If you’re looking for a new recipe to make for dinner, then you have to make my Gluten-Free Chicken Milanese With Homemade Alfredo Sauce.
Crispy chicken, a creamy cashew-based sauce and comforting pasta – what more do we need?
Whether you’re gluten-free or not, you are going to love this one. The best part is you can customize the sauce to be dairy-free if you’d like, and/or go for non-GF ingredients in the chicken Milanese and pasta. We love options!
I’m seriously so excited about this dish. I’ve been in my pasta era for some time now – it started around the time I made my Beef Bolognese, and there’s just nothing better.
In an attempt to venture out from making the typical red-based pasta sauces, this is my take on a crispy Chicken Milanese With Homemade Alfredo Sauce. It was actually really easy to make and I think I nailed it, you guys.
A DELICIOUSLY CREAMY, DREAMY ALFREDO SAUCE
The sauce is so deliciously creamy, dreamy and my favorite part about this recipe.
Made up of protein-packed, nutrient-rich chicken bone broth and cashews, it’s insanely delish and good for you, too.
One of the reasons I love cashews is their amazing ability to transform into a creamy, dairy-free alternative to heavy cream or milk. Plus, cashews are rich in fiber, protein and healthy fats, making them a great source of whole foods to incorporate into your diet, along with the subtly-flavorful collagen and electrolyte-filled chicken bone broth.
While my alfredo sauce recipe is not entirely dairy-free – I use grated parm, which you can easily replace with nutritional yeast to make it DF (more on that below in the Recipe Substitutions & Questions section) – you’d never know it’s not ‘the real thing’.
Either way, made with all whole food ingredients, you’ll end up with an Alfredo sauce that is mouthwateringly savory with a cheesy-like flavor.
FLAVORFUL AND FILLING
As a gluten and lactose-intolerant girlie and registered dietitian I know a thing or two about navigating food limitations and wanting to enjoy all the classic recipes without sacrificing taste or quality.
I’ve learned over the years that even if you have to slightly modify a recipe to fit your dietary needs, you definitely can still enjoy a perfectly delicious, nutritious, winner of a meal.
In this recipe, instead of using regular flour and breadcrumbs, I went with gluten-free arrowroot starch and baking flour (+ a few seasonings) to create an ultra-crispy and tasty chicken.
Combined with the homemade cashew-based Alfredo sauce, GF brown-rice penne and antioxidant-rich peas (had to incorporate a veggie of course), this is a pasta dish to add to the rotation asap. Don’t forget to top it with some fresh parsley!
A COMFORT FOOD CLASSIC TO IMPRESS
This Gluten-Free Chicken Milanese With Homemade Alfredo Sauce really turned out so good. Everyone loved it and I even impressed myself with this one. A creamy, comfort food classic that I’m confident will impress you too when you make it for one of your next dinners.
Such a good way to switch up your usual chicken and pasta dish. Another must-make, if you ask me!
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:
Alfredo Sauce:
- Raw cashews
- Chicken bone broth (one of my go-to’s is Kettle & Fire)
- Water
- Grated Parmesan (option for vegan parm)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Onion, chopped
- Garlic, minced
- Avocado oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Sea salt
- Ground pepper
Chicken Milanese:
- Chicken breasts, thinly-sliced
- Arrowroot starch
- Pasture-raised egg
- Milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond)
- GF baking flour
- Dried parsley
- Sea salt
- Ground pepper
- Ghee
Pasta:
- GF pasta (or your favorite; I prefer Jovial GF brown rice penne)
- Frozen peas
- Grated parm
- Fresh chopped parsley
HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE CHICKEN MILANESE WITH HOMEMADE ALFREDO SAUCE
Alfredo Sauce
Add cashews to a bowl or glass and pour boiling water over the top, just enough to cover the nuts. Let soak for 15-20 minutes, then drain the water and set aside.
Add 1 tbsp oil, onion and garlic to a small saucepan and heat on medium for several minutes until onions become tender.
In a blender, add soaked cashews, sautéed onion and garlic + remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.
Chicken Milanese
Add arrowroot starch to a medium-sized, shallow bowl, along with 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley and sea salt, and whisk together.
Whisk together egg and milk in a second, medium-sized, shallow bowl.
In a similar third bowl, whisk together flour, remaining parsley, pinch of salt and ground pepper.
Take turns dredging each chicken breast in the arrowroot mixture, then egg mixture, then flour mixture, and add to a clean plate.
Add ghee to a large skillet to heat on medium to high. Add coated chicken breasts to skillet and cook about 5-7 minutes per side, or until golden brown and starting to crisp. Feel free to lower heat and cover with a lid to steam the center. Set aside and keep warm until ready to serve.‌
Pasta
Cook noodles (I used Jovial GF brown rice penne) according to instructions/preference.
Heat frozen peas in a separate pan.
To the pot of your cooked pasta, add and stir in your Alfredo sauce and peas.
**If you’re planning for leftovers, see storing instructions below as you will want to store sauce, pasta and chicken separately.
Serve and Store
To serve, add sliced crispy chicken over the pasta and top with fresh parsley, ground pepper and grated Parmesan cheese.
Store any leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Let the sauce thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then gently reheat in a saucepan, adding a splash of water (or bone broth) to thin out if needed.
Leftover crispy chicken (ideally not sliced) and cooked, plain pasta (no sauce), can also be stored, separately, in air tight containers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. To avoid the pasta clumping, drizzle and toss in oil before storing.
RECIPE SUBSTITUTIONS & QUESTIONS
I used a gluten-free penne pasta, but feel free to use whichever pasta shape, GF or regular, you prefer, such as fettucine, spaghetti or linguine.
