One pot wonder Cajun chicken alfredo is a lightened-up copy-cat version of a similar dish from Red Lobster. It’s pasta and chicken in a spicy alfredo sauce.
Red Lobster has a Cajun chicken linguini alfredo that my husband likes to get when we eat there. It’s got pasta and chunks of chicken in a garlic parmesan alfredo sauce that’s been kicked up with Cajun spices. It’s delicious, don’t get me wrong. But, the calorie count on that dish is through the roof.
I came up with my own version of this creamy pasta dish. But, I made it with much fewer calories and fat than the original. And, it’s a one pot wonder. So, all the ingredients, even the pasta, get cooked together in one pot.
One pot wonder Cajun chicken alfredo has pasta and chunks of chicken in a spicy alfredo sauce, like the original. But, this is a lightened up version that’s simple to make at home.
I’ve come up with several one pot wonder recipes over the past year and there are a few things I’ve learned along the way.
My previous one pot wonder recipes make a lot of food. While you can reheat these pasta dishes, they’re just not as good reheated as when they’re fresh. So, this recipe calls for half the pasta of previous recipes.
Also, you can add everything to the pot at one time, including the raw chicken. But, the chicken tastes better when you sauté it first. This process adds about 5 minutes of cooking time to the recipe. But, I think it’s totally worth it.
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One Pot Wonder Cajun Chicken Alfredo Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite size chunks
- 2 tsp. Cajun seasoning I used Weber N’Orleans Cajun
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk I used 2%
- 8 oz. dried fettuccini pasta half of a 1 pound box
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large pot (or large high sided skillet). Place over medium-high heat for two minutes. Add the chicken and the Cajun seasoning. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic. Cook 1 minute, stirring often.
- Add the broth and milk. Break the pasta in half and add it to the pot. Cover and bring to a rapid, rolling boil, stirring occasionally. *Note: Watch the pot carefully during the beginning of the cooking process as milk tends to boil over easily.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the pasta simmer, covered, for 8-13 minutes. Stir every 2-3 minutes to prevent sticking. Cook until there is ¼ to ½ inch of liquid in the bottom of the pot.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Check out all of my great chicken recipes.
Is the chicken precooked?
This was alright. The sauce never got creamy and it didn’t taste at all like the Red Lobster dish. I make a homemade version of that dish often, but tried this since it’s low calorie.
So im making this now and it has been simmering but its not creamy at all…. Its more watery. Will the sauce ever thicken? If not what do i do?!?!
Know this is late but anytime i make a dish and want it creamier or to thicken it i just whick a little bit of cornstarch with water to make a paste, think papermache, then add a little at a time to the boiling pot. Thickens in no time and doesnt alter taste
Can i use a non dairy milk such as almond milk? 3 people in my family of 6 have dairy intolerances.
Using half fat strong cheese makes it even healthier in the fat stakes. Its a lot of garlic , I halved that.Added some mushrooms & peas for colour. Very easy dish.
I did not think this was going to come out as good and flavorful as it did! Even though this recipe has no Alfredo sauce in it.. It’s a delicious and healthy (or healthier) recipe. I didn’t have any chicken broth so I decided to make my own vegetable broth. I boiled 1.5 cups of water and added some slices of onion, bell pepper and sprinkled garlic salt. I let it simmer for about 35 minutes. Then I just strained out the onion and bell pepper. This is a great alternative if you don’t have chicken broth.
So….do you precook the chicken?
I made this tonight all in one it was awesome thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you so much for the recipe. I needed something simple like this to prepear in my drom room on aregular basis. You made my drom life a bit more bright, i thank you for this. I have just one question what are basics of a cajun spice mix? I have all the basic indian spices and was hoping to mix them rather then buying a whole new spice mix. Thank you for your help.
Hi! My parents are cooking dinner and since I’m not a huge fan of it, they told me I could make my own dinner, then they gave me some chicken breast.
I searched chicken breast recipes on Pinterest, and this came up. It’s so good, the only difference is I made my own cajun seasoning, because where I live there’s not cajun seasoning, I don’t know what goes in the packed seasoning but mine had cumin, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder and oregano.
I really liked this recipe. I’m definitely going to make this again!
Thank you so much!
Yummm! i just had this for dinner however i only used 1/2 tsp of Cajun seasoning and only a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese as I’m not huge fan of either and it was still amazing!
Can this be made in the pressure cooker?
And if so how long?
Thanks
Would this work well if doubled? Was thinking of making it for a church carry-in dinner..
Such a great dish, thank you!! I actually made this for a potluck tonight, but it was so good that my roommates persuaded me to keep it at home for us instead..haha 🙂 will definitely make again!!
Made this tonight and loved it! I only had skim milk so to make it creamier I used 1/4 cup heavy cream and 1/3 skim milk. Great recipie!
We are a family of five teens/adults and could easily polish off a whole box of pasta. Plus, we love leftovers! The chicken lo mein recipe is about the right size for us so do you have a suggestion for this recipe if I wanted to use the whole box of pasta? I’m not sure exactly how to adjust the liquids and spices, especially with the milk. Thanks.
I cook this dish with about 2-3 leaves of basil finely chopped in the last few moments of cooking time and allow it to marry with the rest of the flavors, finally topping it off with more basil as a garnish…Excellent!!!
I attempted this tonight and it was well received by all. I really did not go into it thinking I would change anything I was only going to increase it by a full box of pasta and just double the liquid to accommodate. But when I went to the store I found Louisiana Cajun infused broth by Swanson and used that instead of chicken broth. It was yummy. I also added an onion thinly sliced. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks Joyce! I haven’t seen Cajun infused broth in my stores yet. That sounds like it would be awesome in this dish! I’m so glad you liked it!
I’m cooking it right now using the Cajun infused broth! It smells so good!
I LOVE the One Pot Wonders! I will be trying this one very soon! All your recipes that I have tried have been so delicious, my family is excited to try more. Recipes like this one are great to “hide” veggies in. I think I will add some cauliflower or broccoli to this one.
Have you ever tried One Pot Wonders with rice?
Thanks for your great ideas!!
Nicole,
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you and your family have enjoyed some of my recipes!
Broccoli and cauliflower are great addition ideas 🙂
I do have one recipe that is a One Pot Wonder using rice. It’s One Pot Wonder Chicken Enchilada Bowls. Check it out here http://www.thewholesomedish.com/one-pot-wonder-chicken-enchilada-bowls/
Hope you like it!
Great tips on one pot wonders! My kids will LOVE this!
Thanks Serena! Hope you like it!
Ummmmm YES. This will be happening in my house. Soon. Thank you 🙂
Lol! Thanks Jen! Hope you like it.