Spicy and creamy copycat Chili’s Cajun Alfredo Chicken Pasta topped with juicy, seasoned chicken will have you staying in to whip up this dish in just 30 minutes!
Chicken and pasta Mondayyyyyyyyy. It’s a thing. As of now.
Have you tried the Cajun alfredo pasta from Chili’s?? So good. The end.
Okay not the end because I have more to say about this recipe. I recreated it using my favorite Cajun seasoning mix. I’ve been using it for the past couple of years and luuuuuuuv it. If you have a store-bought Cajun mix in your pantry already, that’s fine, use it! But if you don’t, then you should definitely whip up my quick and amazing homemade version. I included it in the notes of the recipe.
That seasoning makes a double appearance in this recipe which makes me one very happy Cajun-spice lovin’ gal. Not only is that juicy chicken seasoned with it, but it’s in the alfredo sauce. You can’t even really appreciate how incredible that is until you make this dish. But when you do….
HAPPY DANCE.
All of this happens in just 30 minutes so you have zero excuses not to have Cajun alfredo pasta on your menu this week. Do it! You’ll be so glad you did.
What people are saying about Chili’s Cajun Alfredo Chicken Pasta
“I made this tonight, and my husband and I loved it. He says he’d rather eat this than Chili’s!” – Megan
Chili’s Cajun Alfredo Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning - divided (see note)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 ½ cups milk - (I used fat free half and half)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅓ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 tomato - diced (see note)
- cilantro - roughly chopped
Instructions
- Cook penne noodles according to package’s instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Slice chicken in half horizontally so that you have 4 thin pieces of chicken. Season chicken on both sides using 1 tablespoon of the Cajun seasoning. Cook in a greased pan or skillet over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side until cooked through.
- In a medium sauce pan melt butter over medium-high heat. Add flour and stir until mixture clumps together. Gradually whisk in milk until lumps dissolve and mixture is smooth. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and remaining cajun seasoning. Add cheese and stir until melted and incorporated into the sauce.
- Toss sauce with the cooked penne noodles. Slice chicken and place on top of pasta, then sprinkle with chopped tomatoes and cilantro.
I’m a huge fan of the chili’s version and I will say: THIS TASTES WAY BETTER. So simple and easy to make with so much flavor!! It’s a staple in my collection of recipes.
This was delicious but almost unbearably spicy for both me and my husband – and we usually like a little spice! I used Tony Chachere’s original creole seasoning, which we love but the recipe called for a LOT of it (I doubled everything to have leftovers.) The flavor was incredible though so obviously we still ate it – 3x haha – and just struggled through! I made it again tonight and cut the spice in half and it was much more palatable for us but just as yummy. I also did red bell peppers instead of tomatoes (as the OP mentioned she did) and added black beans and roasted broccoli for a little bonus veg. I recommended this recipe to all the cooks in my family and friend group and it’s been a resounding hit! Definitely going to be in my regular rotation (with slight mods for us wimps.) Still giving 5 stars because it’s not the recipe’s fault we couldn’t handle the spice! Thank you for sharing!