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healthy chicken alfredo with broccoli

Name: healthy chicken alfredo with broccoli
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 ½ cups uncooked pasta, preferably whole-wheat (6.8 ounces); 4 cups chopped raw broccoli; 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized cubes (1 pound); ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour; ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt; ¼ teaspoon ground pepper or to taste; 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth; 2/3 cup non-fat or low-fat milk; ¼ cup half-and-half; 1 ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon chopped thyme; 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving.

Jump To Recipe September 6, 2019 by Katie // 20 Comments »

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This 30-minute Healthy Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli is only 300 calories per serving. Read on to find out the seven tricks I used to make this comfort food classic healthier!

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This recipe was originally published on September 15th, 2017. I have updated the text and images, added a video today.

and I have a confession. When I think of Pasta with Alfredo sauce, the first thing that comes to mind is actually a far cry from this Healthy Chicken Alfredo. In fact I think of when I was a cook at a restaurant called Isabel’s, and we had Primavera Alfredo on our lunch menu. It was made with lots of garlic and some veggies, sauced in reduced heavy cream. One serving was made by sautéing the garlic and veggies in oil then adding a cup of cream and reducing it in the skillet until it was thick enough to coat the pasta. The sauce was finished with a generous fistful of Asiago cheese.

I know what you’re thinking, “Sounds gut busting and nap inducing.” I agree! Sure the technique is simple and the resulting sauce was magnificently cheesy and rich, but I can’t even think of how many calories the dish weighed in at!

This fall, one of my top priorities was to figure out a way to add an Alfredo to my line-up of comfort food and classics makeover recipes. But, how could I make an Alfredo that didn’t break the calorie bank and still was easy and satisfying?

Making a Yummy But Healthy Chicken Alfredo Pasta

Add Seasonal Veggies For Low Calorie Bulk

When I set out to make a light pasta Alfredo here on the blog, I knew I needed to bulk it up with some seasonal vegetables. Broccoli was the first vegetable that came to mind because it’s in season from late summer through the colder months, because it is a good cold storage vegetable. Plus, broccoli is so good with garlic and cheese and creamy sauce. I just love the way the sauce and garlic gets absorbed into the florets.

Add Lean Protein to Make it a Complete Meal

Next I added in chicken for some lean protein, and to move the meal out of the carbo bomb zone, and into the realm of balanced meal. One pound for 4 people equals about 4 ounces of cooked meat per serving. Perfect. Each serving has 29 grams of protein.

Switch to Whole-Grain Pasta

Then for the pasta, I used whole-wheat and I cut back on the serving size a bit so that we could save on calories, and let the less calorie dense broccoli take over filling out the bowl.

Make a Lighter Cream Sauce

Next comes figuring out how to make the Alfredo sauce without using a lot of oil, a cup of heavy cream and a load of cheese per person. I knew I had my work cut out for me! What I ended up doing is using a combination of flavorful chicken broth, which is low in calories, non-fat milk and only 1/4 cup half and half for 6 servings. To thicken it and make it creamy I used all-purpose flour. First I tossed the chicken in the flour before I browned it. And I also used the remaining flour that was left behind to thicken the sauce. It thickened beautifully!

Boost the Cheesy Flavor

Next came adding cheese. I went for Parmigiano Reggiano—just 1 cup for 6 servings. I boosted the cheesiness and flavor by adding in Dijon mustard and a hit of fresh thyme which have basically no calories.

The resulting Healthy Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli takes only 30 minutes start to finish, and is only 300 calories per serving!!

Seven Ways to Make Chicken Alfredo More Healthy

Bulk the serving size up with vegetables which are less calorie dense than pasta and sauce.
Use lean protein to balance the macronutrients.
Use whole-grain pasta instead of refined carbohydrate for added fiber and lower glycemic carbohydrates.
Use less oil to sauté.
Swap a combination of chicken broth, non-fat milk and only a little half-and-half for the sauce.
Thicken the sauce with all-purpose flour.
Use less cheese, but add in flavor with Dijon and thyme.

What To Serve with This Healthy Chicken Alfredo

This chicken Alfredo recipe has broccoli in it, so you technically don’t need to serve anything with it. But I think since the portions aren’t huge and it’s only 300 calories per serving, you may want to have a side dish to serve with it. Here are some ideas:

My first choice would be to have you try the alfredo with this sautéed kale with cider vinegar or simple sauteed swiss chard on the side. The sour vinegar will contrast nicely with the cheesy sauce on the alfredo. And they’re both very easy recipes, so you can totally whip them together on a weeknight.
For something totally different you could make this delicata squash salad with pickled onion dressing. The leftovers are amazing for lunch!
A simple Cucumber Salad would also be a super fast and family friendly option.
Heirloom Tomato salad is always another healthy and fast option until the first fall freeze hits.

More Healthy Comfort Foods:

It’s hard to pick just a few additional comfort food makeovers to share with you, since I have so many faves! I know that you’ll love this Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese if you love creamy cheesy pasta.
Cozying up with a bowl of Healthy New England Seafood Chowder is about as comforting as it gets!
I am 100% a soup and stew girl, so IMO you can’t go wrong with Healthy Beef Burgundy made in a slow cooker! My version has a secret ingredient.
If you grew up eating Chicken Parm, then you gotta try this grain-free version: 30-Minute Healthy Chicken Parmesan
This Healthy Skillet Shepherd’s Pie is great for Sunday supper. And the leftovers are great heated up for lunch too!

Thanks for reading! If you make this recipe please come back and leave a star rating and review! It helps a lot!

Happy Cooking!

~Katie