If you love pasta, look no further! This Cajun Chicken Pasta Alfredo joins my Million Dollar Macaroni and Cheese, Baked Penne, Classic Lasagna, Cheesy Tortellini Al Forno and Cheesy Taco Pasta Bake as a richly satisfying and decadently delicious pasta bakes that will be on repeat!
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CAJUN CHICKEN PASTA ALFREDO
This Cajun Chicken Alfredo recipe is inspired by one of my favorite readers Stephanie. She commented that she made my Million Dollar Chicken Alfredo but with a Cajun spin with sautéed chicken, veggies, sliced andouille sausage with sliced smoked Gouda in the middle. She said, “It was straight up delicious! The Cajun spin was swoon worthy and will be on repeat 🙂.” So, thank you Stephanie! This recipe wouldn’t be created without you! Cajun seasoning with its paprika, garlic, pepper, cayenne forward flavor profile is a match made in heaven with Alfredo. It’s flavorful kick cuts through the decadent sauce and the pops of juicy Cajun chicken, spicy sausage, and crisp tender bell peppers is divine. You can serve the Cajun Chicken Pasta Alfredo straight from the skillet or go one step further and line the center with smoked gouda, per Stephanie’s recommendation. Smoked gouda is smoky, buttery, and creamy with sweet and salty notes – AKA one of my favorite cheeses in the world. It adds a hidden layer of decadence with its dreamy, creamy center surrounded by Alfredo slathered noodles. You can also customize the heat of this Cajun Chicken Alfredo – so don’t be fooled into thinking this pasta might be too spicy – just flavorful. Lastly, this Cajun Chicken Pasta Alfredo is make ahead friendly – just assemble it in the morning and pop it in the oven at night and enjoy your lazy yet lavish dinner!
Cajun Chicken Alfredo Ingredients
This Cajun Chicken Alfredo is loaded with chicken, andouille sausage, bell peppers, and onions all enveloped with an irresistible homemade Alfredo sauce, of course! Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
Cajun spice mix: Use your favorite store-bought mix or make your own. Store bought mixes vary in salt and heat so make sure to taste the pasta before you pop it into the oven and adjust to taste.Chicken: You can use breasts or thighs cut into large bite-sized pieces – comes down to personal preference here. Sausage: I prefer using andouille sausage for that authentic Cajun flavor. The sausage is juicy and spicy and definitely a highlight in the dish, so I don’t recommend skipping! Pasta: My favorite pasta shape for baked pasta casseroles is cellentani. It is also known as cavatappi, amori, spirali, or tortiglione and should be sold at most grocery stores. It is type of hollow macaroni with scored ridges. Both the hollowness and the ridges area ideal to capture creamy sauces – and I just love the texture of the shape!Butter: Use unsalted butter so we can add salt to taste OR reduce the salt in the recipe if using salted butter.Onion and bell pepper: Adds flavor and a pop of color. You can use any color bell pepper you have on hand although I prefer red because it’s the sweetest. All-purpose flour: Thickens the sauce beautifully by creating a roux.Chicken broth: Is more flavorful than just milk or heavy cream. Make sure you use low sodium broth so your homemade Alfredo sauce isn’t too salty.Half and half: Is sold next to the heavy cream and milk and is equal parts milk and cream. I often don’t have half and half on hand but I usually stock heavy cream, so I will make my own half and half. To make your own half and half for this chicken Alfredo sauce, you would need 1 ½ cups milk and 1 ½ cups heavy creamCheese: I used a mixture of mozzarella, Parmesan, and smoked Gouda for layers of flaVOR and cheesiness. Smoked Gouda can be found with the specialty cheeses.
Ingredient Substitutions
Sausage: You may use andouille chicken sausage if you prefer. Butter: If you’re looking to lighten up this recipe, you can use half butter and half olive oil. Pasta: You can swap in medium-short sturdy pastas such as penne, fusilli, rotini etc. You can use classic pasta, whole-wheat pasta, gluten free pasta.Flour: You may substitute with gluten free flour.Half and half: You may substitute with evaporated milk mixed with 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch.
How spicy is Cajun Chicken Pasta Alfredo?
You will need 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning to season the chicken then 1-3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning for the sauce. 1 teaspoon will make the sauce mild but it becomes medium with the pops of spicy Cajun sausage – this heat level should be perfect for most people. If you are omitting the sausage, you will definitely want to add more than 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning – just season the sauce to taste.
