How Many Carbs Are in Chicken Alfredo? A Detailed Look

Chicken alfredo is a creamy, cheesy pasta dish that is popular in Italian-American cuisine. It typically consists of fettuccine noodles tossed in a rich, decadent alfredo sauce made with butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese Topped with pan-seared chicken breast, it makes for a filling and indulgent meal

However, with its heavy cream-based sauce and carbohydrate-rich pasta, chicken alfredo is also relatively high in carbs So how many carbs are actually in a typical serving of chicken alfredo? Let’s take a closer look and break it down

The Carb Count Adds Up Quickly

The carbohydrate content of chicken alfredo can vary quite a bit depending on the specific recipe, ingredients, and portion size. But on average, a single serving of chicken alfredo contains 60-80 grams of total carbs.

That’s a considerable percentage of the recommended daily carbohydrate intake. Based on a standard 2000 calorie diet, the recommended daily allowance for carbs is about 225-325 grams. So a single serving of chicken alfredo could provide almost half your daily carb intake!

Clearly, this cheesy pasta dish is no low-carb option. But to understand the carb count better, we need to look at the main components individually.

The Pasta: A Carb-Rich Base

The biggest carb contributor in chicken alfredo is undoubtedly the pasta. Traditional wheat-flour pasta is very high in carbohydrates with minimal fiber and protein.

On average, one cup of cooked regular pasta contains 40-45 grams of total carbs. Only about 2-3 grams of that comes from fiber, so you’re left with 37-43 grams of net digestible carbs.

Fettuccine, which is what you use for chicken alfredo, has about the same number of carbs. That means that one cup of cooked fettuccine has almost half as many carbs as a serving of chicken alfredo.

It’s clear that the amount of pasta is what makes this dish’s total carb count what it is.

The Creamy Alfredo Sauce Also Adds Carbs

However, the alfredo sauce also has a good amount of carbs, even though the pasta has most of them.

The base of most alfredo sauce recipes is a creamy mixture of butter, heavy cream or milk, and Parmesan cheese. Of these ingredients, the dairy elements – heavy cream and milk – contain the majority of the carbs.

An average serving of alfredo sauce (about 1/2 cup) contains roughly 5-10 grams of net carbs from the cream or milk used to create the sauce’s signature creamy texture.

The other sauce ingredients like butter, Parmesan, and seasonings are very low in carbs. But some recipes do thicken the sauce with small amounts of flour or cornstarch which slightly increases the carb content.

Overall, while not as carb-dense as the pasta itself, the alfredo sauce still accounts for a decent percentage of the total carbs in chicken alfredo.

Other Ingredients Can Also Impact the Carb Count

Beyond just the pasta and sauce, other ingredients added to chicken alfredo can influence its carbohydrate content.

If you use breaded or fried chicken instead of grilled or baked chicken, the breading can add more carbs. So, adding non-starchy vegetables like broccoli or spinach can lower the net carb count by a small amount because they add fiber.

Other add-ins like peas, corn, or mushrooms will contribute some extra carbs, but usually not a significant amount in typical portion sizes.

The cooking method can also make a small difference. Frying in oil versus cooking in butter or oil will change the fat profile but won’t directly impact the total carbohydrate content.

Strategies to Reduce the Carb Count

If you love chicken alfredo but want to reduce the carb load, there are several effective strategies you can implement:

• Use a vegetable spiralizer to make zucchini noodles instead of pasta. This substitutes the high-carb pasta for low-carb zucchini.

• Opt for a legume-based pasta like chickpea or lentil. These contain about half the carbs of wheat pasta.

• Try shirataki noodles, an ultra-low-carb pasta alternative made from konjac root.

• Replace heavy cream with half-and-half or milk in the sauce. This reduces the amount of lactose sugar.

• Skip adding flour/cornstarch to the sauce for thickening.

• Load up on non-starchy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, peppers etc.

• Choose grilled, baked or air-fried chicken instead of breaded.

With some simple substitutions and ingredient tweaks, you can enjoy chicken alfredo as an occasional treat, even when limiting carbs. Just pay attention to portion sizes.

Typical Nutrition Info Per Serving

To give you a better idea of the full nutrition profile, here is some typical data for a serving of chicken alfredo:

• 1 cup serving
• Calories: 700
• Total fat: 40g
• Carbs: 65g
• Fiber: 3g
• Net carbs: 62g
• Protein: 32g

As you can see, one cup provides nearly a whole day’s worth of carbs along with high amounts of fat and calories too.

The protein is decent at 32g, but the overall nutritional balance is heavily skewed towards fat and carbs, given the generous cream and cheese content.

How Portion Size Affects Carbs

It’s clear that chicken alfredo is no low-carb dish. But the exact carb count you get depends largely on the serving size.

As a point of comparison, here is the nutrition data for a smaller 1/2 cup serving:

• 1/2 cup serving
• Calories: 350
• Total fat: 20g
• Carbs: 33g
• Fiber: 1g
• Net carbs: 32g
• Protein: 16g

When you cut the portion size in half, the carb count reduces significantly as well. Now you’re getting 32g net carbs instead of 62g in a full 1 cup serving.

This highlights the importance of paying attention to your portions whenever you indulge in a higher carb meal. Sticking to smaller servings can help minimize the carb impact.

How Homemade and Restaurant Versions Compare

You’ll also get different carb counts depending on whether you make chicken alfredo at home or order it in a restaurant.

Restaurant versions tend to be higher in carbs for a few reasons:

• Larger portion sizes are common at restaurants.

• They use standard wheat pasta instead of lower-carb alternatives.

• The sauces may contain added sugars or thickeners like cornstarch.

• Meals are often served with carb-heavy garlic bread or rolls.

Homemade chicken alfredo gives you more control over the ingredients and portions. You can modify the recipe to be lower carb and avoid the additional bread/rolls served at restaurants.

But even with adjustments, it remains a higher carb dish. Moderation and reasonable portions are still advised for home-cooked versions.

The Bottom Line

Chicken alfredo undeniably contains a high amount of carbohydrates. A typical serving ranges from 60-80g net carbs, mostly coming from the pasta itself.

If you’re following a strict low-carb, ketogenic or diabetic diet, traditional chicken alfredo is probably best avoided. But for most people, enjoying this creamy pasta dish occasionally in sensible portions can absolutely be part of a balanced diet.

Just be mindful of the carb load, make smart ingredient swaps where possible, control your portions, and balance it out with nutritious low-carb foods for your other meals. By being informed and making conscious choices, you can still fit this Italian classic into your diet in moderation.

A serving of Chicken Alfredo from Olive Garden contains 96 grams of total carbohydrates. This includes the pasta, the Alfredo sauce, and the chicken.