin

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups low fat milk
  • 4 ounces low fat cream cheese
  • 3 Tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 3 teaspoons garlic minced
  • 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and sliced
  • 8 ounces fettucine pasta cooked
  • 1 bunch fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

  • Place milk, cream cheese, flour and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.

  • In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter and saute garlic for 1 minute.

  • Add milk mixture to the pan and stir constantly for 3-5 minutes or until it begins to simmer.

  • Continue stirring over heat for a few minutes until sauce reaches desired thickness.

  • Add cheese and cooked chicken and toss together.

  • Pour over prepared pasta and serve.

  • Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.

Notes

Our favorite add-ins:

  • added protein
  • steamed broccoli
  • cooked asparagus
  • roasted red peppers
  • sun-dried tomatoes
  • spinach

Nutrition

Calories: 285 kcal · Carbohydrates: 20 g · Protein: 21 g · Fat: 13 g · Saturated Fat: 6 g · Cholesterol: 54 mg · Sodium: 756 mg · Potassium: 406 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 6 g · Vitamin A: 1263 IU · Vitamin C: 14 mg · Calcium: 292 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Recipe Details

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

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  1. monsterscircus says:

    Love guiltless food, love the recepie, must try this, have a wonderful Day.

  2. Patricia Purcell says:

    Oh I have to try this! It sounds delicious, but I'll enjoy it even more knowing it's not terrible for my family.

  3. Jessica@AKitchenAddiction says:

    Love this "healthified" version!

  4. Nat and Holly says:

    Yum! This is my favorite OBB recipe! Even my Italy-on-the-mission hubby approves!

  5. Sara Sandstrom says:

    Love the idea of a healthy chicken alfredo! Wonder if I can make it in the crock pot... ? Thanks!

  6. SweetMarie83 says:

    Sounds yummy, I can't wait to try it! :-)

  7. Theresa Wright says:

    I made it this evening with steamed spinach blended into the sauce... it was sooo good. Thanks.

  8. Tigermamaof3 says:

    So yummy! I made it with chicken, broccoli and noodles it was delicious..the only thing different I did was I grated the garlic with my zester and used 6 cloves of garlic! I love garlic!

  9. Katie says:

    How many servings does this make?

  10. Six Sisters says:

    Hi Katie!

    This serves 4-6 people. Thanks!

  11. JuicyChicken says:

    This is a delicious recipe, especially for dinner. Once you prepare this chicken alfredo recipe there is no turning back.I got love sixsisterstuff!!

  12. Kerri Christensen says:

    The recipe says "chicken" Alfredo but there is no chicken listed in the ingredients. Is that on purpose?

  13. Danielle Qualheim says:

    I was mid process and realized it didn't have chicken either lol I wonder

  14. Daisy says:

    For your recipes, do you guys mind sharing the calories/servings?

  15. Six Sisters says:

    Our new sister blog myrecipemagic.com will have all of that information. It will also include Weight Watcher Points for those interested. We are just kicking it off now, so that information will be out very soon. Some of our recipes from older posts already have that info. -The Six Sisters

  16. Teresa Sproles says:

    This comment has been removed by the author.

  17. Erika Magallanes says:

    I wish it had the Nutrition facts...just because I keep track of my calorie intake. :)

  18. Six Sisters says:

    It does have nutrition facts!! :) Just click on the "Magic" button under the picture above. Then click on "Nutrition". It is our new sister blog MyRecipeMagic.com. Be sure to check it out! -The Six Sisters

  19. Lisa @ Blogghetti says:

    I can't wait to try this! I've made one that is better than Olive Garden's but it's way to high in everything and so bad for you that it's good for once a year but it's out of this world good. I will gladly trade that for this if I can have it more than once a year LOL.

  20. Becky says:

    I don't have a blender, could stirring it with a spoon or whisk work?