How to Make Cajun Chicken Alfredo
This Cajun alfredo pasta has a couple extra steps, but it’s so easy to make. Here are the basic steps:
Cook the pasta. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions, just until al dente. Cook the sausage and chicken. Sprinkle the diced chicken with the Cajun seasoning, then sauté in an oiled skillet until mostly cooked through. Transfer to a plate, then add the sausage to the same skillet and cook each side until browned and crispy around the edges.
Make the alfredo sauce. Sauté onions and bell peppers for a few minutes in melted butter. Add garlic and flour, then cook to get rid of the raw flour smell, about two minutes. Gently whisk in the half and half, broth, and additional Cajun seasoning. Simmer until thickened, then stir in the Parmesan, chicken, sausage, and pasta.
Dig in or assemble At this point, you can serve the pasta straight from the skillet or proceed to make it a casserole. For the latter, transfer half the pasta mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish. Cover with sliced or shredded Gouda. Top with remaining pasta mixture and sprinkle with mozzarella.
Bake the pasta. Bake the Cajun Chicken Alfredo until bubbly and heated through.
Tips for Making Cajun Chicken Alfredo
Don’t chop chicken too small: The chicken should be chopped into 1-inch cubes, erroring on the side of larger so they remain juicy and are harder to overcook.Dab chicken of excess moisture: Before adding the seasonings, take a paper towel and pat the chicken dry so the seasonings stick well and so your chicken will sear instead of just steam – this is especially true if you are using frozen, defrosted chicken which will release excess moisture.Sear chicken, don’t cook: Remember we are just searing the chicken in the skillet, it will finish cooking in the oven. You don’t want it cooked all the way through initially or it won’t be as juicy. Use freshly grated cheeses: Freshly grated Parmesan is a key ingredient to any Alfredo Sauce. For best results and the BEST Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta recipe, use ONLY freshly grated Parmesan cheese. You don’t want to use the powdered or pre-shredded cheese. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is much more flavorful and melts more easily, same goes for the mozzarella.Don’t burn sausage. Depending on the heat of your skillet, your sausage can take more or less time to cook than instructed, so monitor closely because it can burn quickly.Don’t overcook the pasta! The pasta is going to continue cooking in the oven so it’s important to not overcook it initially. I recommend testing your pasta about 2 or 3 minutes before the box recommends – pasta should be al dente – meaning it should still be a little firm in the center/ have a “bite” to it. Stop pasta from cooking. Strain and rinse your pasta with cold water to prevent it from continuing to cook. Prevent pasta from clumping. If you’re not using the cooked pasta right away, toss it with a little olive oil. This will prevent it from sticking together.Cook the flour for two minutes. Two minutes can seem like a long time but don’t cut it short – you want to make sure to cook out the raw flour taste. Thin sauce if needed. Homemade Alfredo sauce can become too thick if it’s simmered at too high of heat or for too long. But don’t worry, it’s SO easy to fix! Simply stir in a little milk or chicken broth until it reaches desired consistency.
Recipe Variations to Try
Skip the baking and extra cheese. This Cajun Chicken Pasta Alfredo doesn’t have to be baked! It can be served straight out of the skillet without the Gouda or mozzarella. Granted, this means you are missing these dynamic flavors, but it’s still delicious. Swap protein. Swap the chicken for ground chicken, chicken sausage, lean ground beef, shrimp or even tuna! You will want to cook these proteins completely before adding to the pasta with 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning. Skip the protein. You can instantly turn this pasta into a side dish by omitting the protein.Add veggies. Other possible veggie additions include petite peas, zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, spinach, etc. You will want to sauté or roast the veggies before adding to the pasta. An easy method is to add them to the boiling pasta the last couple minutes of cooking. You can also stir roasted veggies such as roasted broccoli, roasted cauliflower into the sauce at the end of cooking. Swap cheese. Smoked Gouda is heavenly with Cajun flavors but you may also use a hidden layer of provolone, cheddar, mozzarella, etc.Add panko topping. There are two ways to add panko: 1) sprinkle panko over the top of your casserole and spray lightly with cooking spray; bake according to directions then broil; 2) for the CRUNCHIEST panko topping, I recommend toasting it in a skillet first – life changing. To do this, melt 2 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet. Add ¾ cup panko and stir and cook until the panko becomes golden brown. Evenly sprinkle over Cajun Chicken Alfredo and bake according to directions.Make casserole gluten-free. To make this recipe gluten free, use your favorite gluten free pasta and gluten free flour. Half the recipe. This Cajun Chicken Pasta Alfredo is quite filling, so if there’s just a couple of you at home, you might want to halve the recipe. To do this, simply halve all of the ingredients and bake in an 8×8 casserole dish.
