Cajun Chicken Alfredo (Plus VIDEO)

Contents… Easy Cajun Chicken Pasta Recipe Ingredients How to Make It Alternative Ingredients Tips and Tricks Storage and Reheating Instructions What to Serve More Exquisite Pasta Recipes to Try Watch How To Make It

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 (seasoned with Creole-Cajun seasoning) are chicken, cream, cheese, and pasta. You can also add extra chili and bell peppers if you like to make it even more Cajun-style. It’s so easy that this pasta meal is deserves its place on the weekly rotation.

Recipe Ingredients

• 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.
• Creole Seasoning – easy to make savory mixture of herbs and spices. This seasoning is also added to add flavor to our 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 herb 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 and Parmesan – These guys add tang, a thick creamy texture, and a bold nutty flavor to the sauce, aside from it being 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.
• Parsley – sprinkle it on food for presentation and for the additional subtle leafy taste to highlight the flavor of the dish.

How to Make Cajun Chicken Alfredo From Scratch

Prep the Ingredients

• Cook the pasta according to package instructions, reserving a cup of pasta water. (Photos 1-2)
• Season the 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 – 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 the 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 – Remove chicken from the pan and keep warm. You may cover with foil while you prepare the Alfredo sauce.

Make the Cajun Alfredo Sauce

• Saute Seasonings – 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 7-10)
• Add Dairy – Reduce the heat and slowly whisk in cream, milk, and cream cheese. keep whisking constantly until it starts to thicken. (Photo 11-12)
• 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 the sauce with more chicken stock, pasta water, or water. (Photos 13-15)
• Add the Pasta – Season with salt, pepper, and extra Creole seasoning. Add drained pasta to the skillet. Mix well to fully combine. (Photo 16)
• Slice the Chicken – 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 finish. (Photos 17-18)
• Note: The sauce will thicken as it sits. So adjust accordingly.
• Serve the warm pasta with sliced Cajun chicken. Enjoy!

Alternative Ingredients

• Pasta – You can substitute the pasta with flat pasta like fettuccine or even thick spaghetti 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 you’re replacing.
• Zoodles – The shortened name for zucchini noodles that make a perfect keto meal. 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.
• Mushrooms – These guys have an excellent savory and meaty texture alternative for chicken breasts if you want to go vegetarian.

Tips and Tricks

1. Reserve pasta water because it adds flavor and can also work as a thickener for the sauce.
2. Slightly undercook pasta. The residual heat will continue cooking the pasta when you add it to the sauce.
3. Keep stirring while adding the cream.  This technique helps prevent the cream from curdling.
4. Simmer it on low. This is also to avoid curdling the sauce. The dairy-based sauce tends to curdle when the protein bind because of the high heat. Please don’t let your cream sauce boil.

Storage and Reheating Instructions

Storage

1. 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.
2. 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

1. 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 ⅓ 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.
2. From the freezer – let the Cajun Alfredo Sauce thaw in the refrigerator first. When it’s completely thawed, follow the steps for reheating from the refrigerator.

What to Serve With Cajun Chicken Alfredo

• Homemade Garlic Bread
• Sauteed Spinach
• Sauteed Mushrooms
• Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

More Exquisite Pasta Recipes to Try

• Shrimp Alfredo Recipe
• Chicken Alfredo
• Cajun Chicken Pasta
• Mac and Cheese

Watch How To Make It

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”ySeBm122″ upload-date=”2021-07-19T04:00:00.000Z” name=”Cajun Chicken Alfredo” description=”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! ” player-type=”collapse” override-embed=”false”]