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Your whole family will love this hearty family dinner that has creamy chicken Alfredo and caramelized carrots — and it all comes together in under 45 minutes for under $10!
This post is part of our $10 Dinner Ideas series, brought to you by Brigette on our team! Each week, she will be sharing easy, delicious, and affordable family-friendly dinner ideas that cost less than $10 to make, use everyday ingredients, and are super quick meals.
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Chicken Alfredo
This creamy skillet recipe is comfort food at its finest! There are so many things to love about chicken alfredo — it’s a crowd-pleaser, it is super simple to throw together quickly with a few basic ingredients, it can easily be made gluten-free (just use gluten-free pasta!), and it’s inexpensive!
While most chicken alfredo recipes use heavy whipping cream, our family actually prefers milk instead. It’s plenty rich enough with the cheeses and butter — and, unlike heavy whipping cream, I always have milk on hand.
I paired it with roasted carrots, and there’s just something about the cold weather that makes roasted carrots taste better! Add a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper, and somehow they come out of the oven all caramelized and amazing. Plus, I love that a whole big bag of carrots is only $1.35!
Chicken Alfredo Dinner Menu:
- Chicken Alfredo
- Roasted Carrots
Ingredients for Chicken Alfredo:
- 1-lb boneless chicken breast (Aldi — $2.49/lb) — $2.49
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil (Aldi — $7.25 for 33 tablespoons) — $0.44
- 1-lb box pasta (Publix) — $0.46
- 4 Tablespoons butter (Aldi — $0.85 per stick) — $0.43
- 3 cloves garlic (Aldi — $1.75 for 3-ct pkg) — $0.19
- 8-oz package cream cheese (Aldi) — $1.45
- 1/2 cup milk* (Aldi — $0.19 per cup) — $0.10 (*You can use heavy whipping cream instead of milk if you prefer)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth (I used one chicken bouillon cube + 1/2 cup water) (Aldi — $1.79 for 25 cubes) — $0.07
- 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese (Aldi — $2.45 per can) — $2
- 1 2-lb bag carrots (Aldi — $1.35) — $1.35
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil (Aldi — $7.25 for 33 Tablespoons) — $0.44
- salt and pepper
Grand Total for Dinner: $9.42 (Serves 6)
How to Make Chicken Alfredo:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain, reserving about a cup of the hot pasta water.
3. While the pasta is cooking, dice the chicken breast into bite-size pieces and mince the garlic cloves.
4. Peel and wash the carrots and cut them into smaller pieces/thick sticks if they are large.
5. Spread the cut carrots on a cookie sheet (line it with parchment paper for easier clean up!). Toss the carrots with 2 Tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until browned and tender — about 20 minutes.
6. In a large skillet, fry the diced chicken in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.
7. In the same skillet, melt the 4 Tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for a minute.
8. Whisk in the cream cheese until melted. Whisk in 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir until smooth.
9. Stir in the 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese and cook until smooth, about a minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Stir in the pasta until well-mixed. Add reserved pasta water as needed to thin the sauce.
11. Top with the chicken. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired. Serve with the roasted carrots.
Chicken Alfredo with Roasted Carrots ($10 Family Dinner Idea)
Ingredients
- 1- lb boneless chicken breast Aldi — $2.49/lb — $2.49
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil Aldi — $7.25 for 33 tablespoons — $0.44
- 1- lb box pasta Publix — $0.46
- 4 Tablespoons butter Aldi — $0.85 per stick — $0.43
- 3 cloves garlic Aldi — $1.75 for 3-ct pkg — $0.19
- 8- oz package cream cheese Aldi — $1.45
- 1/2 cup milk* Aldi — $0.19 per cup — $0.10 (*You can use heavy whipping cream instead of milk if you prefer)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth I used one chicken bouillon cube + 1/2 cup water (Aldi — $1.79 for 25 cubes) — $0.07
- 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese Aldi — $2.45 per can — $2
- 1 2- lb bag carrots Aldi — $1.35 — $1.35
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil Aldi — $7.25 for 33 Tablespoons — $0.44
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain, reserving about a cup of the hot pasta water.
- While the pasta is cooking, dice the chicken breast into bite-size pieces and mince the garlic cloves.
- Peel and wash the carrots and cut them into smaller pieces/thick sticks if they are large.
- Spread the cut carrots on a cookie sheet (line it with parchment paper for easier clean up!). Toss the carrots with 2 Tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until browned and tender — about 20 minutes.
- In a large skillet, fry the diced chicken in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.
- In the same skillet, melt the 4 Tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for a minute.
- Whisk in the cream cheese until melted. Whisk in 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir until smooth.
- Stir in the 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese and cook until smooth, about a minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in the pasta until well-mixed. Add reserved pasta water as needed to thin the sauce.
- Top with the chicken. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired. Serve with the roasted carrots.
Notes
Nutrition
More Ideas for Family Dinners Under $10:
- Breakfast Sandwiches
- Chicken Alfredo Soup and World’s Easiest Biscuits
- Lazy Lasagna Casserole
- Kielbasa and Cabbage Skillet
- Easy Chicken Noodle Soup with Easy 30 Minute Dinner Rolls
- Meat and Potato Crust Quiche with Flax Muffins
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Creamy Tortellini Soup and Pumpkin Crescent Rolls
- Homemade French Bread Pizza
- Three-Bean Chili and Cornbread
- Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets
And, be sure to check out all our easy dinner recipes here!
If you make this easy family dinner, we’d love for you to leave a review and let us know how it turned out!
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