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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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OMGoodness! So easy and loved by all! My twin grandsons (age 16) said it was the best Alfredo they’ve ever tasted, better than the Alfredo they’ve eaten at restaurants! My daughter-in-law took some for lunch the next day at work! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Thank you so much!! That makes my heart so happy!
Hey, just wondering if its supposed to be cooked or raw shrimp. I didn’t see it mdntioned, but may have overlooked it.
Thanks
Hi! It’s uncooked shrimp. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Can I replace the whipping cream with milk instead ?
I really don’t recommend it. You’ll end up with a much thinner, watery sauce that may curdle.
I did only shrimp and a little easy on the Cajun seasoning. Amazing! Jarred Alfredo sauce now seems like a sin!
I’m so happy you liked it!! 😀
I made this dish for the first time for dinner this evening. It was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!! My family LOVED IT! It was so easy to make. I added spinach, with sautéed yellow, red and orange bell pepper strips….YUMMY!!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Fantastic!! 🙂
Made this tonight for the family. Added one tbsp red pepper and a squeeze of lemon as suggested. Also thinned sauce with pasta water. My mom says it’s a keeper recipe. Will use again. Thank you so much
I’m so pleased it was a hit!!
What type of whipped cream do u use
Hi! So, I live in Canada and I just buy the local brand my store carries… I think it’s Lucerne? Be sure to buy something labeled whipping cream (or heavy cream). Not “whipped” cream – those are sometimes sweetened and a different product than this recipe calls for. You can make whipped cream out of whipping cream, so I realize it can be a bit confusing if you’ve never bought the stuff before.
Love the food except this recipe is clearly missing key steps as to where some ingredients go. There’s items on the ingredients list that aren’t included in the steps to make the dish. If you follow this to a key it’s going to come out wrong. Also the measurements are clearly way off. After tweaking it and figuring out where the extra ingredients went it came out decent.
I am not sure what exactly you were reading, but everything is all there in the recipe card. This recipe is highly rated by many other readers who have made it successfully. Please give me an example of a missing “key step”, “where some ingredients go”, or how the measurements are “way off”.
When is the heavy whipping cream added? That is missing from the directions.
Hi Angie! It’s listed in step 6. Enjoy the pasta! 🙂
Just made this dish from my old lady and I and I’ll tell ya I gave a little snake bite which is a little red pepper flake like suggested and it is absolutely insanely delicious, Super quick and easy and extremely satisfying
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Adam!! 😀 I’m gonna start using the “snake bite” phrase haha.
My husband and I loved this! Easy to follow recipe, and tasted great!
So glad you both enjoyed it, Kristin! Thank you for the review!