A creamy classic gets a spicy twist! This Cajun chicken Alfredo is full of flavorful chicken, sweet sun-dried tomatoes, and of course cheese and cream. It’s a favorite in my house!
Hello Friends! I hope your Monday is off to a great start and that you had a great weekend.
Kyle and I had an abrupt awakening around 3am this morning thanks to one of our smoke detectors. As a lot of you may know, we haven’t lived in our house very long, so I only heard these smoke detectors when they were tested before we moved in. I had no idea what was happening when it woke me up – I was SO groggy and confused. Kyle on the other hand, starts going around the house checking for a fire.
I finally realized it was the smoke detectors when I hear the voice saying “fire!” “fire!” as part of the alarm. Kyle came back and reported there wasn’t a fire. He then proceeded to check the smoke detectors to see which one was the problem. The culprit was the detector in the guest bedroom and as he walked in to stop it, a spider crawled out. A SPIDER.
This would only happen to me.
If you know me at all, you know that I DESPISE bugs, especially spiders. Of course a spider would crawl into a smoke detector and set it off.
Once the spider was dead and gone, everything calmed down and it was time to go back to sleep. Well, I laid there for quite a while wondering how many other spiders are crawling around at night. ?
Needless to say, I’m a little slow moving today! But, let’s not let that get in the way of talking about Cajun Chicken Alfredo!
Creamy Alfredo sauce takes on a TON of flavor with blackened cajun chicken. If you love the classic fettuccine Alfredo and you love cajun chicken, you’re going to die over this one!
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This pasta dish is Kyle’s all-time favorite thing that I make. He requests it ALL the time. It’s always his birthday dinner, as well as any other special occasion. If I’m planning meals and ask him for some suggestions, this is always his top suggestion. He would eat this on a weekly daily basis if I let him. If calories didn’t count, I would totally eat this everyday! Luckily I have pretty good self-control and keep this for special occasions.
I really can’t believe it’s taken me this long to share this recipe. Better late than never, I suppose!
This recipe is basically just an Alfredo sauce amped up with blackened chicken and gets the addition of onions, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. Back when I first threw this recipe together, I used chopped fresh tomatoes. On one occasion I decided I wanted this pasta on a whim and didn’t have tomatoes. I ended up using sun-dried tomato bruschetta that I had in my pantry and LOVED the flavor it added. That stuck and is all I use now!
You can use regular tomatoes if you like, or if you can’t find the jarred sun-dried tomato bruschetta, just go ahead and chop up sun-dried tomatoes really fine. No matter what, it’s pretty darn delicious!
Cajun chicken Alfredo is definitely a gut-buster of a meal, but it’s pure comfort and just SO flavorful. I have a feeling as soon as Kyle sees this post, he’s going to request it again!
I know my mouth is watering just thinking about it! ?
Have a great week, friends!
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika
- 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Oregano
- ¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, optional
- ½ Pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, pounded thin*
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 (9 oz.) Package Fresh Gluten-Free Pasta OR Regular Fresh Pasta (or 12 oz. Dried Pasta)*
- 6 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Onion, peeled and very finely chopped
- 4 Garlic Cloves, peeled and finely minced
- ¼ Cup Jarred Sun-Dried Tomato Bruschetta, OR finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- ½ Cup Chicken Broth
- 2 ½ Cups Heavy Cream
- 2 Cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese, plus more for topping
- Handful Fresh Chives, finely chopped, optional for garnish
- Set a large pot of water on high heat and bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile, mix all the spices together in a small bowl. Lay the chicken breasts out on a work surface and sprinkle them evenly with the spice mixture – coating both sides completely.
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Once hot, add the chicken and turn the heat to medium. Cook the chicken until nicely browned – about 3 minutes per side for thin breasts. Remove the chicken to a plate, cover with foil, and set aside.
- In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add in the onions and garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until soft. Add in the sun-dried tomatoes and stir. Pour in the chicken broth and the heavy cream. Keep the heat on low and let the mixture come to a low simmer.
- At this point, your water should be at a rolling boil. Salt the water and add in the pasta. If you’re using fresh, it will only take 2-3 minutes to cook through. If you’re using dried, follow the recommended cooking time on the package.
- Drain the pasta and if you’re using gluten-free, rinse it with hot water. (You don't need to rinse regular pasta!)
- Add the pasta and cheese into the skillet with the cream sauce and toss to combine. Divide the pasta into serving bowls and top with fresh chives and more cheese, if desired.
- *I love fresh pasta in this recipe – if you can’t find fresh pasta, you can use dried. I’ve made this same recipe with Barilla Gluten-Free pasta (12 oz.). If you don’t need this to be gluten-free and want to use dried pasta, you’ll notice most come in 16 oz. boxes. You can use about ¾ of the box to equal 12 oz., or simply use the whole box and add more broth and cream while you’re tossing the pasta.
- *I like to pound my chicken breasts into cutlets so they cook quickly, but you can leave them as is if you want. Just remember they will take longer to cook, I'd recommend browning them on both sides and finishing them in the oven.
- *This recipe usually gives me 3 portions, depending on how hungry we are. I'd say it would feed 2 really hungry people, or 3-4 normal-sized portions.
This looks SO yummy, Keri! It doesn’t get much better than chicken alfredo, and this cajun version looks a billion times more delicious than the traditional! That spider story…oh my gosh. That sounds like it’s from one of my nightmares. I am TERRIFIED of spiders! Blech. At least you have this alfredo to make you feel better :).
Thanks Annie! Just the thought of a spider sends chills up my spine. Ughhh!
This pasta is delicious
We’re practically living on pastas at this time of the year! My daughter loves pasta and chicken too. I am sure, she will love this because of lovely colors, fun textures. And the flavor must be magnificent! Thanks so much for sharing this.
Anu – My Ginger Garlic Kitchen recently posted…Besan Stuffed Lauki Curry| Video Recipe
Thanks Anu! We love pasta too – so many quick and easy combos out there! 🙂
Hi, I love chicken so chicken with anything is welcome!
Jane Couric recently posted…Nutritional benefits of the strawberry fruits
Eeeek! I absolutely HATE spiders and other creepy crawly things! Thank goodness you have this yummy Cajun Chicken Alfredo to comfort you after that terrifying experience!
Right on! Nothing is more comforting than a big bowl of Alfredo! 🙂
I just made something similar. I left out the Cajun because we don’t like it. This sounds awesome. Can I make without Cajun?
Sure! I’d suggest seasoning the chicken with a mixture of dried herbs (like Italian seasoning) instead of the Cajun spices.
I’ve had similar problems with my smoke detectors recently. A few batteries went out; one started beeping for no reason at the convenient time of 3 am and I had a spider make a cute little nest in the detector in the kitchen. I’m the spider killer in my household, but it was still pretty disgusting and scary battling a relaxed spider in what it thought was its new home. This recipe looks amazing; I try to avoid Alfredo’s, but this one looks worth the calories. The addition of sun-dried tomatoes looks delicious, and I’m sure it adds a lot of flavor.
Looks like spiders must have a thing for smoke detectors! Haha. This Alfredo is definitely worth the calories – I just save it for special occasions! Thanks Mary!
Awesome recipe! I made this but added 1/3 cup of Romano cheese and layered it in a french loaf of bread. Very delicious!!! I have pics too but can’t add them!
Sounds great, Reni! If you have Instagram, you can tag me to see your pictures! @fashionablefoodsblog ?