Chicken and Broccoli covered in a thin layer of garlic Alfredo sauce.

This healthy, low-calorie chicken Alfredo is creamy, tasty, and even better than the original. Each serving has only 496 calories! Also, it only takes 30 minutes to make!

As a food blogger, one of my favorite things to do is lighten up fatty foods. There are a lot of pasta dishes, but they usually have a lot of butter and heavy cream in them, so I can’t really enjoy them without feeling bad.

A few teaspoons of flour, low-fat milk, and chicken stock can make a thick, creamy sauce in less than ten minutes. I swear, this sauce is everything you could want in a creamy pasta sauce and more. It has a lot of flavor, is creamy, and is very rich.

Ingredients

You probably already have most of the ingredients you need to make this tasty low-calorie chicken alfredo in your kitchen. You will need the following:

• You can use any kind of protein or pre-cooked chicken breasts instead of chicken breasts.
• Linguine, or any other kind of pasta you like
• Broccoli: This is an optional ingredient, but it gives the dish a lot of texture and nutrition.

To make the skinny alfredo cream sauce, I use a mix of flour, milk, chicken broth, cream cheese, garlic, and spices instead of heavy cream. This sauce is like bechamel sauce and can also be used to make any kind of pasta dish.

• ◯ 2 cups of broccoli florets
• ◯ 8 to 10 ounces of pasta in any shape

For the bird:

• ◯ 2 medium chicken breasts, flattened or cut in half
• ◯ 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• ◯ 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• ◯ 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
• ◯ 1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
• ◯ 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• ◯ 1/2 teaspoon of pepper

To make the Alfredo sauce:

• ◯ 1 tablespoon of olive oil or butter
• ◯ 1/2 onion, minced
• ◯ 5–6 cloves of garlic, minced
• ◯ 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• ◯ 1 cup of water or chicken stock
• ◯ 2 ounces of cream cheese
• ◯ 1 cup of whole milk
• ◯ 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Follow the directions on the package to cook the pasta al dente in water that is well-salted. In the last minute of cooking, add the broccoli florets to the pasta. Take out the water and set it aside.
2. While the pasta cooks, turn on a large pan over medium heat. Put the olive oil in the pan. Put the chicken breasts in the pan and season them.
3. Cook chicken breasts on each side for 5 to 6 minutes, or until they are done. Remove from pan, cool for 5 minutes then slice or dice.

4. To the same pan (do not rinse), add 1 tablespoon olive oil and onion. Cook onion down for 3-5 minutes then add in the garlic and sautee for about 30 seconds or until garlic begins to turn golden. Add the flour and whisk until it is lightly toasted, about 30 seconds. Then, while whisking constantly, slowly add the chicken stock and milk until everything is mixed in.
5. Whisk in the cream cheese and parmesan until there are no lumps. Then bring the mixture to a simmer. Season generously with salt and pepper as desired.
6. Add cooked drained pasta and broccoli to the sauce. Top with cooked (diced or sliced) chicken breasts. Toss to combine or serve chicken on top. Top with more parmesan cheese or parsley, if desired. Enjoy!

Tips for the Recipe

• Add salt to the water for the pasta: To flavor the pasta, add about a tablespoon of salt to the water it cooks in.
• Keep some of the pasta cooking water: Save about half a cup of the water. It has a lot of starch in it and is good for loosening up the sauce.
• Different protein: Change things up by using different types of protein with the pasta and sauce. You could use shrimp or sausage, but make sure to change the cooking time.

You could honestly just serve this meal as is and call it a full meal, but if you want to add some side dishes to make it more balanced, here are some ideas.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 496 kcal, Carbohydrates: 57 g, Protein: 28 g, Fat: 19 g, Saturated Fat: 7 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8 g, Trans Fat: 0.01 g, Cholesterol: 66 mg, Sodium: 370 mg, Potassium: 705 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 7 g, Vitamin A: 657 IU, Vitamin C: 44 mg, Calcium: 204 mg, Iron: 2 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.