This bright and delicious chicken alfredo uses a secret ingredient to up the nutrition factor and keep the light and creamy sauce dairy, egg and nut-free! If you’re looking for an easy gluten-free chicken dinner, this pasta comes together in under 20 minutes and has added vegetables to make it a complete meal.
As you probably already know from my food blog villain origin story, my mom being the crunchy health nut she was, did not take us to Olive Garden growing up. But I learned the beauty of creamy chicken alfredo from my college boyfriend, who is famous in my history for mostly eating white foods that belong on the kids menu.
Once I gave up gluten and stopped loading my pasta with heavy cream, I actually found that I enjoyed these dishes better. This lightened up dairy-free chicken alfredo is just as creamy as the original but it has a lemony brightness and doesn’t make you feel like you just ate a brick afterwards.
I bet you’ll love the creamy dairy-free alfredo sauce just as much (if not more) than the jarred versions you buy at the store—if my family’s deep affection is any indication!
How to make gluten-free chicken alfredo
The problem with most alfredo sauces at the restaurant is that they use regular flour to create a roux, and then heavy cream to make the sauce even creamier.
Luckily, we can get the same effect without dairy, gluten or nuts. My secret? Sunflower seeds! When soaked, they get just as creamy in sauces as cashews.
To make this dairy-free chicken alfredo, you’ll start by following the recipe for this gluten-free alfredo sauce. I’ve given seamless instructions in the recipe below, but you’ll want to print out the sauce recipe first.
Once the alfredo is made in a blender, you can use the same pan to sear your chicken, sauté your broccoli, and toss the pasta together with the creamy dairy-free sauce.
If you don’t want a green vegetable lurking in this dish, simply omit the broccoli. But as you know, I try to add more plants to my dishes whenever possible to make them a complete gluten-free chicken dinner. Another option would be to use sauteed spinach or throw some frozen peas into the hot pasta when you toss it with the gluten-free sauce. Or go with all of the above! The more veg always the merrier.
This gluten-free alfredo chicken can also be low FODMAP if you omit the garlic and shallot from the sauce. The broccoli portion is modest enough, and there’s no dairy or gluten in the recipe!
For more gluten-free dairy-free pasta dinners, check out:
Read on for this dairy-free chicken alfredo recipe!
With health and hedonism,
Phoebe
20-Minute Chicken Alfredo (Dairy + Gluten-Free)
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup dairy-free alfredo sauce see link for recipe
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or plant-based butter I like this brand
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes
- Sea salt
- 1 leek white and light green parts only, cleaned and thinly sliced in half-moons
- 1 small head broccoli cut into small florets (about 2 cups)
- ¼ cup white wine or chicken stock
- 12 ounces gluten-free fettucine or linguine I like this brand
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley or chives
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
- Proceed with the recipe for dairy-free alfredo sauce. No need to clean the pan when you’re done.
Heat the oil or dairy-free butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and salt generously. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, flipping occasionally, until cooked through. Remove to a plate. While the chicken cooks, prep your broccoli and leeks.
Add the broccoli to the uncleaned skillet, along with any additional olive or butter needed. Cook the leek and broccoli over medium-high heat until brighter in color, about 3 minutes. Season lightly with salt, add the wine or stock to the pan and cook for another 2 minutes, until the liquid burns off and the broccoli is fork tender but still al dente. Set aside in the pan.
Cook the pasta according to packaged directions. Reserve 1/3 cup of pasta water before draining in a colander. Add the drained noodles directly to the pan with the broccoli. Toss together with the cooked chicken and dairy-free alfredo sauce. Add a splash of the pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe – I’d love to see it!