Light Alfredo Sauce Recipe with Chicken

This easy Light Alfredo Sauce Recipe is perfect for special occasions but easy enough to make on busy weeknights! Thank you to Safeway for sponsoring this tasty recipe post.

Are you looking for the perfect dish for a romantic dinner? I have made this alfredo pasta for Valentine’s Day almost every year for our (almost) 20 years of marriage! It is the romantic dinner in our family, but it’s really easy so don’t feel like you have to save it for a special occasion! My kids love fettuccine alfredo too, so it’s also a nice family meal.

This year my husband, who is a software engineer, has a big product release on 2/14. 😒 I’m expecting him to be occupied with that all evening, so I decided to cook homemade chicken alfredo this past weekend instead. It also gave me a chance to create this video to show you how to make it!

This easy chicken alfredo recipe is quite a bit lighter than traditional versions. The velvety sauce only uses a small amount of butter and milk instead of heavy cream, but it’s still wonderfully rich and creamy. Once you taste this light alfredo sauce, you may never go back to the full fat version!

Making your alfredo sauce with cream cheese allows you skip the heavy cream and loads of butter. This is the base for all my alfredo recipes like Cajun Salmon or Bacon Gouda Alfredo. It’s easy to put your own spin on this classic recipe, so feel free to get creative!

In case you don’t want to spend your Valentine’s Day cooking, you can make this alfredo sauce ahead of time. You’ll just want to reheat it slowly over low heat or at half power in your microwave, and stir in a splash of milk to get the perfect consistency back. Let me know if you decide to make it for your sweetie or your family. I would love to hear all about your Valentine’s Day plans and traditions in the comments!

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Light Alfredo Sauce Recipe with Chicken

This skinny alfredo sauce with cream cheese is easy to prepare. It's perfect for special occasions or weeknight family dinners!

Votes: 2
Rating: 4.5
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Prep Time

5 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders Safeway Open Nature® or O Organics® brand
• 12 ounces fettuccine uncooked
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 2 cloves garlic minced or crushed
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour (gluten-free flour OK!)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese
• 1 cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese (grated melts faster)
• salt and pepper to taste

Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons seasoned salt 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders Safeway Open Nature® or O Organics® brand 12 ounces fettuccine uncooked 1 tablespoon salted butter 2 cloves garlic minced or crushed 1 tablespoon all purpose flour (gluten-free flour OK!) 1 1/2 cups milk 2 tablespoons cream cheese 1 cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese (grated melts faster) salt and pepper to taste

Votes: 2 Rating: 4.5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, stir together olive oil and seasoned salt. Add chicken pieces, and toss to coat.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
3. While water boils, spray a skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Cook seasoned chicken approximately 5 minutes per side or until cooked through. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate, and cover with foil to keep warm.
4. Wash the same skillet to use for the sauce. (Careful, it's hot!)
5. While pasta cooks, melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk in garlic and flour.
6. Pour in about 1/2 cup of milk, and whisk until smooth. When you see no more lumps, add another half cup of milk, and whisk until smooth again. Do this once more with the rest of the milk, and whisk until smooth and bubbling.
7. Whisk in cream cheese until melted, and then stir in parmesan cheese. Reduce heat to medium-low, and stir very frequently until cheese is melted completely.
8. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, and arrange on plates over cooked pasta. Spoon alfredo sauce over the chicken, and dinner is ready!

Recipe Notes

It's easy to make this recipe gluten free by using gluten-free pasta and flour in the sauce!

Want more alfredo recipes? Try these!

Bacon Gouda Alfredo

Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Thank you again to Safeway for sponsoring this easy dinner recipe.