Chicken Alfredo with Zoodles
Seared chicken and tender zucchini noodles in a silky garlic-parmesan cream sauce. It has the comfort of fettuccine Alfredo with a fraction of the carbs.
Nutrition per serving
about 1½ cups- Net carbs
- 6.5g
- Calories
- 599kcal
- Protein
- 48g
- Fat
- 42g
- Total carbs
- 8.2 g
- Fiber
- 1.6 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Shrimp Alfredo: Sweet, garlicky shrimp in place of the chicken. It cooks in about 3 minutes, so the whole dish comes together faster.
- Pat the shrimp dry, season and cook in the oil 1–2 minutes per side, just until pink and opaque. Set aside and add back with the zoodles so they don’t overcook.
With shirataki fettuccine: Shirataki noodles replace the zucchini. Nearly zero carbs, a chewier pasta-like bite, and they don’t water down the sauce, so leftovers reheat better.
- Skip salting the zucchini. Rinse the shirataki under cold water for 1 minute, drain well, then dry-fry them in a hot, dry skillet for 4–5 minutes, tossing, until they squeak and look dry.
- Add the noodles to the finished sauce with the chicken and toss 1–2 minutes so they absorb some of it. Our shirataki guide has more tips.
Bacon & broccoli: Crisp bacon and tender broccoli florets folded into the sauce turn this into a heartier, more balanced one-pan dinner.
- After the chicken comes out of the pan, add the broccoli with 2 tbsp water, cover and steam 3–4 minutes until bright green and crisp-tender. Remove, then make the sauce.
- Toss the broccoli and most of the bacon in with the zoodles and chicken, and scatter the rest of the bacon on top.
- Noodles & chicken
- Alfredo sauce
- Nice to have (optional)
- Noodles & chicken
- Alfredo sauce
- Nice to have (optional)
- Noodles & chicken
- Alfredo sauce
- Nice to have (optional)
- Noodles & chicken
- Alfredo sauce
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
Estimated cost $14.62 for 4 servings ($3.66 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Toss the zucchini noodles with ¼ tsp salt in a colander and let drain 15 minutes. Gently squeeze them in a clean kitchen towel. This keeps the sauce from turning watery.
-
Pat the chicken dry and season with the remaining salt and half the pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the chicken 6–8 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and 165°F (74°C) inside. Transfer to a plate.
-
Lower the heat to medium-low and melt the butter in the same pan. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, scraping up the browned bits.
-
Add the cream and cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Simmer gently, without letting it boil hard, for 4–5 minutes until slightly thickened.
-
Off the heat, whisk in the parmesan a handful at a time until melted and silky. Season with the rest of the pepper and the nutmeg. Our keto Alfredo sauce covers the sauce in more detail.
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Return the pan to low heat. Add the zucchini noodles and chicken and toss 2–3 minutes, just until the zucchini is warmed through and barely tender. Overcooked zoodles go limp and release water.
-
Serve right away, topped with parsley and extra parmesan.
Tips for success
-
Grate parmesan from a block. Pre-grated cheese contains anti-caking agents that can make the sauce grainy. - Don’t cook the zoodles separately, because the warm sauce is enough. Our zoodles guide covers spiralizing and draining.
- For leftovers that reheat better, swap the zucchini for shirataki noodles, which also bring the carbs close to zero.
Nice to have, not needed
- A spiralizer makes the neatest noodles — a julienne peeler or store-bought zucchini noodles work too.
Storage & meal prep
- Keeps 2 days in the fridge
- Doesn’t freeze well
Reheat: Pour off any water the zucchini released, then warm in a skillet over low heat 2–3 minutes with a splash of cream.
Prep tip: For lunches, store the chicken and sauce apart from the raw spiralized zucchini and toss them together as you reheat.
Best fresh. Refrigerate up to 2 days; the zucchini releases water as it sits, so reheat gently and stir in a splash of cream.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosShrimp Alfredo
ProteinSweet, garlicky shrimp in place of the chicken. It cooks in about 3 minutes, so the whole dish comes together faster.
- boneless skinless chicken breast → large shrimp
6.5 g net · 540 kcal · 44 g protein · 38 g fat · ≈$5.83 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
With shirataki fettuccine
SwapShirataki noodles replace the zucchini. Nearly zero carbs, a chewier pasta-like bite, and they don’t water down the sauce, so leftovers reheat better.
- zucchini → shirataki fettuccine
3.3 g net · 583 kcal · 46 g protein · 41 g fat · ≈$5.17 per serving (−3.2 g net carbs vs the original)
Bacon & broccoli
VeggiesCrisp bacon and tender broccoli florets folded into the sauce turn this into a heartier, more balanced one-pan dinner.
- + 2 cups small broccoli florets
- + 4 slices cooked bacon
8.5 g net · 662 kcal · 53 g protein · 45 g fat · ≈$4.21 per serving (+2 g net carbs vs the original)
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