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This simple Lemon Pepper Cajun Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo is a favorite with everyone. Classic, creamy fettuccini Alfredo with butter, garlic, and plenty of parmesan. Then topped with crispy lemon pepper cajun chicken. Every twirl of pasta melts in your mouth and the chicken adds a nice buttery, spiciness to every bite. It’s delicious.
Sometimes you have those recipes that you just know you’re going to love. I feel like this fettuccine will be that recipe for many of you. Creamy Alfredo pasta mixed with spicy, buttery cajun chicken, it’s a combo we all can love.
Simple, but wow, so good, and the chicken really does add so much flavor. What I said above really stands true, everyone loves this dish.
The inspiration
Growing up my dad often made fettuccini alfredo on Friday or Saturday night. It was always a special night when he made it because he didn’t make it that often. Or well, just not as often as he made say tacos. My dad has made a lot of tacos.
I loved alfredo night, it always felt so fancy to me. Looking back I didn’t realize just how simple it was, especially my dad’s Alfredo. He kept his basic with lots of butter, cream, and parmesan. He also added cream cheese, which made it extra rich.
I wanted to see if I could improve on his old skool, classic pasta. We love anything involving a little cajun seasoning around here, so adding in some cajun chicken sounded perfect.
The steps
Before starting the chicken boil off the pasta.
Next, toss the chicken in olive oil, homemade cajun seasoning (my recipe is in the notes), parmesan, and a big pinch of pepper.
Sear up the chicken in a skillet with some butter until it becomes deeply golden and crisp. Then pour over some lemon juice and let it sizzle around the chicken.
Nothing fancy, but the smells coming from your skillet sure will be delicious.
Now onto the pasta, this happens really quickly.
Use the same skillet you cooked the chicken in so you get all that yummy flavor. Add in a bit more butter and some garlic. Then pour in broth and milk (you can also use cream). I like to use broth and milk to create a still creamy pasta, but a pasta that has a nice amount of sauciness to it as well. It’s also a little lighter than using all cream or milk, so the alfredo isn’t quite as rich.
Once the sauce has thickened, stir in the parmesan and pasta. I like to use linguine, but fettuccini is obviously great too.
And that’s it! Serve the chicken over steaming bowls of creamy pasta and top with additional parmesan and fresh parsley. Yummmm!
This recipe is all about the creamy sauce and that crispy cajun chicken. The sauce is buttery, a touch garlicky, and so creamy. And the crispy chicken…it’s a game-changer. Tender and delicious when thinly sliced and tossed in with the pasta.
It’s one of those chicken pasta dinners that feels like a dish you’d order at a restaurant. But it’s made at home and is even more delicious. Trust me.
Looking for other weeknight dinner recipes? Here are some favorites:
Sheet Pan Greek Garlic Butter Chicken and Potatoes
Cajun Garlic Butter Shrimp with Creamy Pesto Pasta
Oven Fried Southern Hot Honey Popcorn Chicken
Lastly, if you make this Lemon Pepper Cajun Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Lemon Pepper Cajun Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 910 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 pound linguine or fettuccini
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 6 chicken cutlets or 1 pound tenders
- 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain.2. In bowl, toss together the olive oil, chicken, cajun seasoning, 2 tablespoons parmesan, and a big pinch of pepper. 3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large pan set over medium-high heat, add the chicken and sear until deeply golden on both sides, 5 minutes per side. Turn the heat off and pour over the lemon juice. Transfer to a plate.4. To the same pan, add 2 tablespoons butter, the garlic, and chili flakes. Cook 1 minute, until fragrant, then pour in the broth and milk. Whisk until smooth. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in 1 1/2 cups parmesan, then toss in the pasta. Cook 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. 5. Serve immediately topped with sliced chicken and parsley.
Notes
Homemade Cajun Seasoning: mix 2 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika, 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon black pepper. Makes 3/4 cup.
This post was originally published on March 7, 2022
LOVED IT! I used half and half rather than milk because I had some I needed to use. I wiped the pan of some of the seasoning after cooking the chicken. My pan was coated in cajun season bits. I was worried it was too much for my son (13). I still had lots of flavors, but next time I will leave it as it to compare. Easy to cook on a Monday 🙂
Hey there,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I’m having the exact same problems as many other reviewers- cheese clumped even when finely zested. Sauce never thickened. Almost flavorless but I followed it exactly. I’m a huge HBH fan and this might be the first that just didn’t work out.
