Lightened Alfredo sauce ingredients
- Butter and olive oil: A small amount of each is used to start the sauce and sauté the garlic. If you’d rather not use any butter at all, use one more tablespoon of olive oil.
- Garlic, minced: Freshly minced garlic adds the most flavor, but canned garlic can be used instead in a pinch.
- Flour: This ingredient thickens up the sauce.
- Chicken broth: We use milk and chicken broth in place of heavy cream, which saves a ton of calories and adds flavor to the sauce that goes well with the sautéed chicken.
- Low-fat milk: 1% milk is the lowest-fat milk I found to be effective in this sauce; 2% or whole milk will also be effective. Skim milk and milk substitutes like soy, almond, or oat milk are not something I suggest. These milks don’t thicken well and significantly alter the flavor in general.
- Seasonings: To give the sauce depth, add a dash of red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. You can adjust the seasonings to your taste, but be careful to add the salt gradually to avoid making an overly salted chicken Alfredo. (Remember that the pasta water, chicken broth, and chicken are salted.) ).
- Neufchâtel cheese: Occasionally, this cheese is referred to as having 1/3 less fat than cream cheese. Neufchâtel cheese and cream cheese are very similar, but the Neufchâtel makes the sauce lighter.
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese: The flavor is greatly enhanced by high-quality Parmesan. Go for the blocks of cheese to freshly grate instead of canned parmesan. We love Parmigiano Reggiano best in this Alfredo. If you’re a cheese lover, I highly recommend this cheese. (Although a little pricey, a little goes a long way, it lasts a good while, and it is so good!) Use your cheese grater’s small holes to grate the cheese for this recipe.
Chicken Alfredo tips and variations
- Tailor the sauce to your preference. Add some fresh herbs, like Italian parsley or thyme, or a drizzle of fresh lemon juice to the sauce if it seems too heavy. I suggest adding extra red pepper flakes for some heat. I try adding a sprinkle of this garlic herb seasoning blend for extra flavor.
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. This helps to ensure quick and even cooking.
- Season the chicken. Although salt and pepper are great additions, I also like to use a seasoning blend. My favorite seasoning combination to use with chicken Alfredo is this blend of garlic and herbs, along with a dash of paprika. Any Mrs. Italian seasoning will work well in place of a seasoning blend, or you can use Dash® Chicken Seasoning Blend.
- Add some veggies. I would suggest serving some roasted broccoli or roasted asparagus on the side (or mixed into the dish) if you want to include some vegetables. You could also add some baby spinach, a few handfuls at a time, to the Chicken Alfredo.
- Add some crunch. Add a handful of toasted panko breadcrumbs to each plate as a garnish after toasting them in a skillet with butter or olive oil. For more information on how to make this crunchy topping, see these Chicken Parm Stuffed Shells.
- Swap the pasta. Really, whatever pasta you have on hand will work. Penne, linguine, fettuccini, and spaghetti are all great choices. Fettuccini Alfredo is legendary!.
Remember to add a generous amount of salt to the water before adding the pasta; otherwise, the entire dish will taste underseasoned. I usually use one teaspoon of salt for every four cups of water.
Easy and delicious, chicken alfredo is a favorite of mine. Because of the amount of cream in this recipe, it is definitely not “heart” healthy. To help you burn off some calories, take a blocklong walk. In any case, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
