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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.
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.
SO good. Made this for Valentine’s Day with my boyfriend. Have made so many Half Baked Harvest recipes, but this may be at top of the list. Delicious!!
Hey Lydia,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was a hit! xT
We loved it so much, my second time making it instead of chicken I went with shrimp, and it was just as delicious. Really great recipe, my family and belly thank you!!
Hey Jesse,
Happy Friday!!❤️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it was delish! xT
One of her BEST recipes by FAR!!
Hey Deanna,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you:)
Delicious recipe and easy to make. Only note, I did use the same pan however I discarded some of the brown bites from cooking the chicken before making the pasta sauce (and I will likely do the same next time). Other than that it was fantastic, and will definitely be making again! Can’t wait to try other recipes 🙂
Hey Carly,
Awesome!!🌼 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and appreciate you giving it a try! xT
I’m confused about this recipe. “Turn the heat off and pour over the lemon juice.” I’m assuming what you mean is to turn the heat off and pour the lemon juice over the chicken in the skillet?
Then, “Cook 1 minute, until fragrant, then pour in the broth and milk.” I don’t see milk in the recipe, I’m assuming you meant the cream?
Also, 1 1/2 cups plus 2T parmesan, how do you. want the parmesan? There’s a huge difference between grated on small holes of a grater and microplaned into fine ribbons? Do you have a weight measurement?
Thank you.
Hi Sylvie,
Yes, turn the heat off and pour the lemon juice over the chicken. Milk or cream will work here, totally up to you. I used grated parmesan. Sorry, I don’t have a weight measurement. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Making this tonight…ingredients list says one cup heavy cream, instruction #4 says, “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.”
Is it milk or heavy cream? My guess is either, thought heavy cream would better blend with the cheese and broth for a thicker sauce, so thinking it is either a rewritten update or typo? Or is milk really preferred?
Thanks!
Hey Katie,
Sorry for any confusion, you can use milk or heavy cream, totally up to you, some readers like to have the lighter option of using milk. I hope you love this recipe! xT
I made this for my picky family, and everyone loved it. So good!!!
Hi Ryan,
I am delighted to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and appreciate you giving it a try! Have a great weekend:)
I used milk instead of cream and it was a soupy mess 🙁 such a bummer as I was looking forward to this.
Hi Courtney,
So sorry to hear this! Let me know if you give this another try using cream:) xT
Hi! Your recipe list links shredded parm, but from reading comments you responded to people’s cheese clumping issues by saying to make sure to use grated. Just fyi 😊
Thanks for letting me know Lynsey! Either one will work here, you just want it to be freshly grated or shredded, if you can avoid the bagged stuff:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
It was incredible!!! 100% will make again, and it would be a great meal to cook for company. I will say the sauce was kind of watery, so I added a little flour which solved the problem!
Hey Michelle,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you:)
Holy yum!
Hey Lynsey,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xT
Would coconut milk work for a dairy free option? Would love to try this!
Hey Jules,
Sure, coconut milk would work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
This was the absolute BEST meal I ever made at home! I made it for New Years Eve and also made some homemade pasta to go with it. It turned out so so good, this will be on repeat for us!
Hey Emily,
Happy New Year!🎆🎈 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
We live this recipe and have made it at least three times!
I’m having trouble getting the parmesan cheese to melt evenly. Instead it’s clumping up; sticking to the spatula, too.
I thought I’d followed the directions carefully…
Any suggestions? Thanks.
Hey Ann,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Are you using freshly grated parmesan? I would recommend trying that! xT
Made this recipe last night up here in the cold mountains of Blue River, CO and it was amazing! I could just eat the pasta alone! Love your recipes and have 2 of your books.
Merry Christmas
Hey Judy,
Happy Holidays!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! Thanks so much for your kind message! xx
The sauce was too watery. I am all in favor of less fat, but it didn’t work for me. On the recipe that I printed, it had 1 1/2 of parmesan in the ingredient list and then the recipe directions said to add 3/4 c. parmesan. Since I wasn’t sure which one was correct, I erred on the side of caution and did the 3/4 cup. That probaby contributed to the watery sauce. Now I noticed that the revision has 1 1/2 c of parmesan in both places. I thought it was OK but I did not like it well enough to keep the recipe, which I tossed.
Hi Linda,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. My guess is the lack of parmesan affected the dish for you. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! x
Sensational. My husband sent this recipe to three groups of people after I finished cooking the chicken, and it was even better when the pasta was done. Perfect as is!
Hey Jessica,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