If you want something more than a basic Chicken Alfredo, spice it up with this Cajun twist! Creamy and spicy, this pasta is anything but boring. Ready in less than 30 minutes, Cajun Chicken Alfredo welcomes a texture and color variance to this classic dish.
Born out of a desire to use up some leftover Cajun chicken in the fridge, this fun Alfredo dish was an instant hit! Alfredo sauce by itself is a little bland if you ask me, but throw in spice, roasted garlic, and peppers for texture—Suddenly, I’m all in.
Why You’ll Want This Recipe
- Flavor – Obviously, one of the main things you want in a recipe is for it to taste good, and this one is pretty stellar in our opinion. The great thing about this dish is that the spice is easily adjustable to your (or your kids’) palette.
- Kids love it – Pasta, cream, and chicken—Kids love that stuff.
- Basic Ingredients – There’s nothing fancy in here that most cooking families wouldn’t have in their kitchen already. No need to run to the store for this one.
Ingredients
Linguine – You can also use spaghetti (as we did) or any shaped pasta. I actually prefer a shaped pasta such as Farfalle or Penne because it holds the sauce much better.
Chicken Breast – Boneless, skinless
Red Onion – You can substitute this with shallots or any other type of bulb onion. The flavor will change slightly, so just keep that in mind. The best substitutes are shallots and sweet onions.
Butter
Bell Pepper – A mixture of red and green bell peppers are great for a pop of color.
Roma Tomatoes – Roma tomatoes have less pulp than other types of tomatoes, which helps the sauce to not water down too much. You can still substitute for other types of tomatoes, but it may change the consistency of the sauce slightly.
Cajun Seasoning – Our own blend of simple spices. You can substitute this with a store-bought Cajun seasoning, but the salt content may be much higher. Be sure to adjust the recipe if you choose to do so.
Chicken Broth – Bone broth if you have it.
Roasted Garlic – You can substitute roasted garlic for 3 cloves of minced, fresh garlic. See the note below the directions to learn how to roast garlic from scratch. It’s super simple if you have the time to do it and the flavor is totally worth it.
Heavy Cream
Cayenne
Parmesan – Grated
How to Make Cajun Chicken Alfredo
Step 1: Cut your chicken into bite sized pieces and then season it on all sides with two teaspoons of the Cajun seasoning. You can mix your own Cajun Seasoning or go with a store bought one. See ingredient note above.
Step 2: Cook pasta according to package directions. Prepare your vegetables by dicing the red onion, bell pepper, and Roma tomatoes.
Step 3: In a large skillet or sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chicken and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook until the outside of the chicken is browned, about 5-6 minutes. Add the diced onion, peppers, Roma tomatoes, and a few dashes of salt and cook another 4-5 minutes until the onions are soft and the tomatoes are falling apart a bit.
Step 4: Add the roasted garlic, 1 Tablespoon of Cajun seasoning, and cayenne adjusted to your taste. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly to mix the spices and roasted garlic into the chicken and veggies.
Step 5: Turn the heat down to low. Add 1 Tbsp. more of butter to melt. As it melts, use a wooden spoon to scrape up any chicken or veggie bits on the bottom of the pan and into the butter. Add the heavy cream and bring the pan to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 4 minutes.
Step 6: Add in the parmesan and stir until it is melted and mixed in well. Remove from heat, mix in with your pasta, and serve immediately.
Tips
- Adjust the Cayenne according to your taste. We like heat and add ¾ – 1 teaspoon of Cayenne for this dish, but lessen it if you want it very mild.
- If using a store bought Cajun seasoning, you will probably need to adjust the salt in the recipe. If using a salt-free mix, add salt according to your taste. If using a mix with salt, you will probably need to use less Cajun seasoning because store bought mixes usually put a lot more salt than homemade mixes. If you want to learn how to mix your own Cajun seasoning using basic pantry spices, check out this quick recipe.
How do you roast garlic?
- Preheat your oven to 375℉.
- Slice an entire bulb of garlic in half.
- Place each half in a square of aluminum foil and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
- Add a dash of salt and pepper, then fold the foil loosely over the garlic so that it is covered but the foil is not touching the exposed cloves, just the garlic skins.
- Place the garlic in the oven and roast for 40-50 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and squeezable.
Storage
You can refrigerate this Cajun Chicken Alfredo in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
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Cajun Chicken Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken Breast boneless, skinless
- 12 oz Linguine
- 2 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning
- ½ Red Onion diced
- ½ Bell Pepper diced
- 2 Roma Tomatoes fresh, diced
- 3 Tbsp Butter divided
- Sea Salt to taste
- ½ bulb Roasted Garlic
- ½ tsp Cayenne
- 1 ½ Cups Heavy Cream
- 1 Cup Parmesan shredded
Instructions
- Cut your chicken into bite sized pieces and then season it on all sides with two teaspoons of the Cajun seasoning.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Prepare vegetables by dicing the red onion, bell pepper, and Roma tomatoes.
- In a large sauce pan, melt the butter. Add the cubed chicken and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook until the outside of the chicken is browned, about 5-6 minutes. Add the diced onion, peppers, Roma tomatoes, and a few dashes of salt and cook another 4-5 minutes.
- Add the roasted garlic, 1 Tbsp. of Cajun seasoning, and cayenne. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly to mix the spices and roasted garlic into the chicken and veggies.
- Turn the heat down to low. Add 2 Tbsp. more butter and melt. Once melted, add the heavy cream and bring the pan to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 4 minutes.
- Add parmesan and stir until melted and mixed in well. Mix in your linguine and serve immediately.
Notes
- Adjust the Cayenne according to your taste. We like heat and add ¾ – 1 teaspoon of Cayenne for this dish, but lessen it if you want it very mild.
- If using a store bought Cajun seasoning, you will probably need to adjust the salt in the recipe. If using a salt-free mix, add salt according to your taste. If using a mix with salt, you will probably need to use less Cajun seasoning because store bought mixes usually put a lot more salt than homemade mixes.
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