Chicken Alfredo is my favorite Italian dish. When I was younger, every Italian restaurant we went to, I’d order chicken fettuccine Alfredo, and believe me, I knew how bad it was but the worst things in life are always the best things in life – or at least in the moment it is, but then the after effects aren’t so fun. Which is why I’m probably paying for it now with all my years of eating fettuccine alfredo. Dropping the last 5 stubborn pounds before my wedding is gonna prove to be hard! I have definitely peaked as far as weight loss goes so I might need to juice ;) I actually met with a personal trainer at work a couple days ago and she gave me some workouts to do for my arms and shoulders to tone them up and I went to the gym last night to do them and omg. My arms are like jello. I’m DEFINITELY feeling it this morning. Don’t ask me to help you lift ANYTHING. I’ll be really worthless!!
Thankfully there’s always ways to have your favorite dishes lightened up! I was so thrilled to see a lightened up version of my favorite Italian dish. You can’t even tell – it’s perfect and tastes as if it’s the real thing! Jason adored this and he sure doesn’t even need to watch his weight! I could eat this every week. It’s so good, filling, and you can indulge all you want without the guilt afterwards :)
Skinny Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo
Yield: 4-6 servings | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
3 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed into 2″ squares (you may prepare this however you want, I just boiled mine in water for 7-8 minutes, drained, and set them aside. You can grill them to give it more flavor, if you wish)
2 cups frozen broccoli, thawed
1 pound rotini pasta
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup milk (any kind)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
Salt & pepper, to taste
Fresh grated Parmesan to garnish
Instructions:
- Cook pasta according to instructions on box. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain and set pasta aside.
- In a large skillet, heat up olive oil on medium high heat then add garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, then whisk in the flour, cooking for an additional minute before adding in the chicken broth.
- Slowly whisk in chicken broth and milk. Then whisk in the Greek yogurt, salt, and pepper. Turn down the heat to low and let the mixture simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, stir in broccoli and cooked chicken then add pasta to the skillet. Toss to coat entirely. If mixture is too thick, you can add some of the reserved pasta water. If it’s fine, you don’t have to.
- Serve hot with grated Parmesan on top.
Source: from Iowa Girl Eats
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LOVE the idea of using greek yogurt in this dish… adding protein and minimizing fat! It would even be good with whole wheat pasta (or smart taste pasta) for extra fiber. Great recipe :)
Chicken Alfredo is my absolute favorite too..I love that you lightened it up..I definitely have some baby weight to drop before my wedding! Thanks girl!
You go girl! I’m sure you will be kickin’ butt in no time. Keep it up!
I’m a huge fan of Greek yogurt in creamy pasta sauce. Yes to the richness, no thank you to the waistline havoc. A juice fast can never tempt me with this in my recipe box :-)
hopefully you won’t have anyone breathing down your neck about the nutritional stats for this one Julie. In fact, I’m going to go to my calorie counter and waste 30 minutes of my time plugging each ingredient in. hehe! But seriously. love this. love love love this. I need my skinny jeans to fit a little more comfortably and this is exactly how I want to go about doing that. ;) Greek yogurt – brilliant.
Yep, this is going on next week’s dinner menu for sure! Love the use of yogurt :)
That looks good and it is so quick and easy!
This is one of the handful of items I get when we go out to eat too (okay not the skinny version because they don’t offer that). I’m such a kid.
Loving this Julie! Colorful and delicious!
Any creamy pasta was always my favorite as a child too. Now, my husband doesn’t like anything creamy, be it pasta or soup. So all my favorites I am not getting very often anymore. But when I do it’s all the more special. A lightened up version sounds awesome :)
Girl, you SO don’t need to lose weight!! This looks so fab…Alfredo is my favorite!!
I’ve never seen alfredo on the menus of restaurants here so I’m intrigued to try this just so I can find out what all the fuss is about!
You had me at skinny alfredo.
But doesn’t the burn in your arm feel good? Wait that might just be me. :) This looks fab, Julie!
I used to eat fettuccine Alfredo ALL the time before I cared about calories lol I miss it! This sounds great..Greek yogurt is the best healthy sustitute!
Lovely lovely lovely! You are a genius!
Love this! So simple, so skinny, so dee-lish. I really like broccoli with pasta, so this is mos def going on my must try list. Thanks, Julie!
This looks so delicious, and what a perfect week night meal Julie. My kids and husband would be thrilled to find this on the table!
You know anything skinny is okay in my book :)
Absolutely perfect pasta dish!!
A healthier version of alfredo?! count me in. and all my college friends. :D
I looove alfredo, so a healthier version will make it that much better!
My husband would love this healthier version (he is an alfredo freak)!
Pass me a big ol’ fork because I’m ready to dive in! Looks delish, Julie!
When do you add in the pasta water?
I’m convinced Greek yogurt is magic… is there anything it can’t lighten up?! Love!
