If you’re looking for a lighter option for your Fettuccine Alfredo fix, this is it! All the delicious flavor lightened up and transformed into this amazing Chicken Alfredo Salad.

There is nothing missing from this Chicken Alfredo Salad! A tangy Cesar dressing, delicious chucks of chicken, garlic bread croutons, and even some penne pasta thrown in. It’s perfection!

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The most discouraging part of trying to eat healthier is cravings! They can be so hard to control and giving in often leaves us feeling guilty and defeated. This is why it’s so important to find recipes like these that can satisfy our cravings but also help us feel better about our choices.

This creative take on a salad, gives you all those flavors you love in a lightened up version!

Now, I don’t know if I’d go so far as calling this salad super healthy. It’s definitely a pretty fantastic healthier option, and there are definitely some measure you can take to lighten it up even further.

The Flavors of Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Who can resist the richness and flavors of chicken fettuccine alfredo? It’s delicious! However, I can’t tell you the last time I actually allowed myself to have it.

It’s just one of those that I’ve always kept on the too-many-calories-to-recover list.

The awesome part about this is that it includes just enough whole wheat pasta to give you that noodle fix, a delicious Cesar dressing to give you all the flavor, big juicy pieces of chicken to really fill you up, and is topped just like chicken fettuccine alfredo with grated Parmesan. It even has the garlic bread stick in garlic crouton form!

It has it all!

Garlic Bread Croutons

The first thing to do is to get started making your garlic bread croutons.

They are so easy! The key is to never take your eye off them. I always seems to catch mine right at the moment they turn a little too dark. The color is a preference thing, but they always taste good!

For this particular salad, I used about 4 pieces of plain, white bread. That is what we were able to get lately during the coronvirus pandemic. However, nearly any bread will do.

A crusty French or Italian loaf works great, but feel free to just use up whatever bread – and especially ends – you have laying around. You could even make them with leftover garlic bread for even more simplicity!

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and cut your bread into the size you prefer. We’re feeding kiddos over here, so I like small bite-size pieces. Place them on a pan.

USA pans are something I think everyone needs! I have nearly a dozen – they are the only pans I use – and LOVE them! They even allow me to bake eggs for our frozen breakfast sandwiches.

Also Read: Chicken and Veggies Sheet Pan Meal

Another thing that I think no kitchen should be without is an oil spritzer. I use it all the time! This one I have is from Amazon and works great!

Just spritz them until they are covered, stir, and spritz them again. If you don’t have an oil spritzer, you can use a small squirt bottle filled with oil for more control or just use a small drizzle and stir.

Ok, third kitchen hack for you. We keep a spice jar full of 1/2 part salt, 1/4 part pepper, and 1/4 part garlic powder. It’s fantastic on everything! We use it for chicken, potatoes, pork chops, veggies, etc.

Sprinkle your salt, pepper, and garlic powder over everything. Stir, and sprinkle again. If you’d like, you can also add a little bit of Italian seasoning.

Pop them all into the oven for about 10 – 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. You’ll have a good idea when they’re done based on color and, of course, trying one… or two…

Also Read: Ground Turkey and Green Bean Stir Fry

Chicken Alfredo Salad

The salad itself is so easy to pull together!

Just before starting your garlic bread croutons, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook your whole wheat penne pasta as directed. Cook only the half package needed, or the whole thing and save some for another meal.

At the same time, grab a couple fresh or frozen chicken breasts. Season them with the mix of salt, pepper, and garlic. Cook them in the oven whole, or if you’re short on time like I always am, cut them in halves or thirds first. Using a thermometer, take them out when they hit 160 degrees. You can absolutely use any pre-cooked chicken you have too!

When your noodles are finished, drain them and give them a spritz of olive oil from your spritzer so they don’t stick while they cool. (You can also serve this with the noodles warm and it gives it an even closer Chicken Fetuccini Alfredo feel!)

Also Read: One-Pot Asiago Chicken Sausage and Broccoli Pasta

Use what you have to create your salad. A spring mix is a very easy way to do it and includes some great variations of lettuce. In this coronovirus time of not shopping, we made our salad with 1/2 a bag of spinach and 1-2 Romaine hearts, chopped.

Once all the different parts are complete, toss the salad with your cooked pasta, cubed chicken breast, garlic bread croutons, 1/2 a cup of your favorite Cesar dressing, 1/4 cup of shredded parmesean, and any of your typical add-ins (we always use hemp hearts and toasted flax seed).

Serve it all up in the most gorgeous bowl I’ve ever seen (much better than the one pictured for our family dinner), and you’re done and ready to eat!

I could eat this all the time. If you wish for chicken fetuccini, I swear this will do the trick. Also, if you love a chicken cesar salad, this is basically it – with noodles.

It’s the best of both worlds and will definitely give you your pasta fix while also getting all sorts of great greens in your body!

Also Read: Blueberry Pecan Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette

Chicken Alfredo Salad Must-Haves!

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