This creamy Chicken Alfredo recipe is a favorite for our families. Made with a jarred or homemade alfredo sauce, steamed asparagus and fresh chicken tenders, this is a delicious low carb dinner and makes great leftovers for lunch.
By using a bit of Cajun seasoning we have added a twist to the flavor profile that we know you will love. Topped with fresh parmesan cheese and parsley, this chicken alfredo is restaurant worthy and we know you won’t miss the pasta.
We have some tips and nuggets of information throughout this post to help any of you following a specific diet such as keto, and our best methods for making the best chicken alfredo skillet dinner.
Is Alfredo sauce high in carbs?
For anyone following a special low carb diet such as keto, the net carb content of every ingredient is very important, this includes the sauces that you cook with. Traditionally Alfredo sauce, and many other cream based white sauces are low in net carbs because they have a high dairy content and few added sugars.
Alfredo sauce is low carb because it is really just butter, cream, a few spices and parmesan cheese. If you make your own alfredo sauce it is easy to keep this sauce keto friendly. However, if you opt for a store bought sauce you do need to read the ingredient label as many will have extra ingredients such as added sugars, low quality fillers and preservatives.
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What vegetables are considered low carb?
For this recipe we are using asparagus for our veggie. Asparagus is a great low carb vegetable that works well for anyone following a strict diet such as keto, where staying in ketosis is important. Low carb veggies are any vegetable with a net carb count of 5 grams or lower per serving. These include
- Asparagus
- Avocado
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Cucumber
- Eggplant
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Olives
- Spinach
- Tomato
- Zucchini
Other vegetables that are still considered low carb, but are a bit higher on the net carb count include
- Broccoli
- Brussel Sprouts
- Green Beans
- Peppers
You could switch up with vegetable you use in this recipe depending what you have on hand, or what your personal preferences are. Some favorite options would be substituting the asparagus for cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts or even green beans.
The Chicken:
I use chicken tenders for this recipe rather than chicken breasts. The meat picks up great flavor from the seasonings when pan fried. They also cook on both sides in well under 10 minutes, making this a very fast dinner. You can absolutely use other cuts of chicken if you prefer, and you could also use rotisserie chicken for an even faster dinner.
We encourage you to find organic free range chicken. You’ll love the improved flavor and its much better for your family and the chickens.
The Chicken Alfredo Sauce options:
For most of us, easy chicken alfredo means using a bottled sauce from the store. Since making your own requires a bit more time, effort and planning many folks opt for this. Fortunately there are options for healthier alfredo sauces that have clean ingredient in many flavor variations. Most of them have about 3 grams of carbs per serving making them a fantastic option for keto diets.
Our homemade alfredo sauce is excellent. but it is thickened with flour. If you want to make it low carb and gluten free omit the flour in the recipe. The sauce will be thinner but still flavorful and rich.
This is a great gluten free chicken alfredo recipe If you use gluten free store bought sauce
We found these options if you don’t want to make your own alfredo sauce. (Affiliate links)
What side dishes go with Chicken Alfredo?
Chicken alfredo is a fantastic main dish that pairs well with many sides. Some of these sides will not be low carb, but if you are not following a strict diet, they are tasty additions that will elevate your meal. Some of our favorite sides include
- Cheesy bruschetta garlic bread
- A fresh cauliflower salad
- Bright kale apple salad with balsamic dressing
- Seasonal roasted veggies
- Fresh dinner rolls
- Roasted garlic potatoes
- Italian stuffed zucchini spears
- Honey roasted carrots
- Parmesan smashed brussel sprouts
- A glass of chilled white wine
Low Carb Chicken Alfredo Recipe with Asparagus:
For our recipe we are adding a Cajun seasoning to the spice line up. This adds a slight kick of spice while not being overbearing, as well as bringing the richness of flavor out. It pairs so well with a creamy alfredo sauce and the mild flavor of chicken.
Another way that we use Cajun seasoning is on roasted vegetables. Our pan seared chicken is another amazing recipe that Cajun seasoning elevates.
Method:
You will need two pots, one for cooking the chicken and one for steaming the asparagus. You’ll need one more if you choose to make your own sauce. This dinner isn’t technically one pot meal since the asparagus has to be steamed on its own, however steaming the asparagus isn’t a messy step and everything else can be made in the same skillet that you cook the chicken in.
- Set out the chicken tenders on a work surface.
- Season with salt and pepper and the cajun seasoning.
- Preheat your skillet to medium high heat.
- Set the water that the asparagus will be steamed over on high.
- Cook the chicken in the skillet covered. This will take about 10 minutes each side.
- Throw the chopped asparagus into the steamer allowing it to steam and soften slightly.
- After the chicken is cooked on both sides add the asparagus to the skillet with the chicken.
- Stir the sauce and seasonings into the skillet allowing the flavors to combine and deepen.
- Grate your fresh parmesan cheese and parsley on top.
- Serve straight from the skillet and enjoy!
Your Printable Recipe Card:
Low Carb Chicken Alfredo
Creamy and richly satisfying Chicken Alfredo made low carb. This 30 minute dinner is easily made on your stovetop without pasta. Gluten free sauce options included. Watch the video demonstration!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb of chicken tenders
- 1 bundle of fresh asparagus
- 1-15 oz. jar of Alfredo sauce (OR equivalent amount of homemade sauce)
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasonings
- 1/8 Cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
- 2 Tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
- Set a skillet on medium high heat
- Pour oil in the skillet and let warm
- Lay the chicken tenders on a work surface and season evenly on both sides with the salt, pepper and cajun seasonings.
- Lay the chicken tenders in the heated oil.
- Cook five minutes.
- Meanwhile set a pot on to boil with one inch of water in the bottom.
- Cut the asparagus into one to 1 1/2 inch long pieces.
- Set a steamer in the big pot. Lay the asparagus pieces in it and cover.
- Turn the chicken pieces over and cook 3 to 5 minutes more until golden brown. Remove from heat and drain off excess oil as necessary.
- When the asparagus boils and steams boldly turn it to medium high and cook until asparagus it tender.
- Add the steamed and drained asparagus to the chicken in the cooking skillet. Pour the alfredo sauce over the chicken and asparagus and stir until thoroughly mixed.
- Sprinkle the parmesan cheese and parsley over the top.
- Serve in the skillet.
Notes
You can add however much alfredo sauce your family enjoys. The recipe requires 15 oz. of sauce. But feel free to add more if you like. It will up the calories but the recipe will remain low carb since the sauce is.
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Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1 1/2 cupsAmount Per Serving Calories 356
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Recipe Source- LowCarb-ology
Will
Tuesday 10th of March 2020
Have you tried spaghetti squash, that has been cooked in an oven, as a low carb pasta substitute? That is the only thing I can think of as possibly a good substitute,
Diane
Tuesday 10th of March 2020
Hi Will, I have used zucchini for low carb noodles and they work great. Put your zucchini through a spiralizer like this one. It a fun machine for low carb recipes. Lots of vegges can be used in it and it does several types of cuts. You can see the results in this post about Peanut sauce over Thai Zoodles. Hope this helps!
Karly
Sunday 14th of April 2019
Yum! Pinning for later!
Diane
Sunday 14th of April 2019
Hi Karly, I hope you enjoy it! Have a great day :)