The calories in chicken pasta depend on several factors, including the amount of chicken and pasta in the dish, how you prepare the food and the type of sauces and flavorings you add.
Chicken Calories
A 5-oz. serving of boneless, skinless chicken breast that has been roasted has about 140 calories. The calorie count more than triples to 430 calories if the chicken has been fried.
Pasta
A 4-oz. serving of pasta provides about 400 calories, and a 6-oz. serving has 600 calories.
Sauces
Cheese and cream sauces may delight the taste buds, but they also come loaded with calories. Cream sauces usually contain cream, at 300 calories per 3-oz. serving, and butter, which adds another 100 calories or so per tablespoon. A 3-oz. serving of cheddar cheese sauce containing 2 oz. of cheese has 230 calories from the cheese alone. Milk and butter add another 120 calories or so, yielding about 350 calories total for cheese sauce.
Total Calories
The total calories for a single 12-oz. serving of chicken pasta, depending on the recipe, ingredients and cooking method, can thus vary from under 600 calories for roasted chicken with 4 oz. of pasta without a sauce, to 1,380 calories for fried chicken on 6 oz. of noodles with a cheese sauce.
Healthier Flavoring Options
You can economize on calories by using spices and vegetables, such as garlic, onion and green pepper, along with a small amount of olive oil, to flavor the chicken pasta dish.
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