Cajun Chicken Pasta
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Chili’s copycat recipe made at home with an amazingly creamy melt-in-your-mouth alfredo sauce. And you know it tastes 10000x better!
I honestly haven’t been to Chili’s in about 10 years, but this place really holds such good memories for me. I’ve come here with family on many occasions and I might have had my first real date here. No joke.
Hey, when you’re 16, Chili’s is the best date night you will get. And I wouldn’t mind it on a Friday night right now. After all, have you seen their blooming onion?
But this cajun pasta has always had my heart and soul. That creamy alfredo sauce just melts right in your mouth, complemented by the spicy kick of the cajun chicken topped with refreshing tomato chunks and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
The flavor combination is just perfect, and you can make it right at home in 30 minutes or less. That way you can have date night with the same restaurant-quality at home, in sweats, binge-watching Netflix. Done.
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream, or more, to taste
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, 1 tablespoon olive oil and cajun seasoning.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a cast iron grill pan over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Gradually whisk in heavy cream and lemon zest. Cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in Parmesan until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more heavy cream as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in pasta and gently toss to combine.
- Serve immediately with chicken, garnished with tomatoes and parsley, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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I’m making this tonight! I don’t have heavy cream.. Could I substitute with whole milk?
Yes, absolutely.
Dear Lord…… This is FANTASTIC!! I have never been able to find, or make, any alfredo sauce that tastes just like Chili’s (or Olive Garden). You have helped me get it just right and now I’m addicted! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us! Can’t wait to try more 🙂
I just tried this recipe and it was delicious. Thanks for sharing such tasty recipe with us . Creamy alfredo sauce is a main ingredient in cajun chicken pasta.
Thanks for sharing this delicious post!
I am dreaming this awesome dish and my mouth is full of water. I usually cook myself because of my foody nature but i always love pasta which cooked by my wife.
OMG!!!!! Sooooooooo Damn Delicious! I made this for dinner, and I sware my husband licked the plate! I used veggie penne instead of plain pasta, and I cut my chicken breast in half since they were so thick. This recipe is definitely going in the monthly rotation! I took a picture but I’m sure how to upload it though :/
Great recipe. The food tastes delicious!
Simply in love with pasta…. And combo of chicken to the pasta adds a different flavor to it. Surely going to try out this recipe.
Hi Chungah!
I am making this tonight, but am shredding the chicken (it’s in a crockpot now), because my husband (and myself if I’m honest) can be particular when it comes to chicken sometimes.
Should I toss the shredded chicken in the spices, or add the spices to the sauce? Thanks a bunch!
Shredded chicken in the crockpot – genius! You can toss the chicken right in the spices. YUM! 🙂
I will try this out tomorrow because it feels like yummy and delicious. I am big lover of chicken and all the stuffs made by chicken make me feel so hungry. by the way thanks for this !!! 🙂
My wife fixed this one. It was excellent. Much better the the local restaurants versions.
This looks incredible! I’m printing this one out and thinking of maybe adding some sriracha to it! I think that makes everything even better
This may sound funny, but as much as it tasted like Chili’s dish the first night;the left over the next day tasted exactly like it. And that is really really good!
Looking great and tasty toooo! thanks for sharing you`r recipe
http://nj-cook4you.nl
This is so good! I may not order this at Chili’s anymore because I can already make this at home. Thanks a lot!
Delicious! My entire family loved it and it was super easy. I used Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy and it was the perfect heat level. It’s a keeper!
I have made this several times and it’s amazing! My boyfriend and I make this at least once a month now. Love ^_^
Hi Chungah! Just wanted to tell you that I featured this recipe on my blog: http://adoseofsimple.com/2016/03/04/the-weekend-list-diy-dog-bed-leaf-wall-art-chicken-pasta/
Thank you for sharing. Your blog is awesome!
Pauline
So Damn Delicious! This will be making it into our rotation!
This looks so yummy, and I love the idea of the Cajun spices!
Made tonight for dinner and it was awesome! I’ve tried several of your recipes and they are always delicious.