This one-pot Cajun Chicken Alfredo is a comfortingly creamy and spicy pasta dish. It’s so easy that you don’t even have to break a sweat to make the sauce. It’s just pure cream, milk, cheese, and creole-cajun seasoning. Saucy goodness in one meal!Â
I’ve already made a lot of recipes and sauces that pair really well with pasta and some that are even eaten on their own or as salads like in this 10 Easy Summer Pasta Recipes.
Now I’m at it again with this Cajun Chicken Alfredo, simply made the Immaculate Bites’ way. But don’t worry too much about this being heavy for your diet because I got options for you in the alternatives section below as well as tips for making this dish an easy one.
Easy Cajun Chicken Pasta
A Chicken Alfredo with a twist of Creole-Cajun Seasoning. How does that sound to you?
You can also say that it’s Immaculate Bites’ version of Chicken Alfredo. A spicier approach to the classic Chicken Alfredo that’s smooth and creamy even without making a roux.
Its main ingredients (that are seasoned with Creole-Cajun seasoning) are chicken, dairy products, and pasta. You can also add extra chili and bell peppers if you like to make it more Cajun style of cooking.
This pasta meal is fairly easy enough to make on a weekly rotation. Basically, you just need to cook your creole seasoned chicken in a pan, then in the same pan, you will make the creamy smooth Cajun Alfredo sauce. Then add the pasta and let it sop up all the sauce. Serve it with the sliced chicken and that’s it!
Recipe Ingredients
Cajun Chicken Alfredo
- Linguine Pasta – a kind of flat pasta that has narrower strands than Fettuccine and it really goes well with creamy sauce.
- Chicken Breasts – when cooked properly, this lean meat absorbs more flavor. It also becomes tender and juicy.
- Salt – season the chicken with salt first, because the creole seasoning is salt-free. This is so you can adjust the seasoning and saltiness according to your taste.
- Creole Seasoning – easy to make savory mixture of herbs and spices, this seasoning is also added to add flavor to our Alfredo sauce.
- Cooking Oil – for cooking the chicken breast and also to keep and fuse the flavors into the oil.
Cajun Alfredo Sauce
- Butter – well, this is to add that buttery goodness to the dish.
- Garlic – adds that fragrant savory flavor to the food especially when it’s cooked.
- Thyme – this lemony, savory, and aromatic herbs gives contrast to the rich creamy flavor of the sauce, thus making it more delicious!
- Heavy cream – This is a classic ingredient for creamy sauces like this one. It also adds a richness of flavor to the food.
- Milk – gives a subtly sweet and rich flavor to the sauce.
- Cream cheese – adds tang and a thick creamy texture to the sauce.
- Parmesan cheese – adds a bold nutty flavor to the sauce, aside from it’s a must ingredient in making creamy savory sauce like this.
- Chicken stock – a flavorful liquid using chicken as its primary ingredient for flavor. Also, add it to the dish to adjust the consistency of the sauce.
- Salt and pepper – these are very important because they also enhance the flavors of ingredients in a dish and the food itself.
- Parsley – sprinkle it on food for presentation and for the additional subtle leafy taste to highlight the flavor of the dish.
Alternative Ingredients
- Ribbon Pasta – you can substitute the pasta with another flat pasta like Fettuccine and Pappardelle. Because wide and flat pasta is ideal for creamy sauces. The heavy cream sauce sticks well to the flat ribbons of pasta compared to the round-shaped spaghetti.
- Yogurt – use this in place of cream cheese or heavy cream, it’s packed with protein plus it’s fat-free. Substitute with an equal proportion to the ingredient that will be replaced.
- Roux – make a roux with butter and 2 tablespoons of flour to thicken the sauce. If you make this one, then you have a choice to omit the heavy cream in the ingredients.
- Zoodles – the shortened name for zucchini noodles. If you don’t want the calories of the pasta then zoodles are a healthier option. Substitute by weight of the pasta needed in the recipe.
- Mushroom – you can either add it or substitute chicken with it in the recipe. Mushrooms are a really good savory and meaty texture alternative for chicken breast.
- Almond Milk – you can substitute this nutty and creamy liquid for dairy milk if you are lactose-intolerant. Use it with the help of roux (just oil and flour) to get the desired consistency of the sauce. Make an equal proportion to substitute for dairy milk.
Tips and Tricks
- Reserve pasta water. Because it adds flavor and it also works as a thickener for the sauce. You won’t need to add extra cream if you have this ready.
- Slightly undercook pasta. The residual heat will continue cooking the pasta even for the rest of the ingredients. That is when you drain the pasta and when you rest and soak up the pasta in the Cajun Alfredo sauce.
- Keep stirring while adding the cream. Â This technique is used to prevent the cream from curdling.
- Keep it on a low simmer. This is also to avoid curdling the sauce. The dairy-based sauce tends to curdle when the protein starts to bind because of high heat cooking. Don’t let your cream sauce boil.
- Make a roux. Yes, you’ve seen it as an alternative but it also works as a stabilizer to prevent the cream sauce from curdling.Â
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Storage
- Refrigerate Cajun Chicken Alfredo for 2-4 days. It’s better If you can put the pasta, cream sauce, and chicken in separate airtight containers.
