Cajun Chicken Alfredo (Printable)

Spicy Cajun chicken meets creamy Alfredo sauce over perfectly cooked pasta. Southern charm meets Italian comfort in one unforgettable dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
03 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Pasta

04 - 12 ounces fettuccine or linguine pasta

→ Alfredo Sauce

05 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
08 - 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
09 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
10 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
11 - 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

→ Garnish

12 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
13 - Extra grated Parmesan for serving

# How-To:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain the rest. Set aside.
02 - Pat chicken breasts dry and rub evenly with Cajun seasoning on all sides.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook for 5-6 minutes per side until golden and cooked through with internal temperature reaching 165°F. Remove from skillet, rest for 2-3 minutes, then slice into strips.
04 - In the same skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in heavy cream, whisking constantly, and bring to a gentle simmer without boiling.
05 - Stir in Parmesan cheese, black pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes if using. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until sauce thickens. Add reserved pasta water one tablespoon at a time if sauce is too thick.
06 - Add cooked pasta to the skillet and toss well to coat with Alfredo sauce. Add sliced Cajun chicken and toss until evenly distributed.
07 - Transfer to serving dishes immediately. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and extra grated Parmesan cheese.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It satisfies two cravings at once: creamy comfort and a spicy kick that wakes up your taste buds.
  • The Cajun seasoning forms a flavorful crust on the chicken that holds up beautifully against the rich sauce.
  • It comes together in under an hour but tastes like youve been cooking all day.
  • Leftovers reheat surprisingly well, and the flavors deepen overnight in the fridge.
02 -
  • Do not skip resting the chicken after cooking, cutting it too soon releases all the juices and leaves you with dry meat.
  • Use freshly grated Parmesan from a block, the pre-shredded stuff contains anti-caking agents that make the sauce grainy instead of smooth.
  • Keep the heat at medium when making the Alfredo, high heat will cause the cream to separate and turn oily.
  • Reserve that pasta water before draining, it's the easiest way to fix a sauce that's too thick without watering down the flavor.
03 -
  • Pound your chicken breasts to an even thickness before seasoning so they cook uniformly and you don't end up with one end dry and the other undercooked.
  • Toast your Cajun seasoning in the dry skillet for thirty seconds before adding oil, it wakes up the spices and deepens their flavor.
  • Use a microplane to grate your Parmesan directly into the sauce for the finest texture and fastest melting.
  • If you want to stretch this meal, sauté sliced bell peppers and onions in the skillet before you start the sauce and fold them in at the end.
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