Cajun Chicken Alfredo


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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.

Close up of cajun chicken fettuccine in slow cooker.

Cajun chicken 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. My recipe is from scratch – no jarred Alfredo. Has just the right amount of heat and creaminess. The slow cooker makes great southern meals, also try my new recipe for Swamp Potatoes.

Ingredients for cajun chicken fettuccine with text.

Key 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.

How to Make Cajun Chicken Alfredo

  1. Cook the chicken in seasoned broth until tender.
  2. Shred the chicken, then stir in cream, parmesan, and cooked pasta.
  3. Let it warm through until the sauce thickens and everything is well combined.
Fork in cajun chicken fettuccine in slow cooker.

Tips & 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.

Pasta Swap – You can use penne pasta instead of fettuccine noodles for a heartier noodle.

Add Veggies: To make this a complete meal, add steamed broccoli or frozen peas to the pasta just before serving.

Cream Swap: 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.

Cajun Seasoning: 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.

Plate of cajun chicken fettuccine.

Why isn’t my Pasta Spicy?

Cayenne pepper loses its potency the longer it’s been on the shelf, or it may not be as spicy as other brands. You can add additional cayenne pepper after the dish is done cooking for more Cajun spice.

Fork in cajun chicken fettuccine in slow cooker.

Cajun Chicken Alfredo Recipe

4.08 from 42 votes
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 8
Tender chicken in a cajun spiced sauce cooked in the slow cooker with fettuccine noodles added.
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How to Video

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!

Nutrition

Calories: 605kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 210mg | Sodium: 660mg | Potassium: 679mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1590IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 1.9mg

Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

Made this recipe? Leave a comment below!

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Recipe Rating




216 Comments

  1. Dixie says:

    Could I make in the oven ?

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      I have not tested it in the oven, but I’m sure there is a way.

  2. Alex says:

    Had to add more heavy cream then it calls for, for it to become a sauce. Definitely has a kick to it!

  3. Gary says:

    Just curious. Why didn’t the people that thought the recipe was bland just add some spices saute some onions, peppers, whatever. Seems like a no brainier to me. Why serve something you find bland when your able to change or add stuff???. A recipe is not written in stone. Use your brain that GOD gave you. Good cooking=good eating. Just my opinion.

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      Thank you!

  4. Melisa says:

    Can you use a pot on the stove?

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      I don’t see why not!

  5. Kourtnie says:

    1 star
    This recipe is very bland, there is no sauce. I followed the EXACT recipe. It is only chicken and fettuccine noodles. We are very sad this didn’t work out and now are having to cook a second dinner after getting it ready all day. My spices are not expired as well after reading other comments. Not Cajun whatsoever.

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      Add more seasoning and more cream if you need to, it’s fixable. Did you use heavy cream?

  6. Molly says:

    Can I use frozen chicken with this recipe?

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      Hi! I don’t recommend using frozen chicken in any of my recipes.

  7. Lacie says:

    5 stars
    Really enjoyed this recipe! Very easy to make. I actually set my crockpot on high, for 3 hours and the chicken just fell apart! I added shredded Parmesan but realized the grated (powdered) parm helped the sauce thicken, A LOT better. I do like that the seasoning isn’t overpowering and that you can modify it to your liking. I eyeballed my seasonings and added more than what the recipe called for. Also sprinkled more parm and cayenne, on my bowl, after I fixed it. It was a nice touch! Very delicious! Thank you for sharing. 🙂

  8. Caitlin says:

    5 stars
    I have made this a few times and today my husband requested it for dinner tomorrow night. I have modified it slightly to cook in the instapot saving me time and with that I haven’t had any issues with the sauce and it turns into a one pot meal!

    1. Cait Lewis says:

      I was looking for someone to say this! I want to try this tonight but just found it while I’m at work what did you do for the instantpot?

  9. SAH momma says:

    2 stars
    I was excited to try this recipe, I followed it exactly except for one item I was out of, fettuccine noodlss.. so I improvised and used egg noodles. There was NO sauce. This turned into pasta with shredded chicken for me. I have no idea what I messed up. Pasta was cooked to directions on bag.. I did not want to mess this up, especially making it for my family the first time. They were kind and said it was OK.

    1. Susie says:

      Egg noodles soak up everything and aren’t made for a recipe like this. You’d have to have twice the sauce to compensate. I think that’s where you went wrong. It’s not really fair to give a poor rating because of this.

  10. Amber says:

    With gluten free pasta still thicken the sauce enough?

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      I’m unsure. I’ve never used gluten free pasta.