Can I Make Cajun Chicken Alfredo in Advance?
Yes! You can make and assemble the Cajun Chicken Alfredo a day in advance and refrigerate (without baking), or make the sauce ahead and/or pasta ahead of time. Here’s a breakdown of your options:
Option 1: Assemble and refrigerate
Take care that your noodles are cooked al dente and are rinsed in cold water so they don’t keep cooking.Take care the Alfredo Sauce isn’t too thick as it will thicken more sitting in the refrigerator.Assemble Cajun Chicken Pasta according to directions up until baking.Tightly cover with foil and refrigerate.Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.Bake according to directions or until completely warmed through.
Option 2: Make alfredo sauce in advance
You can make the Alfredo sauce up to 3 days in advance.Refrigerate it in an airtight container.Gently heat in a large skillet before using, adding additional milk as needed to thin to desired consistency.
Option 3: Make pasta in advance
You can cook the pasta al dente up to 5 days ahead of time.Rinse pasta with cool water.Toss with a drizzle of oil to prevent it from sticking together. Transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag and squeeze out excess air.Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Option 4: Make chicken and sausage in advance
You can season and sear the chicken up to 3 days ahead of time then refrigerate in an airtight container.You can also cook the sliced sausage 3 days in advance and store in the fridge in an airtight container.
Can I Freeze Cajun Chicken Alfredo?
Yes! You can freeze Cajun Chicken Pasta Alfredo that is baked or unbaked. You can make it just to freeze OR eat half and freeze the leftovers OR portion it into two 8×8-inch casserole dishes and eat one now and freeze the other. You could even portion it out into individual portions once baked and just microwave to reheat. So, how well does this Cajun Chicken Alfredo pasta freeze? It freezes pretty well because the base is a roux and not just half and half. That being said, the cheese can become a little grainy, but still delicious. So, expect delicious – just not fresh out of the oven perfection. For best results, I recommend freezing unbaked pasta casserole (pasta is less mushy), but both methods will work.
How to freeze uncooked Cajun chicken alfredo (recommended)
For best results, I recommend freezing unbaked Cajun Chicken Alfredo because the pasta only bakes ones instead of twice, which means more al dente pasta.
Take care to cook pasta al dente.Assemble according to recipe directions in a freezer safe dish.Wrap casserole dish all the way with two layers of plastic wrap.Cover the plastic wrap with one layer of aluminum foil.Label accordingly. Freeze for up to 3 months.
How to freeze cooked Cajun chicken alfredo
Take care to cook pasta al dente.Bake according to directions in a freezer-safe dish.Let cool on the counter for one hour.Cover the casserole with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill completely before freezing (this will prevent an unpleasant texture).Cover the casserole tightly with a second layer of plastic wrap all the way around the dish followed by one layer of aluminum foil.Label.Freeze for up to 3 months.
How to cook Cajun Chicken pasta alfredo from frozen
Do NOT defrost before baking – this will result in the best texture (vs mushy).Remove plastic wrap from the casserole and cover tightly with foil.Bake covered at 350 degrees F for 1 hour.Uncover and bake an addition 10-15 minutes or until hot in the center.
How to Store and Reheat Cajun Chicken Alfredo
This pasta bake can be stored in the fridge for up to five days. To reheat individual servings, I recommend using the microwave and heating for 30-second intervals. For larger servings, heat in a 350 degrees F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until bubbly.
What to Serve with Cajun Chicken Pasta Alfredo
Salad: This Cajun Chicken Pasta Alfredo is decadently creamy so it pairs nicely with a fresh salad. It is delicious with Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Ranch, Cucumber Tomato Salad, Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette, Apple Salad, Fall Salad or Italian Green Bean Salad.Veggies: This indulgent pasta pairs well with roasted or sautéed veggies such as Roasted Parmesan Broccoli, Roasted Parmesan Asparagus or Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Garlic, Lemon, ButterFruit: You can go simple with grapes or melon or we love Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette in the summer or Winter Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Poppy Seed Vinaigrette in the fall/winter.Bread: Every pasta needs bread to mop up the delectable sauce. This Cajun Chicken Alfredo is tasty with Garlic Bread, Garlic Parmesan Butter Breadsticks or Soft and Fluffy Dinner Rolls.
Looking for More Easy Pasta Dinners?
Million Dollar Chicken Alfredo Bake Spaghetti BologneseEasy Baked RisottoManicottiFettuccine AlfredoCheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch PastaSun Dried Tomato PastaSkillet Cheesy Meaty PenneSkinny Fettuccine AlfredoParmesan Meatballs and Orzo
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