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One of my most popular restaurant copycat recipes, Cajun Chicken Alfredo gets an extra punch of flavor from broccoli, homemade cajun seasoning, and a creamy homemade Alfredo sauce. All of this can be yours after just 10 minutes of prep time!
Nearly every popular chain restaurant has their own version of Cajun Chicken Pasta. And although it’s probably cliche at this point, I can’t deny it’s downright irresistible. There’s something about the combination of spicy, savory, and creamy pasta that just works.
Chewy noodles, an alfredo sauce flavored with cajun spices, bite-sized pieces of chicken… it’s such a delicious dish! My version gets a boost of veggies by way of Blanched Broccoli, so we can call it a healthy dinner idea, right?!
This is one of those recipes that fills you soul with cheese and love, and will likely become a repeat feature on your family dinner menu.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Penne pasta: Or another medium-cut pasta variety, such as fusilli, farfalle, mafalda, cavatappi, or rigatoni.
- Chicken breast cutlets: To use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of cutlets, butterfly chicken breasts completely in half to make cutlets.
- Homemade Cajun seasoning: To make this spice blend recipe, in a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons paprika, with 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon thyme, and 1 tablespoon onion powder. You can also buy a store-bought mix; either way, you’ll just need 2 to 3 tablespoons, depending on your spice preference.
- Dry white wine: Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, or Viognier; take your pick. For an alcohol-free option, use ½ cup vegetable broth or chicken broth instead.
Step by step instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Remove pasta and reserve pasta cooking water in the pot.
- Return pasta cooking water to boil. Add broccoli and blanch until just tender and bright green, about 1 to 2 minutes. Immediately drain and plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and set the color.
- Meanwhile, sprinkle both sides of the chicken generously with cajun seasoning. In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering.
- Add chicken to skillet in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until the temperature on an internal thermometer reaches 165 degrees, about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer clean baking sheet or oven-safe plate, cover with foil, and place in oven to keep warm.
- Clean skillet if desired (see note 2). Return skillet to stove and melt butter until foaming over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Whisk in wine to deglaze the pan. Simmer until sauce has reduced by half, about 2 minutes (your pan is hot at this point so it should go pretty quickly).
- Whisk in cream and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Fold in parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper).
- Return pasta to skillet and toss gently to coat. In a skillet or in a large warmed bowl, pile broccoli on top of pasta, top with chicken, and garnish with more parmesan cheese.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This chicken Alfredo recipe makes six generous entree-sized servings. With protein, vegetables, a starch, and dairy in the mix, it’s practically a one-bowl meal. Add a side of breadsticks, if desired, to complete the restaurant copycat experience.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The pasta can be cooked a day in advance. Drain well and store in a zipper-top plastic bag in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature or rinse with hot water and drain well before adding to the skillet.
- Customize your dish: I love broccoli here, but blanched or steamed bell peppers would be a welcome addition (maybe choose red peppers for the color?) You can also substitute juicy chicken thighs for the chicken breast, or try a pinch of oregano or red pepper flakes for extra spice.
- Chicken Broccoli Alfredo: Skip the cajun seasoning and follow the rest of the recipe as written.
- Cajun Chicken for Meal Prep: If you’re planning for healthy lunches or dinners during the week, Cajun Chicken (or Blackened Salmon) makes a great entrée. Pair it with Brown Rice or cooked Quinoa and your favorite vegetable (I love Roasted Butternut Squash or Roasted Radishes).
- Mardi Gras: Does Cajun Chicken make you want to celebrate Fat Tuesday? I’ve put together 30+ Mardi Gras Recipes to help you celebrate. Begin with Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce, Fried Okra, or Hush Puppies. Add a Muffaletta sandwich with Dirty Rice, a bowl of Chicken Gumbo, or Shrimp Étouffée. Finish your meal with a sweet treat such as Bananas Foster, a pile of Beignets and coffee, or some crunchy Pecan Pralines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. Simply omit the chicken or trade-in white beans for a vegetarian restaurant copycat or shrimp for a Lent-friendly rendition.
Italian for “to the tooth,” this refers to cooking pasta so it still has a little bite to it. We often call for al dente pasta when it is put over heat again, as it is once tossed with the Alfredo sauce in this homemade pasta recipe. (You can also try your hand at more al dente adventures in Spaghetti Carbonara, Seafood Pasta Salad, Spaghetti alla Puttanesca, and Tuna Noodle Casserole.