  21. Cyd says:

    A whisk might work best. You just need to be sure the cream cheese is all the way stirred in. :)

  22. Nicole says:

    I don't usually comment on recipes no matter how much I like them but oh my Lord this is amazing! I'm literally eating my first bowl right now and you would never know it was healthy! And so easy to make, too. Definitely a new favorite! Thanks!

  23. Lara says:

    This is great! Me and my boyfriend were looking for some good and healthy recipes, because we eat the same food all the time and we absolutely love this! Just tried it out and oh my god... we could eat it every day. Thank you for posting it and thank you for posting it on Pinterest - or whoever did it ;)

  24. Kimberly says:

    Hi Six Sisters! I just wanted to say that I love all your recipes. Every single one I've tried is amazing! Quick question, I don't have a blender. Could I use my Kitchen Aid stand mixer? Also I used grated parmesan topping in my first run of this recipe, like the kind you put on top of pasta. Was I supposed to use shredded parmesan cheese? Thanks!! :)

  25. Cyd says:

    Kitchen Aid stand mixer works great! You can use either the grated parmesan cheese or shredded. They will give it basically the same taste. Hope this helps and thanks so much for stopping by our blog! Have a great day! :)

  26. Holly B. says:

    I actually have the ingredients in my kitchen!

  27. Raeme says:

    Could you actually use fate free cream cheese or would it be to runny?Thank you

  28. Connie says:

    I do not like cream cheese. What can I use in place of it?

  29. Cyd says:

    Cottage cheese or yogurt are often used in cooking as a substitute for cream cheese. Hope this helps.

  30. Victoria Tayloe says:

    This recipe was amazing! My husband loved it and ate the whole pan lol. It was so creamy and light. The only thing I changed was I sauteed some mushrooms and added them to the sauce. So good and I can't wait to make it again!Thank You!

  31. Andria says:

    Could you do this as a freezer meal? At what point could you stop and freeze? Thanks!

  32. Cyd says:

    We have never done this as a freezer meal, but you could prepare the chicken and then freeze it. Wouldn't cook the pasta until ready to eat. Just thaw the chicken portion and then reheat.

  33. Brittney says:

    Hello, when I click on the magic button it shows that this recipe is only 200 something calories but when I put it in a calorie counter it says its 511 per serving. Do you know why this might be? THanks!

  34. Cyd says:

    We have a program that calculates the calories by the amount of each ingredient. Recipe makes enough for 6 servings.

  35. Kristina says:

    This was great, Elyse! Very creamy, flavorful and, most importantly, EASY! Thank you.

  36. Ashley F says:

    I made this tonight and added peas and linguini. It was excellent. Thank you for a healthy take on a classic guilty pleasure!

  37. Michelle says:

    Hi thank you for the recipe! Does a nutrition facts include the pasta?

  38. Cyd says:

    Yes, it includes the pasta!

  39. Nathan says:

    Keep in mind the nutrition fact calculations do not include the chicken.

  40. Colleen says:

    I made this tonight. Me and my 3 year old definitely approve!

  41. Tasha says:

    I made this tonight, it was good, but i would suggest using a little less parm cheese. Mine was very thick so I would suggest using more milk, and less cheese. It was still good, but I'd like it to be a lot less thick. It was really good though.

  42. Jane says:

    It says 2-3 chicken breasts.?

  43. chris chambers says:

    what magic button ??!!! please help !

  44. Cyd says:

    Hi Chris. We have changed the MAGIC button to NUTRITION button. We are adding it right now. A few slipped through the cracks over the holidays. Hope this helps on the Nutritional information on this recipe.

  45. Sarah says:

    I noticed that too! ?

  46. Adele Aiken says:

    I need to bring a casserole to a group event. What do you think about doing your recipe - maybe increase the sauce and slightly undercook the pasta?? - so that it can be assembled ahead and baked?? Any suggestions??

