Chicken Alfredo Veggie Bake

Make This Easy Comfort-food: Chicken Veggie Alfredo Bake

Chicken Veggie Alfredo Bake

Recipe by Jessica BooneCourse: EntreCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Medium
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

50

minutes
Calories

587

kcal

Ingredients

  • 8 Oz Mushrooms

  • 24 Oz Broccoli

  • 2 Tab Olive Oil

  • 2-3 Medium Chicken Breasts

  • 1 Jar Alfredo Sauce (I like to use Rao’s Alfredo sauce since it tastes amazing and has only a few ingredients)

  • 8 Oz Block Mozzarella Cheese

  • Italian Seasoning to Taste

  • Salt to Taste

  • Pepper to Taste

Directions

  • Cut up mushrooms and broccoli into bite-sized pieces.
  • Pour veggies into large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Add Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and stir to mix in with veggies. Pour veggies onto roasting pan. *You can see note 1 for how to bake the chicken, but I prefer to saute it as described in step 4.
  • Put veggies in air fryer or bake for about 30 minutes on 400 degrees or until mushrooms are soft and broccoli is starting to blacken.
  • Meanwhile, cut chicken breasts and shave off any unwanted fat. Saute in olive oil until chicken is cooked thru and no longer pink (with an internal temp of around 165 degrees F). While you’re waiting on the veggies to finish cooking is also a great time to shred the cheese.
  • Wipe out large bowl you used to mix veggies. When veggies are ready, dump them back into the bowl. Add chicken and the jar of Alfredo sauce. Stir gently to mix.
  • Gently dump mixture into a 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Notes

  • To save time, you can bake the chicken with the veggies. Cut medium chicken breasts in half and shave off any unwanted fat. Lightly season both sides with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Lay the chicken on top of the veggies and bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees or until meat has reached internal temp of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. I personally prefer the taste of sauteed chicken, but I have baked it when I am short on time.
Veggies for Chicken Veggie Alfredo Bake in Copper Baking Pan
Chicken Veggie Alfredo Bake with Shredded Mozzarella Cheese on top

Most shredded cheese contains a starch coating to keep the cheese from sticking together. This is an unnecessary additive that is for convenience and does not add nutritional value to the food. I love to avoid additives like this whenever possible. If you shred the cheese yourself, you can avoid the added starch. When I first starting limiting our family to only block cheese, I was worried about the time it would take to shred it myself. However, it doesn’t take much time at all to shred cheese. Just knowing your family is getting only good ingredients makes it totally worth the few minutes it takes.

Rao's pasta sauce
Chicken Veggie Alfredo Bake on Plate

This recipe is a low-carb meal full of veggies. Because of the cheese and alfredo sauce, it feels like you’re eating comfort food. However, it’s one of those dialed-in meals that is packed full of veggies. You could add a healthy carb on the side, but we usually just stick with the Chicken Alfredo Veggie Bake. It’s a great way to eat low-carb and still feel like you’re enjoying a delicious, cheesy Italian dinner.

Feeding a family when you’re trying to eat healthy is a balancing act. As a Mom, I totally get it, I want my kids to eat healthy. Sometimes, if they spot a piece of a veggie, an entire dish suddenly becomes inedible. At the same time, knowing veggies and whole foods are better for them makes me think twice before passing them a frozen pizza instead. Sometimes, we’ll just tweak a meal so we can all eat together.

For example, when we eat the Chicken Alfredo Veggie Bake, I’ve cooked them healthy penne noodles with Rao’s Alfredo sauce. We’ll split up the chicken between the two recipes after it’s sauteed so they can have some protein with their noodles. I’ll even add some applesauce or rolls on the side for the kids. Meanwhile, Rusty and I stick with just the main baked dish.

All 4 of my kids seldom agree on a meal, but finding sides and ways to fix healthier meals in a way they enjoy can make eating healthier as a family doable. There are times when they get a frozen pizza, but the norm is to eat a balanced meal alongside what me and Rusty are eating. No meal plan is perfect; it’s all about doing a little better each day!