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This chicken and shrimp Alfredo recipe has a flavorful creamy Cajun parmesan sauce that smothers tender pan-fried chicken and shrimp. It’s great with fettuccine!
You may also like my Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo or this Easy Shrimp Alfredo next.
Why you’ll love it
If you can’t make up your mind whether you want shrimp or chicken, this chicken and shrimp pasta is right up your alley. Why not do both? Despite having two different proteins in this dish, it’s actually very straightforward to make for an easy weeknight meal.
The Cajun-inspired Alfredo sauce packs a zesty kick, and the result is a restaurant-quality dish! The Alfredo sauce is based on my reader favorite Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce, which has the classic combo of butter, cream, and plenty of parmesan along with cream cheese.
What you’ll need
- Pasta – the traditional choice is to make fettuccine Alfredo, but use any pasta
- Chicken – we’re using chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces for faster cooking
- Shrimp – I use 31/40 count frozen shrimp. They cook fast, and plump and juicy shrimp make this Alfredo recipe stand out.
- Garlic powder and minced garlic – more savory depth
- Cajun seasoning – use low-sodium or no salt!
- Olive oil and butter – for pan frying and the base of the sauce
- Heavy cream – it makes the texture of the sauce fabulous
- Cream cheese – to help the sauce thicken fast, makes it extra silky, and the tanginess offsets some of the heaviness that cream sauces have. It’s a game changer for Alfredo!
- Parmesan – always use freshly grated so it melts better
Helpful tips
- The cream cheese should be very soft, so I don’t recommend skipping the softening step.
- I recommend using a low or no-salt variety of Cajun seasoning because the quantity used in this recipe will make it too salty otherwise. My favorite low-sodium Cajun seasoning is made by Tony Chachere’s.
How to make chicken and shrimp Alfredo
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Let the cream cheese soften. Boil the pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, thaw and prep the shrimp. Cut the chicken into bites, and season them and the shrimp with the garlic powder and half the Cajun seasoning. Heat up the oil in a skillet, then cook the shrimp.
Transfer the shrimp to a plate, then pan fry the chicken until cooked through. Add it to the same plate. Take the pan off the heat, and add in the butter, cream, cream cheese, remaining Cajun seasoning, and garlic. Return to the heat, and stir until combined.
Let it bubble gently until reduced to your liking. Stir in the parmesan cheese, then return the shrimp and chicken to the pan. Taste, and add salt & pepper if needed. If it’s too thick, add a splash of hot pasta water. Toss with the drained pasta, and enjoy.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Grating your own parmesan ensures it’s tastier and melts better. I use this zester to grate it from a block.
- Use a large skillet to give the chicken pieces a bit of space so that they brown nicely vs. steam.
- You don’t need to peel the garlic if you use a garlic press to mince it, and this butter dish has easy markings to measure it out.
Substitutions and variations
- You could use cooked/rotisserie chicken if you have some on hand! In that case, I would reduce the olive oil to 1 tablespoon (that’s plenty to cook the shrimp). Stir it in right at the end so it doesn’t get overcooked.
- This recipe is flavorful, but I would not consider it particularly spicy. If you want to kick the spice up a bit, add some crushed red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Here’s a standalone Cajun Alfredo Sauce recipe with no protein.
What to serve with chicken and shrimp Alfredo
- I like to top it with chopped fresh parsley, a squeeze of lemon juice, and extra parm.
- This is total comfort food right here, so you may want to serve this pasta dish with a side salad. Try my Homemade Italian Dressing, 10-Minute Caesar Dressing, or simple Parmesan Arugula Salad.
- Or go all out and make some of my Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread!
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftovers of this chicken shrimp Alfredo in the fridge for 2-3 days in an airtight container.
- Reheat slowly over a low heat so that the shrimp aren’t overcooked.
- I don’t recommend freezing leftovers of this one.
More easy pasta recipes
If you made this chicken and shrimp Alfredo, please leave a star rating and review below! You can also tag me on Instagram if you made this or any S&L recipe.
Cajun Chicken and Shrimp Alfredo
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
- 2 chicken breasts cut into 1" pieces
- 1/2 pound shrimp (I used 31/40 size) thawed & peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon + 1/2 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (use a low or no salt variety)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese (I used 1/2 block of Philly)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Take the cream cheese out of the fridge 30+ minutes prior to starting the recipe (or microwave it for 20-30 seconds).
- Boil a salted pot of water for the pasta and cook it al dente according to package directions.
- If the shrimp are frozen, thaw them under cool running water. Peel them (leave tails on if you want). Pat shrimp dry. Cut the chicken into 1" pieces. Sprinkle the shrimp and chicken with the garlic powder and 1/2 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning.
- Add the oil to a deep skillet over medium-high heat, and once the pan is hot, cook the shrimp for about 3 minutes (flip once), then transfer them to a plate.
- Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for 5-6 minutes or until cooked through, stirring occasionally (let it brown a bit). Transfer it to the same plate as the shrimp.
- Take the skillet off the heat and add in the butter, cream, cream cheese, remaining 1/2 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning, and garlic. Return the pan to the stove (reduce heat to medium), and stir for a couple of minutes until the cream cheese has dissolved in the sauce.
- Let the sauce bubble gently for about 2-3 minutes, or until it's slightly thickened.
- Stir in the parmesan and then add the shrimp and chicken back to the pan. Let it warm through for a couple minutes. Season with extra salt & pepper as needed.
- I like to add a splash of hot pasta water (a tablespoon or two) to the skillet prior to draining the fettuccine to thin the sauce a little (optional). Toss the drained pasta with the sauce and serve immediately. I like to add a little more grated parmesan and some chopped parsley. A squeeze of lemon is delicious too!
Notes
- Cajun seasoning can be very salty, and the quantity required for this recipe can contain too much salt, so I encourage you to use a no-salt or low-sodium one.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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What a beautiful dish – made this last night and it was very tasty and smooth. The cajun adds a bit of zing, and the bite sized chicken pieces are the perfect size alongside the shrimp. Had a toasted garlic and cheese crostini and they paired well. Leftovers tonight with your caesar salad. Yum!
Thanks so much, Carol! 😀
Can this be frozen for later use?
Hi Frances! See “leftovers & storage” in the blog post.
I don’t have any cream cheese, but ido have a jarred Alfredo sauce. Can
I use this as is but with the Cajun seasoning?
Hi David! You could try. Just be sure to use a low sodium Cajun seasoning since jarred Alfredo sauce is already pretty salty.
Hi there! I have a question about the servings. I’m trying to figure out how much I should make. So at the top of the measurements list it there are buttons to click for portion sizes. They read “0.5x” “1x” Are those to select how many servings or portions I’m making? I How many servings would I get clicking “1x”?
Hi Caleb! The number of servings are shown at the top of the recipe card. In this case it’s 4. So 1X = 4 servings. 0.5X would be 2 portions. Hope this helps!
Hey! Thanks so much! (Late reply sorry!)
I remember when I posted this back in December, You’ve done a FANTASTIC job on this recipe! My family ATE THIS UP! It was literally gone THAT night! Haha
I have a recipe for home-style smothered chicken that I would like to share! How do I post a recipe on here? This inspires me!