Chicken and Vegetable Alfredo

I know what you're thinking...Alfredo!  That means you had pasta right?  You can't do pasta on a low carb diet!  Well, no...yes....sort of.  I had considered purchasing some of the Atkin's brand pastas or Dreamfields which claim to be low carb, but when I discovered shirataki noodles I don't see any reason to try anything else!  These are the same noddles I used in my pad thai recipe, but they come in a few different forms.  For tonight's dinner I used the angel hair, although I can see it being very good with the spaghetti or fettuccine versions as well.  The noodles really just take on the flavor of whatever you use them in and they have the same texture as their regular pasta counterparts.

Low Carb Chicken and Vegetable Alfredo

• 1 1/2-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 package shirataki noodles
• 1/2 cup chopped broccoli 
• 1 small zucchini chopped (or half of one large)
• 1/4 cup each red and orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup Alfredo sauce*
• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare noodles as directed on back of package.  Preheat large skillet over medium-high heat with a splash of olive oil or nonstick spray.  Cut up chicken into bite size pieces and add to skillet.  Season with salt and pepper (I personally leave the salt out), and Italian seasoning.  When the chicken is just about done, add the broccoli to the skillet.  It takes longer to cook than the other veggies so it needs a head start.  Add the remaining veggies when the broccoli is starting to turn bright green.  Continue cooking everything together, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender crisp or to your liking.   Add the Alfredo sauce and the noodles to the skillet, stir to completely coat everything and simmer for 3-5 minutes more.  Enjoy!

*Make sure you check the nutritional value of your Alfredo sauce and only use something works for you.  Alfredo sauces tend to be much lower in carbs than Marinara sauces, but make sure you know what you're using.  I used Classico's Roasted Garlic Alfredo which contains 3 carbs a serving, one of which is from fiber.

I made three generous portions out of this, however it can easily be 4 servings.  Pair with a side salad and also low carb garlic bread like I did here, and voila!  Instant Italian dinner in under 30 minutes.  Rachael Ray would be proud!

For the garlic bread, I use slices of Nickles 35 Multi-grain bread.  It has 8 grams of carbs per slice, and 2 of those are from fiber.  I lightly butter the bread and sprinkle with garlic and Italian seasonings, then top with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.  Lay the bread on a foil lined baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven for approximately 8 minutes.  Keep an eye on them just in case your oven works differently than mine!

One third of this recipe contains 184 calories, 10 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbohydrates, and 4 grams of fiber.  One fourth of the recipe contains 138 calories,  7 grams of fat, 7 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of fiber.  The garlic bread and any sides you use are not included in these counts.  

Before adding the noodles and Alfredo sauce, I was looking at all the veggies and chicken in the skillet I was stirring around thinking this is quite possibly one of the best looking meals I have fixed in a long time.  The bright colors of all those veggies looked so delicious.  After adding the noodles and sauce I don't think it's quite as pretty but it's definitely oh so yummy!  I wish I had taken a picture of it in the skillet on the stove so you could see what I'm talking about!  Although you'll just have to make it and find out for yourself.  Also this recipe is great when you have a bunch of leftover veggies hanging out in the fridge.  Any kind of bell pepper, summer squash, cauliflower, green beans, or asparagus would go great in this Alfredo as well!