Chicken Bacon Alfredo with Zoodles

This Alfredo will change the way you think about pasta forever. I apologize in advance, but you will never want to buy canned Alfredo sauce again! (I’m not really sorry) Say goodbye to the canned version that may be thick but doesn’t pack much flavor. This Alfredo sauce is a dairy and gluten free spin on the original with the robust flavor combination of smoky bacon, nutmeg, lemon juice and coconut milk.

There are some techniques and ingredients that I use that I know may be new to people so let me explain some of them…

Ghee: a form of clarified butter, the process where butter is simmered until the milk solids separate from the butterfat (the yellow stuff) and then the milk solids are skimmed or strained off. Ghee uses the same basic process but instead you allow the milk solids to brown and sink to the bottom which results in a darker color and a nutty flavor. Clarified butter and ghee are a delicious dairy free alternative because this process removes the casein, whey and lactose. (because who wants to live without butter?!) You can buy it online or at Whole Foods, Sprouts, etc or make your own, I will have a recipe up at some point for it! For ghee I believe it is important to buy grass fed, organic butter like Kerrygold (which I buy at Costco) to make it or make sure the ghee you’re buying is. Here is more info on how deliciously nutritious ghee is. It adds a great flavor for sauteeing, roasting, on top of baked sweet potatoes, frying eggs etc. It is great for frying because it has a high smoke point (the point at which the fat degrades and releases free radicals), at around 200 degrees. If you have no issues with dairy you can sub butter 1:1 with ghee, but I recommend trying it at least once because it is heavenly!

Slurry: who came up with this name? It’s pretty weird. But don’t be turned off, a slurry is a thin paste made from starch + water used to thicken sauces. You can use tapioca flour, arrowroot, potato starch, cornstarch, etc.

Tapioca Flour: a starch that is extracted from the cassava root. It is a gluten free alternative used to thicken sauces and combined with other flours in gluten free baking.

Arrowroot powder/ flour: another starch extracted from the root of the arrowroot plant that is used for gluten free cooking. Though tapioca and arrowroot can in some instances be used interchangeably there are a few differences. Arrowroot makes sauces look more shiny, which is great for a glaze or teriyaki sauce, but dairy based sauces can turn out looking slimy. Arrowroot also stands up better with more acidic sauces than Tapioca.

Coconut Flour: this sort of speaks for itself, but it is made from dried, coconut that has had the fat removed. It absorbs a lot more moisture than say almond flour (made from almonds!) and is typically used in combination with other flours in gluten free & paleo baking. You do not want to use coconut flour to thicken sauces, it will make the texture sandy for lack of a better word. I ruined Thanksgiving gravy a couple years ago with coconut flour and will NEVER make that mistake again.

I bet you’re wondering why I can’t just use normal flour and butter, aren’t you? A few years ago after completing my first Whole30 I discovered that gluten and dairy were causing me digestive issues, eczema and numerous other problems. That has been a big part of my food journey is learning about dairy and gluten free cooking. More on that at a later date…

It’s time to go make some Chicken Bacon Alfredo! Happy Slurrying! (sometimes also the result of too much wine, which you should probably drink while making & eating this!)

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Chicken Bacon Alfredo with Zoodles

A thick and creamy dairy free Alfredo sauce made with coconut milk and smoky bacon. The perfect dish for date night or girl's night - save those traditional pasta calories for wine!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 minute

Total Time 21 minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Alfredo Sauce

• 8 slices bacon cut into 1/4 inch strips
• 4 whole shallots, diced (about a cup)
• 10 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1-2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 cans full fat coconut milk, 13.5 oz cans
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (half of a lemon)
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, optional- adds cheesy flavor- could sub parmesan
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Zucchini Noodles

• 4 whole zucchini, cut into noodles using a spiralizer or julienne peeler
• 1-2 teaspoons fine sea salt divided
• 2 tablespoons ghee, coconut oil, avocado oil or olive oil

Chicken

• 1 pound chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon ghee, coconut oil, avocado oil or olive oil

Tapioca Flour Slurry (for thickening)

• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons tapioca flour

Instructions

1. Using either a spiralizer or julienne peeler make noodles out of your zucchini and place them into a colander, bowl or on top of paper towels. Sprinkle with salt making sure to cover as much as possible. Allow the noodles to sweat while you make the sauce.
   
2. Chop bacon into 1/4 inch strips. Heat a non-stick or cast iron skillet (you want your pan to be big enough to add the rest of the sauce ingredients later) on medium high heat. Once hot add the bacon and cook until crispy.
   
3. When bacon is crispy remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. Add shallots and mushrooms to the remaining bacon fat. Sprinkle a pinch or two of salt over the top and stir to incorporate. Allow them to sweat while stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes.
5. Once your onions and mushrooms have reduced by about half in size, sitr in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
6. Add the chicken stock to the hot pan to help deglaze if there is anything stuck to the bottom.
7. Add the coconut milk, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, nutmeg, paprika, pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt. Heat to a low boil and then reduce to simmer.
8. Time to make your slurry! Mix the water and tapioca flour together until a paste forms. Add the slurry to your sauce and mix to combine.
9. Allow sauce to simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes while stirring occasionally. The longer you simmer the thicker it will become! If you find it just isn't thickening as much as you want you can add more tapioca by the teaspoon until you reach the desired consistency.
10. While the sauce is simmering cook your chicken. Season on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a pan on medium high heat and once hot add the ghee and allow to melt. Add the chicken and cook about 4-5 minutes on each side. You can slice it open in the middle or temp it to 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the pan and slice how you like. Add to the sauce to keep warm if you like! Wipe out your pan and save to use for your zoodles
11. When your sauce is about 10 minutes from being done simmering, heat up a pan on medium high heat. Pat the noodles dry with a paper towel to get out as much excess water as possible. Melt 1 tablespoon of oil and once melted add half of the zoodles. Cook while stirring around until soft about 5 minutes. Remove and cook the rest with the rest of the ghee.
12. Mix everything together or plate zoodles first and then pour sauce on top! This is also the time to pop open that wine bottle if you haven't already!