This is not mandatory! If you don’t clean it, the flavorful bits and spices from cooking the chicken will season the Alfredo sauce. It will also turn the sauce beige in color. If you prefer a milky white sauce, clean the skillet before proceeding with Step 6. Otherwise, save time and skip it.
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Cajun Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli
Ingredients
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound penne pasta (see note 1)
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 pound chicken breast cutlets (see note 2)
- 2 – 3 tablespoons Homemade Cajun Seasoning or store bought (see note 3)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine such as Chardonnay (see note 4)
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 8 ounces Parmesan cheese shredded, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Remove pasta and reserve pasta cooking water in the pot.
- Return pasta cooking water to boil. Add broccoli and blanch until just tender and bright green, about 1 to 2 minutes. Immediately drain and plunge in to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and set the color.
- Meanwhile, sprinkle both sides of the chicken generously with cajun seasoning. In large skillet, heat oil until shimmering.
- Add chicken to skillet in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until the temperature on an internal thermometer reaches 165 degrees, about 5 minutes on each side. Transfer clean baking sheet or oven-safe plate, cover with foil, and place in oven to keep warm.
- Clean skillet if desired (see note 2). Return skillet to stove and melt butter until foaming over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Whisk in wine to deglaze the pan. Simmer until sauce has reduced by half, about 2 minutes (your pan is hot at this point so it should go pretty quickly).
- Whisk in cream and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Fold in parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper).
- Return pasta to skillet and toss gently to coat. In skillet or in a large warmed bowl, pile broccoli on top of pasta, top with chicken, and garnish with more parmesan cheese.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Penne pasta: Or another medium-cut pasta variety, such as fusilli, farfalle, mafalda, cavatappi, or rigatoni.
- Chicken breast cutlets: To use chicken breasts instead of cutlets, butterfly chicken breasts completely in half to make cutlets.
- Homemade Cajun seasoning: To make this spice blend recipe, in a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons paprika, with 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon thyme, and 1 tablespoon onion powder. You can also buy a store-bought mix; either way, you’ll just need 2 to 3 tablespoons, depending on your spice preference.
- Dry white wine: Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Gris, or Sauvignon Blanc; take your pick. For an alcohol-free option, use ½ cup vegetable broth or chicken broth instead.
- Yield: This chicken Alfredo recipe makes six generous entree-sized servings. With protein, vegetables, a starch, and dairy in the mix, it’s practically a one-bowl meal. Add a side of breadsticks, if desired, to complete the restaurant copycat experience.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Hi Meggan,
If there are a lot of leftovers, do you think it could be frozen and reheated? If so, how would you recommend reheating?
Thanks!
Caitlyn
Hi Caitlyn, I haven’t tried to freeze and reheat this Cajun Chicken Alfredo, sorry about that! If I were, I would freeze the alfredo separately from the broccoli and chicken, reheat in the microwaving making sure everything reaches 165 degrees internally, and make fresh pasta so it’s not mushy. I hope this helps! – Meggan
This was Exactly what I needed! Finally got my husband to try something new. He said I finally made something he will eat. (BTW he never tries anything) my kids loved it (they eat everything). I did make tiny change adding only part of wine to deglaze & mushrooms. Added mushrooms to broccoli before adding rest of wine & finishing sauce. Delicious. Thanks
SO GREAT!!! Thank you Heidi. I 100% agree about adding mushrooms, that’s brilliant. I used to always go to this one specific restaurant in Wisconsin because they had mushroom alfredo, but I digress. I’m so happy that you tried the recipe and everyone ATE IT. That’s really what it’s all about. Especially picky husbands, they’re always causing so much trouble. And good job raising kids that eat everything. My daughter (3 years old) is like that because I learned my lesson with my son (6 years old). I didn’t continue to force him to eat new things and now it’s so much harder. Anyway. Good job, so happy about all of this, and thank you for letting me know!!
Hi Meghan, I didn’t see your recipe for homemade Cajun seasoning. Did I miss something? Thanks
Hi Kathleen, I’m so sorry about that! It was supposed to be linked in the recipe card (it was linked in the story of the post and in the related posts below, but it was supposed to be in the actual recipe card too and was not). Sorry about that! Here’s a link and thanks for letting me know: https://www.culinaryhill.com/homemade-cajun-seasoning/
Thank you. Perfect for a week dinner. Have a very happy holidays !