To make the alfredo sauce vegan, you can swap out the grated parm for vegan parm or nutritional yeast and still achieve that tasty, cheesy flavor. Usually, you need about half the amount of nutritional yeast as parm, but since I haven’t tried this sub, I’d recommend starting small and tasting as you blend the sauce. Nutritional yeast is a good source of B vitamins, which would only further boost the nutritional content of this dish, so you can’t go wrong with either option.
Instead of the cashews, option to try coconut milk or coconut cream, but I don’t have an exact sub ratio for that. If no dairy sensitivities, feel free to make a regular Alfredo sauce, which typically consists of melted butter, heavy cream and parmesan cheese, along with a few other flavorful ingredients. Omit the peas or sub with another veggie like broccoli or spinach.
My crispy Chicken Milanese is made with gluten-free flours, but if no gluten sensitivities you can make with non-GF flour and breadcrumbs instead.
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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHICKEN CUTLET AND CHICKEN MILANESE?
While I’m definitely not the authority on defining the difference here (lol), I’d say the lines can be somewhat blurred when talking about the difference between a chicken cutlet and chicken Milanese.
A chicken cutlet is typically a chicken breast that has been cut in half to make two thinner pieces, and is pounded out to make it thinner and to cook quickly and more evenly. Sometimes it’s breaded and seasoned.
Whereas chicken Milanese often includes a coating of panko or breadcrumbs (or GF flours in my recipe above), is seasoned with herbs and spices (like parsley and thyme), lemon and grated parm. Either option will turn out crispy and delicious!
CAN I EAT ALFREDO SAUCE IF I’M LACTOSE-INTOLERANT?
As a lactose-intolerant girlie myself, I’m happy to report that, yes, you can enjoy a pasta dish with Alfredo sauce. Luckily, I’ve found a great work-around to an otherwise dairy-based sauce in my cashew-based Homemade Alfredo Sauce here.
The key is to swap out the dairy products for a cashew-based but still creamy sauce. I soak the cashews to soften and blend with bone broth + a handful of other flavorful ingredients, including grated parm as I can handle a small amount of dairy. As I mentioned above though, to make the sauce entirely dairy-free, you can easily swap the parm for vegan parm or nutritional yeast.
LOVE THIS RECIPE? HERE’S MORE CHICKEN AND PASTA DISHES YOU’LL LOVE TOO:
Greek Chicken Salad With Feta Pesto
Spicy Penne Alla Vodka With Meatballs
Gluten-Free Hot Honey Chicken Sliders
Click here to watch the reel I made of this recipe 🙂
Gluten-Free Chicken Milanese With Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Equipment
- 3 – 4 Shallow, medium-sized bowls
- Blender
- Large skillet
- Sauce pan
- Dutch oven or large pasta pot
Ingredients
Alfredo Sauce:
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup chicken bone broth
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan, option for vegan parm
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- Ground pepper, to taste
Chicken Milanese:
- 2 large chicken breasts, sliced in half, lengthwise
- 1/2 cup arrowroot starch
- 1 pasture-raised egg
- 3 tbsp milk of choice, I used unsweetened almond
- 1/2 cup GF baking flour, I used Bob's Red Mill GF Paleo baking flour
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 1/4 cup ghee
Pasta:
- 1 box pasta, I prefer Jovial brand gluten-free brown rice pasta
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Grated parm, to garnish
- 1/4 cup Fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
Alfredo Sauce
- Add cashews to a bowl or glass and pour boiling water over the top, just enough to cover the nuts. Let soak for 15-20 minutes, then drain the water and set aside.
- Add oil, onion and garlic to a small saucepan and heat on medium for 3-5 minutes, tossing several times, until onions become tender.
- In a blender, add soaked and strained cashews, sautéed onion and garlic, grated parmesan, lemon juice, bone broth, sea salt and ground pepper. Blend until smooth.
Chicken Milanese
- Add arrowroot starch to a medium-sized, shallow bowl, along with 1/2 tsp dried parsley and sea salt, and whisk together.
- Whisk together egg and milk in a second, medium-sized, shallow bowl.
- In a similar third bowl, whisk together flour, remaining parsley, pinch of salt and ground pepper.
- Take turns dredging each chicken breast in the arrowroot mixture, then egg mixture, then flour mixture, and add to a clean plate.
- Add ghee to a large skillet to heat on medium to high. Add coated chicken breasts to skillet and cook about 5-7 minutes per side, or until golden brown and starting to crisp. Feel free to lower heat and cover with a lid to help cook faster. Set aside and keep warm until ready to serve.
- Once ready, transfer chicken to a large cutting board and slice into strips.
Pasta
- Cook pasta according to instructions/preference. Before straining, add in your frozen peas, toss for 1 minute, then strain all together.
- Pour in a large serving dish, followed by 1.5 cups of the alfredo sauce. Toss until fully combined.**If you’re planning for leftovers, see storing instructions below as you will want to store sauce, pasta and chicken separately.
Serve and Store
- Add sliced crispy chicken over the pasta then drizzle additional sauce over the top. Garnish with fresh parsley, ground pepper, pinch of sea salt and grated Parmesan cheese.
- Store any leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Let the sauce thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then gently reheat in a saucepan, adding a splash of water (or bone broth) to thin out if needed.
- Leftover crispy chicken (ideally not sliced) and cooked, plain pasta (no sauce), can also be stored, separately, in air tight containers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. To avoid the pasta clumping, drizzle and toss in oil before storing.
My family and I really enjoyed this GF/Dairy free take on chicken milanese and alfredo sauce! I also love that it is high in protein which makes it a very satisfying meal, not to mention super delicious. As someone who can’t have a ton of dairy, it’s nice to have a few go-to dairy free recipes that don’t feel like they are lacking in flavor.