Creamy cajun chicken fettuccine alfredo is a perfect meal for any weeknight. You can make a homemade cajun alfredo sauce and tender chicken in the slow cooker, then add cooked fettuccine noodles to complete the dish.
If you are looking for a plain chicken alfredo recipe, try my crockpot chicken alfredo recipe.
This slow cooker Cajun chicken fettuccine was one of those recipes that changed after the ingredients were bought. I had planned to make a dish called chicken lazone, but decided to add a few more Cajun seasonings, then add pasta and Parmesan cheese to the pot at the end of the cooking time, along with the cream.
Cajun chicken alfredo pasta is a great spicy recipe for pasta night! This pasta has a bit of a kick to it, mainly from the cayenne. It was a nice change from my regular pasta recipes.
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken – Use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this dish. They shred up perfectly.
- Seasonings – Make a homemade cajun seasoning blend with cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. You can add more cayenne pepper for a bolder cajun flavor.
- Chicken broth – This is the base of the sauce and will help keep chicken breast moist during the cooking process.
- Heavy Cream – Makes the dish creamy and helps thicken it, don’t use half and half or milk.
- Parmesan Cheese – This adds flavor to the creamy alfredo sauce. You can use shredded parmesan cheese or grated parmesan cheese.
- Fettuccine Noodles – A classic noodle for cajun chicken pasta.
Step One – Add the chicken broth to the slow cooker. Add the seasonings to the chicken broth and stir. Add the chicken breasts to the broth.
Step Two – Add the onion on top of the chicken.
Step Three – Cook on low for 6 hours.
Step Four – Shred the chicken with two forks right in the slow cooker.
Step Five – Add the heavy cream.
Step Six – Add the cooked and drained fettuccine noodles and a 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese.
Step Seven – Stir gently.
Step Eight – Add additional parmesan cheese, parmesan, paprika, and parsley (or oregano) on top—Cook for an additional 20 minutes. Serve the alfredo pasta with salad and bread sticks.
Variations
- Shrimp – Add shrimp 15 minutes before the cooking time is done. Shred the chicken, add the cream and noodles and cook for the 20 additional minutes still. Make sure the shrimp is cooked through.
- Andouille sausage – You can add one pound of sliced andouille sausage at the beginning of the cooking time.
- Penne Pasta – You can use penne pasta instead of fettuccine noodles for a heartier noodle.
Recipe FAQs
You can use two teaspoons of cajun spice seasoning (such as Tony’s Chachere’s Creole Seasoning) instead of the different seasonings in this dish. Don’t add any more, for it can be on the salty side.
Cayenne pepper loses its potency the longer it’s been on the shelf, or it can sometimes not be as spicy as other brands. You can add additional cayenne pepper after the dish is done cooking for more cajun spice.
You can add a block of cream cheese to this dish instead of heavy cream. You can add it at the beginning of the cooking time or microwave it for 30 seconds before adding the dish at the end of the cooking time.
To make this a complete meal, add steamed broccoli or frozen peas to the pasta just before serving.
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Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Fettuccine
Ingredients:
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. dried leaf oregano
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 small white onion diced
Add at the end:
- 1 lb. fettuccine noodles cooked according to package directions
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese divided
- dried parsley or oregano for garnish
- paprika for garnish
Instructions:
- Add the chicken broth to the slow cooker, add the cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir.
- Add the chicken breasts and flip them around in the seasoned chicken broth to get the seasonings on the chicken.
- Sprinkle the onions over the chicken and broth.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- After the cooking time is done, shred the chicken with two forks right in the slow cooker. Add the heavy cream.
- Add the cooked and drained pasta and a ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese. Stir.
- Sprinkle over the remaining parmesan cheese. I added a touch more paprika and also parsley flakes to the top of my pasta to make it look pretty. Cover and cook for 20 more minutes. Cooking for a bit longer helps the sauce thicken from the gluten in the pasta.
- Serve and enjoy!
How to Video:
Sarah’s Notes:
- To make this a complete meal stir in steamed veggies into the pasta with the noodles at the end of the cooking time.
- You can add a block of cream cheese to this dish instead of heavy cream. You can add it at the beginning of the cooking time or microwave it for 30 seconds before adding the dish at the end of the cooking time.
- Cayenne pepper loses its potency the longer it’s been on the shelf or it can sometimes not be as spicy as other brands. You can add additional cayenne pepper after the dish is done cooking to taste.
- You can use two teaspoons of cajun spice seasoning (such as Tony’s Chachere’s Creole Seasoning) instead of the different seasonings in this dish. Don’t add any more, for it can be on the salty side.
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Joelle says
Cooking the chicken as we speak—at the end when everything needs to cook for 20 minutes, are you cooking it in the crockpot on low setting still?
Sarah Olson says
Yes! 🙂
Curt says
I think I’m going to try cutting the recipe in half since there are only two of us and my Instant Pot is pretty small. If I still cook it on low, would I need to change the cook time or will it be about the same?
Anonymous says
Can I start with frozen chicken breast
Ashley says
I used frozen chicken breasts. I only had 5 hours instead of 6. Followed everything else the same. Turned out amazing.
Ms Red says
I am making this right now. Thanks for the recipe.
Laura Doege says
Would it be okay to cut the cook time in half on high?
Sarah Olson says
3.5-4 hours on high would work fine.
TSR says
Do you think this would be good without the Parmesan cheese? Thanks!
Sarah Olson says
I think so!
Jill says
I’ve made this a few times and it’s very good. I actually add a little more spice since my family likes more. I also feel the cream dilutes it a bit. My issue is it never gets thick enough.
Jill says
This is the same for me. I just can’t get it to thicken :/
Anonymous says
It was great!
Dina Mata says
Can you use chicken stock instead of chicken broth?
Sarah Olson says
Yes!
Michelle says
If I were to use gluten free pasta how can I still get it to thicken at the end ?
Kristi says
This recipe is delicious! We have it for dinner every couple of weeks. I find it is seasoned perfectly according to the recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Anna Fay says
Do you think it would be okay to use half n half instead of heavy cream. Its told me either or on a different recipe and its all I have
Sarah Olson says
I will be thinner, but would work fine.