The original Alfredo dish consists of fettuccine served in a sauce of butter, grated parmesan cheese and heavy cream. While variations of the dish might use different pasta or add meat, the sauce remains the same. The good news is that the sauce delivers a rich, wonderful flavor. The bad news is that it’s also high in fat and calories.
Definition
Chicken linguini Alfredo simply replaces fettuccine with linguini and adds pieces of cooked chicken breast. A dish that serves four people is made from 2 cups of heavy cream, 1 stick of butter, 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese, 2 whole chicken breasts and 1 pound or 453 grams of linguini, which is flattened spaghetti. Nutritional information is for 1 serving, or 1/4 of the total ingredients.
Calories and Protein
One serving of linguini Alfredo has 1,034 calories, or half of your daily calories based on a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet. It has 44 grams of protein, which is 78 percent of the recommended daily intake for men and 95 percent for women.
Fats
All of the ingredients contain some fat, but the heavy cream and butter account for 86 percent of the total amount. One serving has 78 grams of total fat, including 47 grams of saturated fat. The American Heart Association recommends limiting total fat to less than 25 to 35 percent of your daily calories and saturated fat to less than 7 percent. Based on a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet, this dish has 35 percent of total fat and 21 percent of saturated fat. It has 321 milligrams of cholesterol, which is slightly over the recommended amount of no more than 300 milligrams per day.
Vitamins
When food has 20 percent or more of the daily value of a nutrient, it’s considered to be a high source, according to the Mayo Clinic. Based on that standard, chicken linguini Alfredo is a high source of all the B vitamins and vitamin A. The B vitamins maintain healthy skin and provide energy, but vitamins B-6, B-12 and folate also have an important role in reducing your risk of heart disease. One serving provides 5 percent of the daily value of vitamin K, 10 percent of vitamin D and 15 percent of vitamin E. You need vitamin K for blood clotting and bone mineralization, vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium and blood pressure regulation, and vitamin E is an important antioxidant.
Minerals
One serving of chicken linguini Alfredo is a high source of calcium and phosphorus, which are the two minerals essential for building strong bones. It also has 16 percent of the daily value of magnesium that’s needed for the matrix that supports calcium and phosphorus. You need potassium to keep muscles and nerves functioning properly, and you’ll get 13 percent of the recommended daily from this dish. Unfortunately, chicken linguine Alfredo is high in salt. It has 768 milligrams, or 51 percent of the daily value, of sodium.
References
- Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intakes
- American Heart Association: Know Your Fats
- MayoClinic.com: Percent Daily Value: What Does it Mean
- USDA Nutrient Laboratory: Butter -- NDB No. 01001
- USDA Nutrient Laboratory: Heavy cream -- NDB No. 01053
- USDA Nutrient Laboratory: Parmesan -- NDB No. 01032
- USDA Nutrient Laboratory: Spaghetti -- NDB No. 20121
- USDA Nutrient Laboratory: Chicken breast -- NDB No. 05062
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