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Chicken Alfredo is something my husband and I have always enjoyed, and several years ago I started making it at home with grilled chicken and veggies. It was so delicious and we’ve been missing it since I stopped eating pasta. But you don’t need to have pasta to have a delicious meal! Check out this Low Carb Chicken and Veggie Alfredo– No pasta needed!
I had forgotten about this dish after changing to a ketogenic diet. But then I had opportunity to take a meal to a couple different friends– one post-baby, and one who’d been in a car accident. Since it was such an easy and delicious meal to make ahead, I brought them my classic chicken & veggie alfredo pasta bake.
They both gave it rave reviews and I knew I needed it back in my life again.
So I skipped the pasta, adjusted the sauce and the marinade a little, and this pasta-less chicken and veggie alfredo was born.
Low Carb Chicken and Veggie Alfredo
There are a few steps to this recipe, but it’s not too bad. And you can split it up a little if that works better for you.
The first thing to do is marinate the chicken. This is a lemony marinade that plays perfectly against the richness of the alfredo sauce.
The original recipe used honey and soy sauce, which I swapped out for coconut aminos
. Coconut aminos have a similar flavor to soy sauce but have a more natural sweetness, so it works well here. Plus, they’re wheat-free, unlike most soy sauces.
I add all the marinade ingredients to a ziplock bag, then add the chicken breasts and get them all covered. Then set in the fridge for at least half an hour, but you can do it overnight as well if you want to prep ahead.
Next we have veggies to steam.
I like to steam the veggies in this dish because it’s easy to get them to just the right level of tender-crisp. This takes 5-7 minutes. Just place in a steamer basket
over simmering water.
I used one small/medium head of cauliflower, one bunch of broccoli, and two small/medium carrots. Fresh is really necessary here– as much as I love using frozen veggies when I can, they just won’t give a good result here.
Carrots are root vegetables, so they’re not eaten often on a ketogenic diet. If you’d like to leave them out, you absolutely can. I just happen to like them here and it makes my kids more likely to eat it, so I include a small amount. This amount of carrots (about 100g) adds about 1g net carbs to each serving.
When your chicken has marinated long enough, it’s time to grill it. Remove it from the marinade and grill on both sides until it’s cooked through, about 5-7 minutes per side.
You can also cook the chicken inside on a grill pan like this one
.
Take the chicken off the heat and let it rest while you make the sauce.
The sauce is so simple– just three ingredients: butter, cream, and parmesan cheese. The original recipe uses flour to create a roux with the butter, but it’s not necessary– the cheese will thicken it up just fine.
The cheese you use here matters a lot. The higher quality your cheese, the better your sauce will be. And you need to grate it fresh yourself. Pre-grated cheese contains anti-caking agents which will mess with your sauce. So take the extra step of grating it fresh and you’ll be glad you did.
After that, you slice the chicken and then stir everything together!
You can absolutely stop here, and if you’re short on time this is an excellent way to eat this.
But if you want to kick it up a notch (or want to prep this ahead of time) or are just really into melted cheese 🙋♀️…
Throw some mozzarella on top and bake at 400°F (205°C) for 20 minutes.
This is a great option for if you want to get everything ready and throw the (unbaked) casserole in the fridge and bake it right before eating. If you are baking from cold, though, it’ll need 30-40 minutes to heat through. Cover with foil for the first 20 minutes, then remove to brown the cheese.
Low Carb Chicken & Veggie Alfredo
Low Carb Chicken & Veggie Alfredo-- no pasta needed!
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb (.45 kilo) chicken breasts
- juice of 2 lemons
- 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp coconut aminos
- salt & pepper
Vegetables
- 1 bunch broccoli, fresh, cut into florets
- 1 small/medium head cauliflower, fresh, cut into florets
- 2 small/medium carrots (about 100g) fresh, cut into chunks
Alfredo Sauce
- 1/4 cup (55g) butter
- 1 cup (240 mL) heavy whipping cream
- 6 oz (170g) fresh grated parmesan cheese
- salt & pepper
Optional
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Combine marinade ingredients in a gallon-sized ziplock bag. Add chicken and seal bag. Massage contents of the bag so chicken gets coated with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- While chicken is marinating, cut veggies. Then steam the vegetables in a steamer basket for 5-7 minutes or until tender-crisp. Remove from steamer and set aside.
- Remove chicken from marinade and grill on outdoor grill or inside on a grill pan for 5-7 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Allow to rest before slicing.
- While chicken is resting, heat butter over medium-high heat. Once melted, pour in heavy cream and whisk together.
- Once cream begins to steam & bubbles appear on the edge of the pan, add cheese. Whisk well until cheese is fully melted and incorporated into the sauce. Season with salt & pepper.
- Mix chicken, veggies, and alfredo sauce together. Serve as is, or top with mozarella cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 400°F (205°C) or until cheese is golden brown.
Notes
Can be made and assembled ahead up until baking, and refrigerated. To bake from cold, top with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake another 10-20 minutes or until cheese is golden.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Amount Per Serving: Calories: 529Total Fat: 37.9gSaturated Fat: 20.3gCarbohydrates: 16.7gNet Carbohydrates: 11.4gFiber: 5.3gSugar: 6.1gProtein: 33.1g