  47. Rose Mellow says:

    Reading this recipe I thought there was an insane amount of milk in it. Now I don't know if it's because I didn't use cow's milk or what, but the Alfredo sauce was so liquidy, I even added more cream cheese, simmered it for a while, didn't matter, it was so wet. Next time I'll just wing it instead of following recipe

  48. Cyd says:

    Step number 4 in the directions is the point where you will know if you need to thicken it up a little more. If your heat is not high enough, it will not thicken either. We have always used cows milk in this recipe. So I'm not sure if that was part of the problem or not. You can always add a little more flour to the mixture. We have not had a problem with this recipe getting thick.

  49. Erica says:

    First of all I want to say "Kristen, I love you and your instant pot videos have saved my life". I also wanted to know if there were any instant pot directions?

  50. Cyd says:

    Hi Erica. We are so glad you are enjoying the instant pot videos. Here is a post we did to help when converting recipes to instant pot. https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/how-to-convert-recipes-into-instant-pot-recipes/

  51. Katy says:

    Sauce taste great even by using almond milk and using low fat cream cheese and almond flour as subtitutes, but the sauce didn't thicken as much maybe is because of the almond milk not sure but taste as if it was made with all its fat

  52. Kelley says:

    We loved this recipe! My parents are on a sodium restricted diet, so I am wondering if you have the amount of mg per serving with this recipe--we would love to make it for them. Thank you!

  53. Momma Cyd says:

    We updated the nutrition on this recipe. You can always sub out ingredients for healthier options.

  54. Marcia says:

    Another great recipe from Six Sisters Stuff!Thank you for healthy & delicious ideas.

    Healthier Chicken Alfredo Recipe (Lightened Up) (3)

  55. Momma Cyd says:

    Hi Marcia. So glad you liked it. It's one of our favorites.

  56. Dawn says:

    This recipe was very good. In fact my whole family loved it. My only complaint is that it was a little thick. I like a more liquid sauce. Going to make it again regardless because the flavour was amazing.

    Healthier Chicken Alfredo Recipe (Lightened Up) (4)

Healthier Chicken Alfredo Recipe (Lightened Up) (5)

About The Author:

Steph Loaiza

Steph lives in Southern California with her husband, Andrew, and her five kids: twin girls and 3 boys. She going to Disneyland with her family and reading in her spare time.

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Healthier Chicken Alfredo Recipe (Lightened Up) (2024)

FAQs

How do you lighten jarred Alfredo sauce? ›

Cream Cheese. Cube softened cream cheese and whisk into the Alfredo Sauce into a pot over heat until the cheese is smooth. ... Parmesan Cheese. Add some freshly grated good quality Parmesan cheese into the sauce. ...

What can I add to chicken alfredo to make it taste better? ›

Heartier herbs like thyme or oregano can be added in to simmer with the sauce. Add delicate herbs like parsley, basil, or chervil at the end to maintain their delicate, aromatic flavor. Quick tip: Swirl in a bit of leftover pesto to add another herbaceous twist to your Alfredo sauce.

Can I use light cream instead of heavy cream for Alfredo? ›

(In my quest to eat healthier, I now make it with light butter, light cream and reduced fat Parmesan cheese. It still tastes wonderful, but there isn't any guilt!)

Is chicken alfredo healthy for a diet? ›

Yes, Chicken Alfredo can be part of a balanced diet when consumed in moderation and with mindful ingredient choices. Be aware of portion sizes and consider incorporating healthier alternatives to reduce the calorie and fat content.

How do you lighten pasta sauce? ›

Try cooking for a shorter time. My basic tomato sauce cooks for 20 - 30 minutes. If the dried herbs are the reason for the dark color: Try substituting them with fresh herbs, in larger pieces, added towards the end of cooking, which should result in a "green flecks in red sauce" appearance that you may like better.

How do you lighten thick sauce? ›

Regardless of which type of sauce you have made that is currently too thick you can thin it. You can thin sauce by adding cream. You add the cream and whisk. Whisk and keep whisking till the desired texture is achieved.

