Dive into a world of bold flavors and creamy indulgence with our creamy Cajun pasta. ?️? Tender shrimp and chicken come together in a velvety cream sauce, tingling your palate with the perfect balance of spice and comfort. Quick and easy to prepare, this dish is sure to become a favorite in your recipe repertoire.
In a large non-stick skillet melt the butter over medium heat and cook shrimp until no longer pink, 3 minutes a side.
Set aside and cover.
In a large stock pot, or Dutch oven over medium heat, heat oil until shimmering over medium-high heat.
Brown chicken on all sides 5-10 minutes.
Check for doneness, internal temp of 165, and place chicken in a bowl and set aside.
Cook sausage 10 minutes, until browned.
Add the sausage to the chicken in bowl and cover.
Boil the Pasta
Meanwhile, prepare fettuccine according to package directions; drain and set aside.
Prep the Veggies
In the same Dutch oven that you prepared the chicken in, add onion, pepper, celery and butter.
Cook over medium heat 10 minutes, until vegetables are softened.
Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds longer.
Make the Roux
Stir in Cajun seasoning and flour, stirring to coat the veggies and absorb the liquid. It should form a paste like texture.
Cook 1 minute.
Make the Sauce
Slowly stir in chicken broth, whisking to avoid clumps, and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the Dutch oven as you whisk.
Increase heat to medium-high heat and bring to a boil for 1 minute.
Reduce to a simmer and stir in heavy cream and pasteurized cheese; stir to melt cheese.
Stir in reserved chicken, sausage, and pasta. Toss to coat evenly.
Add the shrimp to the Dutch oven.
Toss the pasta with the green onions & fresh parsley.
Allow to cool 5 minutes.
Garnish and Serve
Plate portions of the Cajun pasta on individual plates and garnish with fresh Parmesan cheese. Serve and enjoy.
Video
Notes
If your sauce isn’t as creamy as you’d like, save some pasta water from boiling the noodles and pour a little into the sauce. The starch from the pasta water helps to create an irresistibly creamy texture.
If you don’t like any of the proteins, chicken, shrimp, or sausage, you can substitute more of another. If not into chicken, add more shrimp and more sausage, and so on for other personal tastes. Just know adding extra andouille will add extra spice to the pasta.
Both diced chicken breast and diced chicken thighs work great in this recipe. We go with chicken thighs, as we find the dark meat maintains a great texture and doesn’t dry out or get rubbery in the pasta.
Andouille is a spicy Cajun sausage, kicked up with seasonings. To make this pasta milder, you can use mild sausage or substitute hot sausage if you can’t find andouille.
Use Velveeta. Seriously, it makes this recipe. But, if you can’t use Velveeta, try a queso cheese dip (one found in the refrigerated deli section of your market is the best option). This isn’t a ‘macaroni and cheese,’ so adding in piles of shredded cheese is not recommended to maintain the creamy alfredo-like texture.