This Dairy Free Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli is a healthier version of one of my favorite childhood dishes! The sauce is rich, creamy, and made without any cheese! Serve with your favorite gluten-free pasta or spaghetti squash for a grain-free alternative.
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🍴Ingredient Notes
- Cauliflower Florets - Roughly chop and measure out the cauliflower before steaming it.
- Full Fat Coconut Milk - I use the brand Native Forest. You can also use any non-dairy milk.
- Garlic - This is one of the main flavors for this dish, I would highly recommend using fresh roasted garlic instead of garlic powder. You'll need about 4-6 cloves of garlic for this recipe. After your garlic is golden brown, let it cool for a few minutes, and the peel should slide right off! If you don't have fresh garlic to roast, you can use ½ teaspoon garlic powder. (Fresh is best!)
- Salt - Salt is essential for making this sauce taste "cheesy." Feel free to add more than what the recipe calls for!
- Paprika -This adds a little kick to the sauce!
- Chicken Breast - I love using the brand Bell + Evans because it's high quality. (Certified Organic, raised without antibiotics, and they're humanely raised.) Butcher Box is also a great option!
- Broccoli Florets - Fresh or frozen broccoli florets will work with this recipe.
- Gluten-Free Pasta - For this recipe I used Jovial Fettuccine, but you can serve this dish with any pasta you'd like! For a Paleo or Whole30 option, serve with zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.
🍴Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Alfredo Sauce Prep
- Start by adding about an inch of water into a large saucepan. Turn on high and bring the water to a boil.
- Once it's boiling, add in the cauliflower florets and place the cover on. Turn the temperature to medium/low for about 20-25 minutes. You'll know it's done when the cauliflower is tender enough to poke a fork into.
- Next place the garlic cloves onto a small pan and roast at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes. (Or until they're golden brown.)
Step 2: Blending Alfredo Sauce
- To make the sauce add the full fat coconut milk, salt, paprika, steamed cauliflower, and roasted garlic to a high-speed blender. (Make sure to remove the skin from the garlic.)
- Blend on high until it becomes a smooth and creamy consistency.
- Pour the sauce over gluten-free pasta, or vegetables! Enjoy!
Step 3: Cooking the Chicken
Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and sprinkle a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cook on medium heat until golden brown on each side. Use a drizzle of coconut oil, avocado oil, or olive oil so the chicken doesn't stick to the pan.
Step 4: Cooking the Broccoli
Remove the chicken from the pan and add in broccoli florets. Cover the pan so the broccoli steams and cook until tender.
Step 5: Putting it all together
Slice the chicken into strips and add it back into the pan with the broccoli florets. Pour over the alfredo sauce and stir well. Serve over gluten-free pasta or spaghetti squash!
Helpful Tips
- Keep an eye on the garlic as it's roasting. It will burn easily! I usually set my oven to 325 and let it roast for 25-30 minutes. You'll know it's done with the skin turns golden brown.
- When you reheat pasta and sauce, you can add a little coconut milk or water to help thin it out!
- Make sure the cauliflower is fork tender or mushy so it's easy to blend!
- You can steam cauliflower in a sauce pan directly in the water, or in a stackable steamer.
- Store the gluten-free pasta separately so it doesn't get soggy. I like to add it to the dish as I'm serving.
- Cover the pan as you're cooking the broccoli florets, so they steam. (This will also help them to cook faster.)
Frequently Asked Questions
If the sauce is too thick for you, just stir in some regular coconut milk or non-dairy milk. (You can also add a little pasta water.)
Spaghetti squash is my favorite pasta alternative! I have a whole post on exactly how to bake spaghetti squash.
Yes of course! I have not tried it myself, but if you'd like to stir in some shredded cheese, I'm sure it would taste delicious!
How to store and reheat leftovers
You can store sauce in an airtight glass container for up to five days in the refrigerator. After that I would transfer it into the freezer for longer storage! (Perfect for a rainy day.) Make sure your container is freezer safe!
To reheat, just add it to the stovetop in a pan on medium/low heat. Stir until it's warm. I would not recommend storing gluten-free pasta with the sauce. (It tends to get soggy.)
More chicken recipes!
- Healthy Sweet Potato Muffins
- Gluten-Free Samoa Muffins (Paleo)
- Paleo Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins
Recipe
Dairy Free Chicken Alfredo
Equipment
- Sauce Pan
- Oven
Ingredients
Alfredo Sauce
- 6 Cups Cauliflower Florets
- 13.5 Ounces Full Fat Coconut Milk I use the brand Native Forest.
- 4-6 Cloves of Garlic
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Paprika
Chicken & Broccoli
- 1 Pound Chicken Breast
- 3 Cups Broccoli Florets
Instructions
Alfredo Sauce
- Start by adding about an inch of water into a large sauce pan. Turn on high and bring the water to a boil.
- Once it's boiling, add in the cauliflower florets and place the cover on. Turn the temperature to medium/low for about 20-25 minutes. You'll know it's done when the cauliflower is tender enough to poke a fork into.
- Next place the garlic cloves onto a small pan and roast at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes. (Or until they're golden brown.)
- To make the sauce add the full fat coconut milk, salt, paprika, steamed cauliflower, and roasted garlic to a high speed blender. (Make sure to remove the skin from the garlic.)
- Blend on high until it becomes a smooth and creamy consistency.
- Pour the sauce over gluten-free pasta, or vegetables! Enjoy!
Cooking the Chicken
- Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and sprinkle a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cook on medium heat until golden brown on each side. Use a drizzle of coconut oil, avocado oil, or olive oil so the chicken doesn't stick to the pan.
Cooking the Broccoli
- Remove the chicken from the pan and add in broccoli florets. Cover the pan so the broccoli steams and cook until tender.
Putting it all together
- Slice the chicken into strips and add it back into the pan with the broccoli florets. Pour over the alfredo sauce and stir well. Serve over gluten-free pasta or spaghetti squash!
Notes
Helpful Tips
- Keep an eye on the garlic as it's roasting. It will burn easily! I usually set my oven to 325 and let it roast for 25-30 minutes. You'll know it's done with the skin turns golden brown.
- When you reheat pasta and sauce, you can add a little coconut milk or water to help thin it out!
- Make sure the cauliflower is fork tender or mushy so it's easy to blend!
- You can steam cauliflower in a sauce pan directly in the water, or in a stackable steamer.
- Store the gluten-free pasta separately so it doesn't get soggy. I like to add it to the dish as I'm serving.
- Cover the pan as you're cooking the broccoli florets, so they steam. (This will also help them to cook faster.)
Frequently Asked Questions
If the sauce is too thick for you, just stir in some regular coconut milk or non-dairy milk. (You can also add a little pasta water.) What can I swap the pasta for to make this dish Whole30 friendly?
Spaghetti squash is my favorite pasta alternative! I have a whole post on exactly how to bake spaghetti squash. Can I add a dairy-free cheese to the sauce?
Yes of course! I have not tried it myself, but if you'd like to stir in some shredded cheese, I'm sure it would taste delicious!
How to store leftovers
You can store sauce in an airtight glass container for up to five days in the refrigerator. After that I would transfer it into the freezer for longer storage! (Perfect for a rainy day.) Make sure your container is freezer safe! To reheat, just add it to the stovetop in a pan on medium/low heat. Stir until it's warm. I would not recommend storing gluten-free pasta with the sauce. (It tends to get soggy.)Nutrition
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Alyssa
Am I able to swap the coconut milk for something else? I'm dairy-free but can't do Almond or Coconut unfortunately.