Cajun Chicken Alfredo

Cajun Chicken Alfredo, an easy pasta dinner recipe full of chicken, onions, peppers, and a quick and tasty homemade Cajun Alfredo Sauce.   This delicious meal can be made with a wide range of pasta, vegetables, and meat! Serve with a salad and garlic bread and you have the best dinner! 

Who’s hungry? How about this homemade Cajun Chicken Alfredo for dinner tonight? I love that you can easily adapt this recipe to use your favorite pasta, meat, and/or vegetables. So great way to use up any leftovers you may have around too. You’ll love the homemade Alfredo Sauce that is quick and easy to make from scratch and better than any alfredo sauce from a jar!

My family seems to have a thing for all things Alfredo. My daughter can’t get enough when we go to Red Lobster so I’ve started making my own sauce from scratch. You won’t believe how easy it is to make!

Unfortunately, Alfredo Sauce is not necessarily a great healthy option, but every now and then I do love making homemade Alfredo Sauce and seeing what we can come up with (you might remember my 27+ uses for Alfredo Sauce…).

I thought I’d take my Cajun Shrimp Alfredo and Cajun Alfredo Sauce and change them up just a little with some chicken and other ingredients. You could also use this Alfredo Sauce with Cream Cheese if you prefer it over the original.

What is Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo Sauce generally consists of heavy cream and Parmesan cheese and is a creamy sauce served over pasta or other dishes. It might contain other ingredients such as butter, garlic, salt, pepper, etc. You can buy it premade near the pasta sauces or in the refrigerated sections of your grocery store.

However, if you’ve never tried homemade, it’s WAY better and doesn’t take that long to make at all!

As I mentioned above, you can easily add or change the pasta, meat, and/or vegetables in this dish. You may need to adjust the cooking time though based on what you use. I have some suggestions further down below.

Cajun Chicken Alfredo Ingredients

• Rotini pasta (or your favorite pasta)
• Onion, chopped
• Bell pepper, chopped
• Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
• Butter
• Garlic
• Heavy cream
• Parmesan cheese (freshly grated good quality for best results)
• Cajun seasoning

 

How to Make Cajun Chicken Alfredo

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to box directions for al dente.
2. Meanwhile, cook onion, pepper, and chicken in a large nonstick skillet (or skillet sprayed with nonstick spray or a little olive oil) over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are soft and chicken is browned and cooked through. Set aside.
3. Place a large pot over medium heat. Melt butter, then stir in minced garlic cloves. Cook about 1 minute or until garlic is soft and fragrant, stirring constantly.
4. Slowly add the heavy cream to the saucepan, whisk until cream comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 3-5 minutes or until it starts to thicken.
5. Stir in Parmesan cheese and 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning until smooth and thick. Add more Cajun seasoning as desired. Stir in onions, peppers, chicken, and drained cooked pasta.

(Full printable recipe card is at bottom of post.)

Serving Suggestions

• Serve immediately. Although you can make ahead, homemade Alfredo Sauce tastes best when served right away.
• Serve with some homemade garlic bread, fresh salad, and/or green vegetable.
• Top with additional grated Parmesan cheese and a little chopped parsley if desired.

Quick Tips for Best Results

• Use good quality freshly grated Parmesan cheese for best results.
• Use your favorite meat, pasta, and/or vegetables in this recipe but be sure to adjust the cooking time as needed.
• Full fat cheese and cream work best but if you have to use lower-fat ingredients just know your sauce may not thicken as much.
• Cut the chicken into really small pieces so that it cooks up quick. For a quicker option, you could use precooked chicken.
• Cajun seasoning can vary in flavor and “heat” (mild to spicy) so add a little at a time until desired taste and spiciness.
• Get your pot of water boiling for the pasta before you start your sauce. Once your sauce is almost done then cook your pasta so that your pasta isn’t waiting for your sauce to be done.

Cajun Chicken Alfredo FAQ

How should I store Cajun Chicken Alfredo?
If you have leftovers, I would store in an airtight container with a lid for up to a few days in the refrigerator. Alfredo Sauce is generally best served right away, so just know the consistency may change a little when reheated. Still delicious though!

Can I freeze this Cajun Chicken Alfredo?
You probably could, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The consistency of the sauce will probably be quite a bit different when defrosted.

How long will the Cajun Chicken Alfredo last?
It should be ok in the refrigerator if well covered for at least a few days.

Substitutions?
Instead of chicken, you could use your favorite meat or seafood such as crawfish, shrimp, crab, and/or andouille sausage. You can also use your favorite vegetables such as other peppers, broccoli, or even tomatoes. Instead of rotini you could use any kind of pasta such as fettuccine, linguini, penne, bowtie, tortellini, etc. Be sure though to adjust the cooking time when making any substitutions.

Can I use low-fat cream or cheese?
I wouldn’t recommend it because it can really change the taste and consistency of the Alfredo Sauce, however, you could use lower-fat milk or creams or Parmesan cheese but just know your Alfredo sauce may not thicken as much.

What should I serve with this Cajun Chicken Alfredo?
I would suggest serving this pasta dish with a salad and bread such as garlic bread or rolls. Additional vegetables such as green beans or even broccoli would also be a great side dish.

My Alfredo Sauce isn’t thick, what went wrong?
If you use full-fat heavy cream and good quality Parmesan cheese, your sauce should thicken or will thicken more as it cools slightly. For other tips, see my post on how to thicken Alfredo Sauce.

Other Pasta Recipes You May Enjoy

• Chicken Parmesan Baked Pasta – an easy twist on Chicken Parmesan and great pasta dish that can feed a crowd!
• Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad – a cold pasta dish full of flavor with chicken, vegetables, and buffalo sauce.
• Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Casserole – chicken cordon bleu in casserole form.
• Vegetarian Mediterranean Pasta – ready in 30 minutes!
• One Pot Deconstructed Lasagna – easy fast alternative to traditional lasagna.

Hope you like this tasty Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta recipe. Tell me in the comments about what veggies and/or meat you used in this simple dinner.

If you like this recipe you might also like this homemade Fettuccine Alfredo and Pesto Alfredo Spaghetti Squash Casserole.