I know that post-workout fatigue well. Yesterday I was struggling to reach back for my seatbelt because of my sore arms! I love that you lightened up alfredo. This looks wonderful!
OMG I was a alfredo girl too!!!! We are totally meant to be :)
Can’t wait to try this “skinny” version!!
Thanks for the catch! I’ve added it to the end of step 4. It’s optional if you like your pasta sauce thicker/creamier :)
I love the use of yogurt in recipes, will try this tonite. you have the best pictures of food LOVE THEM LOOKS YUMMY!!
YUM!! One of my favorite dishes but it’s always such a fattening dish. Love your take on a lower calorie version!
xo,
nancy
I made this today and it was great!! I didn’t have Greek plain yogurt just plain and it still turned out awesome!! I also cut everything in half so we wouldn’t eat too much. If I figured out calories the right, one serving would be about 361
Isn’t it great when you find a guilt-free version of a favorite?! This looks amazing, it’s been way too long since I’ve had this dish, at home or out somewhere!
Ow yeah, I love anything white sauce and say yes to this recipe. It definitely makes me less guilty and you can do it, girl!
I love everything about this. Alfredo has always been a favorite of mine!
Just Stumbled your blog, LOVE this. Alfredo is one my absolute favorite dishes. Can’t wait to try this!
Katey
I love Greek Yogurt! This is the perfect “Skinny” pasta.
Greek yogurt is so amazing the way that it can transform recipes! This looks fantastic and I cannot wait to make it for my husband!
Chicken Alfredo was my all time favorite pasta dish as a kid, too! I haven’t had it in ages because of all the ridiculous guilt – but no more! I’m SOOOOO going full face wide open on this one this weekend. Oh yeah, done and done!
Good luck with your personal trainer! sounds like you’ve got the perfect inspiration to shift those last pounds. This dish looks incredible!
I was totally a fettuccine alfredo girl growing up also and it still takes all my willpower not to order it off every Italian menu I come into contact with! Definitely need to try this lighter version at home!
I bet this is amazing, yogurt always adds such a nice tang.
I want to try this! I love alfredo too, but I don’t think I’ve had it in years (pretty much since I found out what all goes into it!). I’m crazy about Greek yogurt, so this sounds perfect.
I totally need a skinny version of pretty much everything right now :) This looks great!
Hey Julie! This looks great! Love the lightened up version. :)
If you need to lose those last 5 pounds try a book called “Sass Yourself Slim” by Cynthia Sass. She’s got a 5 day fast forward “detox” that’s super healthy and you don’t starve. It’ll take the pounds off for sure! I talk about it a little on the about page on my site. Go check it out… http://simplyfreshcooking.com/about-2-2/
Let me know if you try it!! It’s pretty much guaranteed. I lost 20 pounds in 2 months!!. I’m about to give it another go once I’m recovered from surgery. Cynthia is also the sweetest dietician ever btw!! ;)
You seriously rock. I’m about to order that book! Thank you, thank you!! :)
Chicken alfredo has always been my go-to dish at Italian restaurants…I so need a lighter version to make at home :)
Greek yogurt? Brilliant! This looks fantastic!
[...] Skinny Chicken Broccoli Alfredo – Table for Two [...]
I made this tonight for dinner and my 4 year old LOVES it. Even the broccoli (and peas, yes I added peas). She gobbled every last bite with ZERO complaints (win!).
I, on the other hand found it a little blahh. I ended up adding 4 garlic cloves and a boat load of pepper and seasonings to give it more flavor. It is DEFINITELY a great base to start from and tweak to your individual taste buds. I’m the type that likes an over-load of flavors. So if you aren’t big on packing a punch, follow directions!
This will definitely be filed under my list of favorite quick/easy recipes!
UMMM… YUM. Need this pronto.
Had this for dinner today. LOVED it!!!
I also found this to be bland. I doubled the garlic and added some dried basil and red pepper flakes. It was okay, but not good enough to make again in my book.
I made this tonight for my husband. We loved it! Thank you!
Although this is a very good dish, after calculating the calories, fat, carbs, and fiber, it is by no means ‘skinny’.
4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 639.4
Total Fat 21.8 g
Saturated Fat 7.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.9 g
Monounsaturated Fat 8.5 g
Cholesterol 133.2 mg
Sodium 859.6 mg
Potassium 635.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 43.5 g
Dietary Fiber 4.7 g
Sugars 4.7 g
Protein 65.2 g
Thanks for the info! I only called it “skinny” because it’s considered a lightened version of the real chicken & broccoli Alfredo that usually runs over 1200 calories & way more in all the other calculations because it is typically made with heavy cream.
Wow this sounds delicious and healthy! I am looking forward to trying it out!
We made this dish with gluten free pasta and gluten free flour, added extra garlic……very good! will make again and add more broccoli…thank you
I have been looking for some healthier choices for meals and found this one last night. I bought the ingredients this morning and had it for dinner tonight. Absolutely LOVED IT and the boyfriend went back for seconds!!! Thank you so much! Great recipe