Home / Recipes / Dinner
- February 23, 2021
- 6 comments
- Jump to Recipe
- Pin
- Share
The best-ever recipe for skinny chicken fettuccine alfredo with the creamiest alfredo sauce, made without any heavy cream! If you’re looking for a restaurant-quality chicken pasta dish, this recipe is for you! Plus, it’s super easy to make! I make my lower fat version of this Italian pasta recipe with a béchamel-style alfredo sauce using chicken broth, whole milk and a simple roux to thicken the sauce. Plus, you’ll love the juicy garlic chicken with paprika! Don’t forget to sprinkle some extra parmesan cheese on top for even more flavor!
My Chicken Alfredo Video Tutorial
Watch my YouTube video recipe for step-by-step instructions and watch me prepare this chicken fettuccine alfredo recipe! Want to receive new recipe emails in your inbox? Make sure to subscribe to my website and my YouTube channel and turn on notifications!
Ingredients for Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo
This easy and delicious chicken pasta recipe comes together so quickly! You’ll need just a few ingredients to make. Here are the main ingredients you’ll need:
- Chicken Breast: use skinless chicken breasts for best results. This recipe will work with chicken thigh, too.
- Whole Milk: instead of heavy cream for making the skinny alfredo sauce. Half and half will also work well if you want a richer sauce.
- Chicken Broth: for making the alfredo sauce and for cooking the chicken. I use store-bought chicken broth.
- All-Purpose Flour: for thickening the sauce.
- Parmesan Cheese: for making the sauce. I also like to add additional cheese over my pasta when serving.
- Garlic: for making the garlic chicken.
- Fettuccini Pasta: this flat, wide pasta is the traditional choice for this recipe. You can however use just about any pasta variety!
How to Make Skinny Alfredo Sauce
If you want to enjoy alfredo sauce without all the extra calories, this skinny alfredo sauce is for you! This is the one and only alfredo sauce that I ever make at home! It’s super creamy, flavorful and made without any heavy cream!
- To make this creamy sauce, I start with a couple tablespoons of butter, a few minced garlic cloves and flour to make a simple roux. A roux is made with equal parts butter and flour and is used to thicken sauces. Just cook the roux for a couple minutes, then begin adding the chicken broth. You’ll notice the sauce immediately starts to thicken; I recommend whisking constantly for a creamy and smooth sauce.
- Next, I start adding whole milk. If you want to make an even lower calorie version, you can use 2% milk. Make sure to whisk constantly and cook the sauce over medium heat until it thickens nicely. I also season the sauce with salt, pepper, a touch of nutmeg and parsley.
- At the very end, when the sauce is just about done, I also add in some grated parmesan cheese and let it melt completely. That’s it! This sauce is super easy to make and extra creamy, perfect for my skinny chicken fettuccine alfredo! Keep it warm until you’re ready to use it.
- Sauce tip: This sauce will thicken more as it stands. If you want the sauce to be extra thick, add an additional 1 tablespoon flour. Once you toss it with the pasta, it will thicken further.
Cooking the Fettuccine Pasta
Before I even get started on my alfredo sauce and chicken breast, I first bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta! To add even more flavor to the pasta, try adding 4 cups of chicken broth to the water. The broth will infuse the pasta as it cooks! For this skinny chicken fettuccine alfredo recipe, I’m using 1 pound of fettuccine pasta, cooked to al dente. Once the pasta is cooked according to package instructions, keep the pasta warm and covered until ready to use.
- Pasta Tip: Do not add oil to the pasta to keep it from sticking! This will prevent the sauce from adhering to the pasta properly! Instead, leave a little bit of pasta water in the pot after draining it. Give the pasta a quick stir before adding it into the sauce to keep it from sticking together.
Making the Juicy Garlic Chicken Breast
I make my skinny chicken fettuccine alfredo with the most delicious and extra juicy garlic chicken breast! I season the chicken with minced garlic, paprika, pepper and parsley for maximum flavor! To prepare the chicken, I first recommend butterflying the chicken, so it cooks faster. For this step, simply use a sharp knife, lay the chicken breast flat, then slice the breast horizontally and lengthwise, creating 2 equal sized and thin pieces of chicken.
Next, I fry the chicken until it’s golden brown on both sides, then I add a little bit of chicken broth to the pan and close it with a tight-fitting lid. The lid will trap the moisture inside and cook the chicken faster, making it extra juicy. I season the chicken breast with garlic, paprika and pepper at the very end. Adding the seasonings at the end ensures the flavors stay fresh and aren’t burnt.
