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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
This recipe was amazing!!! We have loved every one of your recipes and I have made most of them. Always look forward to the next one. Thank you Tieghan, we are such a fan!!!
Hey Dawn,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it! ☘️xx
Made this tonight. Was excellent. Entire family enjoyed it. Every recipe has been just awesome.
Hey Christine,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it! ☘️xx
Love the the flavors in this recipe!
FYI. Milk/cream/half and half/whipping cream can seize if heated too quickly (added while the pan is still too hot, or if you turn up your heat too high suddenly). Just let the pan really cool off, and warm it slowly, remembering to stir consistently. Sometimes when a cream sauce is “broken” it can resolve by stirring/simmering more (not always). One commenter thinks you can’t get a thick sauce from anything but cream… untrue! You can use plain old whole milk (even with broth added) and still get a nice thick sauce if you let it simmer down.
Hey Miranda,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it! ☘️xx
I had the same issues with the sauce as most others commented! I believe my issue was I still had the sauce at a simmer when adding in the cheese. I read this article I pasted below and seems like I should’ve cut the heat back before adding in cheese?
Will likely try again as the flavors of the chicken and what I could salvage from the sauce were great!
https://wewantthesauce.com/why-is-my-alfredo-sauce-grainy/
Hey Megan,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it! I like to keep my heat high while adding cheese, but you could certainly try it the opposite way to see how that goes! ☘️xx
I’m a university student and just made this for the first time last night. It was so good, especially the chicken! It was probably the best thing I’ve made! So easy and so delicious! The only issue I had was that my sauce wasn’t totally smooth and creamy, it was a little grainy from the parmesan I guess?
Hey Beth,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it! It’s key to allow the sauce to bubble and get really hot before adding the cheese and then really whisk when adding the cheese. ☘️xx
Very good home made Cajun rub. I love smoked Paprika, all ingredients made for an authentic Cajun rub. ( Life in Louisiana) I used a trusted Alfredo sauce, surprisingly store bought. Fried chicken as your recipe suggested with home made Cajun rub. Having never tried Cajun Alfredo, I cleaned fry pan saving some of the pan fry rub, and 1 of the prepared chicken thighs to add to Alfredo sauce and extra Parmesan cheese to taste. When I felt that was right for my taste, I added some more chicken and pasta, it was really good. I cut up another prepared chicken thigh and topped a plate portion. It was delicious. As a Cajun said to me “Makes a baby whale wanna slap it’s tail.” Those not used to heat of cayenne may want to add that to taste as well. The recipe steps as you laid out will be tried another day. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Perry,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go!! ☘️Tieghan
Just added another easy to make, but incredibly delicious, pasta dish to the rotation. Added a side salad with the Vegan Caesar dressing that is also on this site and it was a great complement.
Hey Jodie,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go!! ☘️Tieghan
I made this last night and it was very good. The only issue I had was that the sauce was not smooth and creamy. For some reason it seemed broken and I am wondering if the lemon juice did something? Anyway I would love to hear back from you for any tips because I sure I would like to try this again.
I had the same issue! Wondering where I went wrong
Hi Lauren,
I am wondering if the sauce needed to bubble a little longer:)
Hey Suzanne,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go!! I would try letting the sauce bubble a little more to avoid it breaking. ☘️Tieghan
As someone who typically reaches for a can of alfredo sauce at the grocery store, hear me when I say that you MUST try this recipe. Super simple, easy, and SO delicious. We didn’t have fettucine noodles so we subbed for rigatoni. It’s a nice twist on a classic that freshens up the taste buds. Definitely recommend.
Hey there,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go!! ☘️Tieghan
This was absolutely delicious! I opted to use only heavy cream in place of the milk and broth after reading the comments. I used a good parmesan cheese and grated it myself. This is definitely worth making again and again! Thank you!
Hi Amy,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go!! ☘️Tieghan
I made this last night and I was very happy with it! The chicken alone was delicious, but cooking up the sauce in the same pan was incredible. I did and up using heavy cream instead of milk, but no other substitutions. Follow the instructions exactly and it will be delicious!!
Hi Rachel,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I’m not a typically a chicken fettuccine fan but this was so easy and delicious. I used my own spicy seasoning blend, used 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup water for the milk and substituted 1 tbsp cilantro for the parsley which paired well with the seasoning blend! I used fresh grated parm and slowly added it into the simmering sauce while whisking to combine, no problems. Will definitely keep this on rotation for a quick weeknight dinner!
Making tonight and hoping to substitute coconut milk for the milk ?
Hi Melissa,
That will work well for you, I hope you love the recipe! xx
Hey Brittany,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
This was amazing and so flavorful! I used the homemade Cajun seasoning (with half the amount of cayenne so my 7 year old wouldn’t think it was too spicy) and that was just perfect. I’ll definitely be keeping that mix on hand! For the people complaining about the sauce… I used 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup milk and added one tablespoon of flour but honestly once I added the Parmesan I don’t think it even needed the flour. Also for those with clumping issues I used the jarred grated parm for the chicken and then just regular shredded parm for the sauce and it all melted down just fine! So so good, my family has loved every single recipe from here and I’ve been doing at least 2 a week for the last 2 months!
Hi Courtney,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Made this tonight and it was amazing! We loved it and will definitely be making it again!
Hi Alexa,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Flavors were great, had same issue with clumpiness and sauce not thickening… will make again with everyone’s suggestions
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try Marcela!!