Let’s make a creamy chicken alfredo, but use whipped cottage cheese as the base for the sauce. With 43g of protein per serving, it’s the glow-up we didn’t know chicken alfredo needed. This recipe is a collaboration between my inner child and my 38-year old self. My 10-year-old self loved alfredo and my 38-year-old self loves anything that helps me hit my daily protein goals. So, we’re going to make an alfredo with whipped cottage cheese and I have to say, my inner child couldn’t tell the difference. Wins all around. I hope you love this as much as I do!
High Protein Chicken Alfredo Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons olive oil divided
- 1.25 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 12 ounces fettuccine
- 16 ounces cottage cheese blended until smooth
- 4 cloves garlic slivered
- 1.25 cups parmigiano reggiano shredded, divided
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Add 2 teaspoons olive oil to a large skillet over medium/high heat. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with the salt and pepper. Once the olive oil is hot (running thin in the pan), add the thighs. Cook on one side for 5-6 minutes, then, once browned, flip over and sear for an additional 6-8 minutes, or until the internal temperature in the thickest portion reaches 165F.
- Boil the pasta according to package instructions.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, transfer it to a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, thinly slice the chicken.
- Blend (or "whip") the cottage cheese by placing in a blender or food processor. Blend for 3-5 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- To the same skillet the chicken was in, add 2 additional teaspoons olive oil and the slivered garlic. Saute until the garlic starts to brown. Pour in the blended cottage cheese, 1 cup parmesan, and milk. Turn heat to low and whisk until the parmesan has melted. Remove from heat, add the cooked pasta and sliced chicken.
- Garnish with additional cracked black pepper, the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan, and fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
Nutrition
Calories: 526kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 167mg | Sodium: 1065mg | Potassium: 522mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 571IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 371mg | Iron: 2mg
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Cassy Joy Garcia
Recipe Developer and Photographer
I’ve made this recipe a few times and each time I’ve made it, my extremely picky kids absolutely destroy their plates! The recipe comes together in a snap and served with a side salad and steamed broccoli, I feel good about getting a solid serving of protein and veggies in my carb-happy kids. One thing I did this time that helped keep the sauce nice and silky was adding a ladel-ish amount of the pasta water as I was folding in the linguine. It was delicious and my family was thrilled with a yummy dinner!
This makes us smile so big, Chelsea! We are so glad it has been hit with your family! Love love love the pasta water tip!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us!
Flavor was good but I had the same issue as others, sauce separated out and became watery and clumpy. It was fine until I added it to the pasta so not sure what it is but it didn’t work for me.
Flavor was good but it turned very watery yet also clumpy. Not sure what happened but wasn’t really edible after adding the noodles? Maybe the type of cottage cheese?
Like several others, when I made this the sauce started off as a great consistency, but then split and became watery after adding cheese and trying to whisk all the sauce ingredients together. Tasted great, texture needs help!
This is good but the pan is way too hot to add the cottage cheese after cooking the garlic. It curdles every time. This is a common issue with these recipes. They always seem to not be fully tested
I also have that issue with cottage cheese recipes…
Hi there! We are really sorry it did not come out how you were hoping! We can assure you, however, that we test our recipes multiple times! We want to provide y’all with our absolute best and never mean to steer you wrong!!
You are completely right! The cottage cheese separated due to the heat of the pan! Turning down the temp and letting the pan sit for a few minutes before adding the cottage cheese should do the trick! If all else fails and it’s still giving you some trouble, vigorously mixing in some milk or heavy cream should fix it up!
The kiddos and grownups loved this!! So easy and you’d never know cottage cheese was the primary sauce ingredient!
I keep reading the recipe to see if I did something wrong. The sauce is just weird. It didn’t really become a sauce. I was really looking forward to this, but I wish I had just picked up a jar of Alfredo sauce at the store.
Hi there!! You didn’t do anything wrong!! Cottage cheese can be a little finicky when heated. Turning down the heat and letting the pan sit for a minute to cool off before adding the cottage cheese should do the trick! If all else fails, mixing in some milk or heavy cream should fit it up!
We enjoyed the taste of this recipe. Unfortunately, the cheese totally seized when I added the pasta. Could it have been some of the pasta water and chicken run off from the plate that caused this?
Hi June! We are really sorry the sauce acted funny! The issue is probably the heat! Turning down the heat and giving the pan a minute to sit before adding the cottage cheese should do the trick!
It has been a long time since I have seen my young kids inhale something so quickly and with such enthusiasm. The fact that this recipe supported my protein needs was a hit for Mom. This was a grand slam homerun in our house!
That makes our hearts so happy to hear, Andrea! We are so so glad it was a hit with you family, Andrea!
Was shocked with how delicious this was! I served this will steamed broccoli and the whole family loved it. I didn’t clue them in that it was a healthier version of the recipe so my husband kept asking about what ingredients I used, “do i taste lemon? Is there white wine in this” – 🙂 I loved that I didn’t have to sacrifice flavor when switching to healthier ingredients. Thank you!!! Will definitely make again.
That is so amazing, Chantelle! We are so so happy it was a hit with you family!
This came together very quickly and it was delicious!
Yay!! We are so happy you enjoyed it, Isabel!!
This recipe is DELICIOUS! The flavor profile is perfect and it hits the protein goals. It will be in regular rotation in my household.