Assembling the Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo
Once you have the pasta cooked, the alfredo sauce and chicken ready, it’s time to enjoy this skinny chicken fettuccine alfredo! I use tongs to transfer the pasta from it’s pot and into the prepare alfredo sauce and then toss the pasta in the sauce until it’s well coated all over. Next, I slice the chicken thinly into bite-sized pieces, once it’s rested for a few minutes. You can either add all the chicken into the pasta and toss it all together, or you can add sliced chicken onto each serving of pasta. Both methods work well! Enjoy!
More Recipes!
Enjoyed this delicious chicken pasta recipe? Check out some of my other recipes you’re sure to enjoy!
- Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo – if you love seafood, you’re going to love this easy and delicious seafood version of alfredo pasta!
- Salmon Fettuccine Alfredo – juicy chunks of salmon seasoned with dill and served with fettuccine alfredo and sweet peas.
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta – creamy, zesty and so delicious, this chicken recipe with artichokes and diced sun-dried tomatoes is one of my favorites!
- Easy, Garlicky Zucchini Pasta – super quick and easy zucchini pasta with garlic, parmesan and basil! Perfect for summer!
- Cheesy Baked Rigatoni – the ultimate comfort food dish! This cheesy and hearty rigatoni is made Bolognese sauce and loads of cheese!
5 from 3 votes
Skinny Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe (video)
15 minutes mins prep + 30 minutes mins cook
6 servings
Quick and easy chicken fettuccine alfredo pasta with a low-fat alfredo sauce!
IngredientsUS Customary – Metric
US Customary – Metric
1 lb fettuccine pasta
For Garlic Chicken:
2 large chicken breasts, about 1 ½ lbs
Cooking oil
Salt
½ cup chicken broth
1 to 2 tbsp butter
4 to 5 minced garlic cloves
1 ½ tsp paprika, regular or smoked
Ground black pepper
1 tbsp chopped parsley
For Skinny Alfredo Sauce:
2 tbsp salted butter
3 to 4 minced garlic cloves
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 ½ cups parmesan cheese
2 to 3 tbsp chopped parsley
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Extra parsley, for garnish
Instructions
Preparing the Pasta:
Prepare the fettuccine pasta while making the alfredo sauce and chicken. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook it according to package instructions, until al dente. Drain the pasta, leaving a little bit of pasta water in the pot, and keep warm.
Cooking Garlic Chicken:
Next, prepare the garlic chicken. First, butterfly each chicken breast; the chicken will cook faster this way. Lay the chicken breast flat first, then use a sharp knife to carefully cut the chicken horizontally lengthwise, creating 2 equal sized pieces. Preheat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add a bit of cooking oil to the pan. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and season it generously with salt. Brown the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until well browned.
Reduce the temperature to medium. Add ½ cup (120 ml) chicken broth to the pan, then close the pan with a tight-fitting lid; this will help cook the chicken faster. Cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, turning the chicken halfway through, until the chicken is almost done. Next, add in a tablespoon or two of butter and add the minced garlic. Season the chicken on both sides with paprika and black pepper and cook for a minute or two, until the chicken is done (internal temp of 165F/74C). Remove the chicken from heat, add in the fresh parsley and keep the chicken warm.
Making Skinny Alfredo Sauce:
Next, prepare the skinny alfredo sauce. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the minced garlic. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. For extra thick sauce, add 3 tablespoons flour instead of 2. Begin adding the chicken broth slowly, whisking constantly. The sauce will start to thicken immediately; whisking constantly and adding the liquids slowly will keep the sauce smooth and clump-free.
Add the milk next and season the sauce with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook the sauce over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until it begins to thicken. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Next, add the parmesan cheese and parsley and cook for another minute, until the cheese is completely melted.
Remove the sauce from the heat and use tongs to add the cooked fettuccine pasta to the pan. Use the tongs to toss the pasta in the prepared sauce until it’s well coated.
Serving:
For serving, slice the prepared garlic chicken into thin, bite sized pieces. Add the chicken to the pasta and toss together or add sliced chicken breast onto each serving of pasta. Add additional grated parmesan cheese onto each serving and garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
Reheating instructions: reheat chilled pasta on the stove top over medium heat. Add ½ cup chicken broth or milk to reconstitute the sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 637kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 1372mg | Potassium: 568mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 881IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 601mg | Iron: 2mg
- Pin
- Share
Course:
- Dinner
Cuisine:
- American
- Italian
Recipe Type:
- Chicken Recipes
Leave a comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
6 comments
- corina
so delish !
- Reply
- tatyanaseverydayfood
Thank you! 🙂
- Reply
- Trasie Ademi
It was AMAZING!!!! I didn’t have fettucine noodles so I substituted with egg noodles, it was so good!! Everyone enjoyed it and asked for seconds!
- Reply
- tatyanaseverydayfood
That’s so wonderful to hear! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
- Reply
- Christa
This was delicious! Thanks for the great recipe 🙂
- Reply
- tatyanaseverydayfood
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! 🙂
- Reply