How to upgrade your chicken alfredo? ›

Add some more garnishes and spices if you like (oregano, thyme basil etc.) You don't have to follow the recipe to heart because the sauce is definitely based on your preference but I hoped you enjoyed making this in the end!

How to doctor up Alfredo sauce? ›

Try a simple mix of chopped chicken, carrots, and sliced Cayenne pepper, or add ground beef browned with onions. Some people also add fresh broccoli, but that's not among my personal favorites. Seasonings, spices, and fresh herbs: this is definitely a great way to give your Alfredo sauce a more personal flavor.

Why does my chicken alfredo taste bitter? ›

The Foolproof Way to Make Alfredo Sauce at Home

You'll start by lightly toasting garlic in a bit of butter, cooking just until fragrant. You'll then add the cream before the garlic browns, since burnt garlic can turn the sauce bitter in an instant.

What happens if you use light cream instead of heavy cream? ›

For most cooking purposes, however, the three items are interchangeable. Similarly, light cream, which has a fat content of around 20%, can be used in place of heavy cream for most cooking and baking projects, though you may find the results lacking somewhat in texture and moisture.

What to do if I don't have heavy cream? ›

If you have butter and milk (whole milk or even half-and-half work best), you can make your own heavy cream substitute. To make 1 cup of heavy cream, melt 1/4 cup of butter and slowly whisk in 3/4 cup milk. This works for most baking or cooking recipes that require heavy cream, but it will not whisk into stiff peaks.

Can I eat Alfredo and still lose weight? ›

Yes, you can eat pasta and still stick to your weight loss goals and lose fat. The main consideration to keep in mind when making food choices while trying to lose weight is to remain in a calorie deficit. Very simply, if your body uses more calories than you consume, then you will lose weight.

Can you eat alfredo sauce on a diet? ›

Alfredo Sauce with Greek Yogurt is a low fat, low calorie, and high protein take on the classic Italian dish! Made with whole milk, shredded parmesan cheese, and fresh garlic … this quick & easy pasta sauce is wonderfully rich, creamy, thick, and delicious.

What are the healthiest pastas? ›

Best Pastas You Can Eat
  • Whole-Wheat Pasta. 1/10. Also called whole-grain pasta, this type of pasta keeps the bran, endosperm, and germ of the grain together. ...
  • Chickpea Pasta. 2/10. ...
  • Legume-Based Pastas. 3/10. ...
  • Soba Noodles. 4/10. ...
  • Rice Noodles. 5/10. ...
  • Quinoa Pasta. 6/10. ...
  • Vegetable Noodles. 7/10. ...
  • White Pasta. 8/10.
Aug 23, 2022

How to make a jar of Alfredo sauce better? ›

Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Parmigiano Reggiano, the name-protected Italian cheese, is a surefire way to add a umami and depth of flavor to a jarred Alfredo sauce. Freshly grate a few inches of the cheese, then whisk it right into the sauce as it's warming on the stove.

How do you doctor up Alfredo in a jar? ›

Milk, heavy cream, or sour cream.

You will get a creamier texture and a bolder flavor. If you want, you can also add some romano cheese to balance the nutty taste of the other dairy ingredients. Chicken broth: another way to improve a jar of Alfredo sauce and give it a rich flavor.

What to do when Alfredo sauce is too thick? ›

Luckily, there's a simple fix that will have your creamy sauce back to its perfect, delicious self in no time. The key is to add a little bit of liquid. The most common thinner for any creamy sauce is milk, however, you can also use other liquids like water, broth, or cream.

How do you make Alfredo sauce creamy again? ›

The way you'll do it is by putting all your leftovers in a small saucepan, then heat it on medium-low heat. Then, add in a splash of milk or cream when it starts to heat up. Give it a good stir with a wooden spoon and increase to medium heat.

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