- Freeze Cajun Alfredo sauce for 3 months. Put it in a freezer-safe airtight container just ¾ of the container to give room for the sauce because it will expand as it freezes.
Reheating
- From the refrigerator – heat up a little amount of milk in a pan (depending on the weight of the food that you want to reheat or â…“ cup milk for 500g Cajun Chicken Pasta) then add in Cajun Chicken Alfredo and continue cooking with a low-slow heat until it’s ready. Keep stirring while reheating.
- From the freezer – let the Cajun Alfredo Sauce thaw in the refrigerator first. When it’s completely thawed, do the steps for reheating from the refrigerator.
What Goes with Cajun Pasta?
More Pasta Recipes
How To Make Cajun Chicken Alfredo From Scratch?
Cajun Chicken Alfredo
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions, reserve 1 cup of pasta water. (Photos 1-2)
Prep the Chicken
- Season the sliced chicken. Pat dry the chicken with a paper towel. Season chicken with salt then rub both sides with Creole seasoning and set aside. (Photos 3-4)
- Cook chicken to a golden brown. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown for about 4-5 minutes on both sides or until golden brown and chicken has been cooked through. Be very careful with the chicken, it shouldn’t burn. Clean the pan if any major burns occur. (Photos 5-6)
- Set aside the chicken. Remove chicken from the pan and keep warm. You may cover with foil while you prepare the Alfredo sauce.
Cajun Alfredo Sauce
- Saute the herbs and spices. In the same pan, add butter, let it melt then add garlic, thyme, and creole seasoning. Stir for about a minute or until fragrant. (Photos 7-9)
- Carefully add other dairy products. Reduce the heat, slowly whisk in cream, milk, and cream cheese. keep whisking constantly, until it starts to thicken. (Photo 10)
- Add Parmesan and adjust the sauce consistency. Stir in parmesan cheese and mix just until the sauce is smooth or until everything is well combined. Pour in chicken stock. Cook over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes or until it thickens. Adjust the thickness of sauce with more chicken stock, pasta water, or water. (Photos 11-12)
- Mix in the pasta to the sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and extra creole seasoning. Add drained pasta to the skillet. Mix well to fully combine. (Photo 13)
- Soak the pasta in the sauce. Turn off the heat and let it rest for 5- 7 minutes in order for the pasta to soak up some of the sauce. You can start slicing the cajun chicken while waiting for the pasta to be ready. (Photos 13-14)
- Note: The sauce will thicken as it sits. So adjust accordingly.
- Serve the warm pasta with sliced Cajun chicken. Enjoy!
Watch How To Make It
Cajun Chicken Alfredo
Ingredients
Cajun Chicken Alfredo
- 8 oz (100 g) linguine pasta, cooked according to package instructions, reserve 1 cup pasta water
- 2 chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) Creole seasoning
Cajun Alfredo Sauce
- 1 tablespoon (14 ml) cooking oil
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons (2 g) fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) Creole or Cajun seasoning, (salt free)
- ½ cup (120 g) heavy cream
- 2 cups (480 ml) milk
- 2 ounces (60 g) cream cheese
- ½ cup (50 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) chicken stock / broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- parsley, for garnish
Instructions
Cajun Chicken Alfredo
- Pat dry the chicken with a paper towel. Season chicken with salt then rub both sides with creole seasoning and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown for about 4-5 minutes on both sides or until golden brown and chicken has been cooked through. Be very careful with the chicken, it shouldn’t burn. Clean the pan if any major burns occur.
- Remove chicken from the pan and keep warm. You may cover with foil while you prepare the Alfredo sauce.
Cajun Alfredo Sauce
- In the same pan, add butter, let it melt then add garlic, thyme, and Creole Seasoning. Stir for about a minute or until fragrant.
- Reduce the heat, slowly whisk in heavy cream, milk, and cream cheese. Keep whisking constantly, until it starts to thicken.
- Stir in parmesan cheese and mix just until the sauce is smooth or until everything is well combined.
- Pour in chicken stock. Cook over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes or until it thickens. Adjust the thickness of the sauce with more chicken stock, pasta water, or water.
- Season with salt, pepper, and extra creole seasoning. Add drained pasta to the skillet. Mix well to fully combine.
- Turn off the heat and let it rest for 5-7 minutes in order for the pasta to soak up some of the sauce. It is important to note that sauce thickens as it sits.
- Remove slice chicken and serve with pasta.
Tips & Notes:
- Reserve pasta water. Because it adds flavor and it also works as a thickener for the sauce. You won’t need to add extra cream if you have this ready.
- Slightly undercook pasta. The residual heat will continue cooking the pasta even for the rest of the ingredients. That is when you drain the pasta and when you rest and soak up the pasta in the Cajun Alfredo sauce.
- Keep stirring while adding the cream.  This technique is used to prevent the cream from curdling.
- Keep it on a low simmer. This is also to avoid curdling the sauce. The dairy-based sauce tends to curdle when the protein starts to bind because of high heat cooking. Don’t let your cream sauce boil.
- Make a roux. Yes, you’ve seen it as an alternative but it also works as a stabilizer to prevent the cream sauce from curdling.Â
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
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