Hi Allison,
So sorry to hear this!! The cheese needs to be whisked well and you need to use real parmesan cheese for this recipe. The sauce needs to bubble for 5 minutes to thicken. I hope this helps! xTieghan
So yummy! I made a homemade blend of spices to create the Cajun seasoning and refrigerated fresh fettucine. This was devoured!
Hi Megan,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I just made this! So incredibly indulgent but easy..and well, healthy! I used gluten free pasta and added a little roasty broccoli on the side for greens. I was scraping the bowl for every bit of flavor left. Will totally make again for a weeknight meal! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Amy,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I used parmigiano reggiano instead of parmesan and it clumped together. The milk broth mixture didn’t thicken. The chicken was absolutely delicious though, and I used the cajun seasoning described above since i did not have any. Great combination.
Hi Kristie,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear this. It’s really important to allow the sauce to bubble for 3-5 minutes in order for it to thicken. You want to make sure your cheese is room temp and the real cheese, not the fake stuff:) And then whisk, whisk, whisk, while adding it. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
Omg this was delicious! I have yet to try one of your recipes I don’t love! So good! And I am not a cook – not in the slightest – but this was easy enough I could make it! Well done girl!
Hi Liz,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
This recipe is delicious! Great spice and the creaminess of the noodles offsets the kick of the chicken. The only reason I didn’t give five stars is I used fresh grated Parmesan and it just didn’t blend well. It was super clumpy. I’ll try a different Parmesan next time and I can totally see this becoming a regular meal in our home. Yummmmm!!
Hi Sara,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
My sauce didn’t thicken and my cheese was clumpy. Didn’t work out here for us☹️
Hey Michelle,
So sorry to hear this. The key for the sauce to really allow it to bubble for 3-5 minutes. While adding the cheese, whisk well, and be sure to use real parmesan. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
We loved this recipe! My husband wants to make this again and again. And next time he wants to put some smoked turkey sausage in it… yum
Hi Heather,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Delicious! I love Alfredo sauce but never made my own; I’m definitely keeping this in my recipe box. The added spice from the chicken was a great balance.
I think I added too much butter when cooking the chicken so it didn’t have that seared look, but it still tasted delicious. I also had to use gluten free pasta, but didn’t take it out soon enough to avoid it getting mushy when mixing with the sauce. Thank you for adding the point about cooking it only to al dente!
Hi Maura,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Pretty darn good! Rich and creamy and just a little spicy… all good things! I’ve never been a huge fan of Alfredo sauce, but I would definitely make this again.
Full transparency, I made a couple of minor modifications. I used Dinosaur BBQ Cajun seasoning instead of making my own and used all milk instead of chicken broth.
I used pre-shredded parm, and had no problems with it melting. Just added it slowly like I would with any roux.
Hi Mary,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Have the best week:)) xT
My sauce curdled and was terrible. The chicken was great with the home made seasoning though.
Hi Kristen,
So sorry to hear this! Was there anything you adjusted in the recipe? Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Very good taste! BUT, I would advise against using milk. I let this simmer for 15 minutes and there was no thickening. I ended up having to use cornstarch. Was a bit frustrating. Overall, very good though once I got it to thicken!
Hey there,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear you had issues with the thickening. xTieghan
This turned out awful. Sauce never thickened and Parm clumped. Followed recipe to a T and had to toss it.
Hi Mariah,
Sorry to hear you did not enjoy the recipe. It is really important to totally allow the sauce to bubble for 3-5 minutes, then when adding the parm whisk really well, also real parm needs to be used, not the fake stuff. I hope this helps!! xTieghan
This one actually went way quicker and easier than I expected because it looks much more complicated than it is! The Cajun marinade on the chicken is perfect and the sauce is so delicious. Love this one and will definitely be making again!
Hey Danielle,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Have the best day:) xT
I think the type/brand of cajun seasoning really matters in this recipe and I didn’t like the brand I used. Someone mentioned not to use seasoning salt so I didn’t but mine was not salty enough and kept having to add more. Serve the pasta right away as it does not stay saucy very long after finishing.
Hi Lauren,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Please let me know if there is anyway I can help!! xTieghan
How do you get the cheese to blend and not clump? It tasted really good but cheese was clumpy ?
Hi Mimi,
You want to make sure your sauce is bubbling and then really whisk in the cheese well and be sure to use real parmesan, not the fake stuff. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
Excellent Recipe. I used $50 a pound Parmesan used a whisk and blended wonderfully. If you use an expensive ingredient on a first time recipe it’s like gambling if you lose you have to just take it with a grain of salt if you win hooray.
Thank you!
Hey Patricia,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Have the best week:)) xT