Foodie Fridays - Low-fat Chicken Alfredo

Happy Friday my loves!  I've got a quick recipe for you and it will help you use some of this wonderful abundant produce we have here as summer ends and it's a little lighter than usual as far as alfredo sauce goes.  The creaminess from this dish comes from an unexpected source: plain yogurt.

I know, I know.  You're all looking at me saying, "WHAT?!?"

I used to be like that about plain yogurt too and then I made tzatziki a few years ago and it's just been downhill from there.  I now use it to make biscuits, pizza dough, as an alternative for sour cream, and I even use it in corn salad using half mayo and half yogurt.  I promise you'll never know the difference.  It helps cut calories but still tastes pretty awesome.  That's why the other night when I got an intense craving for alfredo pasta I wondered about making a lower fat sauce and I saw a recipe from www.floridamilk.com.  You can see their recipe HERE.  I used this as a starting point and of course went my own way from there.  This recipe is loaded with veggies and honestly I only used about 4 large chicken tenders so it's very economical and if you're of the vegetarian persuasion just load up on the veggies, leave the chicken out, and you're good to go.  My little girl loved it and I have to admit this is probably how I will be making alfredo sauce from now on.  Bye bye expensive little packets of powder!

The sauce starts much like my sausage gravy recipe, so for some step by step pictures check out that post HERE.    If you can make a bechamel sauce, also known as white sauce, then you're good to go because that's basically what this is with some yogurt and Parmesan cheese thrown in.  I ran the ingredients through calorie count which lets you type in your ingredients, number or portions, and give you some nutritional data.  My recipe came out to be 341 calories per serving with 9.1 total grams of fat with 4.2 grams being saturated fat.  Not too bad.  Try it and let me know what you think!  I also love calorie count because if you cook at home at lot it's hard sometimes to know just how bad or good a recipe is for you.

Low-fat Chicken Alfredo 

Serves 4 (or more)

1 cup boneless chicken breast or chicken tenders cubed (could also use rotisserie chicken)
3/4 cup chopped zucchini 
3/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup frozen/fresh broccoli
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup low fat or reduced fat milk 
8 ounces of rotini pasta but you could use penne or fettuccine cooked  
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup low fat chicken broth
1/4 to 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and saute cubed chicken seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder until done and no pink remains. Remove from the pan and set aside.  In the same pan saute the onion until translucent and then add zucchini and mushrooms and cook until zucchini is soft and season with a little salt and pepper.  When vegetables are done to your liking remove from pan and reserve along with the chicken. 

To cook the broccoli I normally just bring my pasta water to a boil, cook my broccoli for a few minutes, remove, and then cook my pasta in the same water.   

In the still hot pan melt your two tbsp of butter.  Once melted add your flour whisking around until combined well and it resembles this....

To this add your chicken broth.  If you read my sausage gravy post remember it's going to look like you've messed up but keep whisking!  It might look like this...

But add in your milk and keep whisking until everything is combined and smooth.  

Keep working with it and it will soon look like this.....

Now, hard part over!  Time to add in our seasoning.  First add the yogurt and whisk until combined and smooth and repeat with the Parmesan cheese.  Season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste.  Once the sauce is to your liking add all the ingredients back to the pot:  chicken, veggies, and hot pasta!  If you're sauce looks a little thick add just a little hot pasta water and that will take care of everything.  

It's seriously good.  Seriously.  Like I wouldn't lie to you good.  I know in my picture the sauce looks a little thin, but I promise as it cools it will thicken up.  This keeps well in the fridge and heats up the next day like a dream.  Hope you enjoy!  
Like it?  Hate it?  Let me know.  :)