This post contains affiliate links.
Blackened Chicken Alfredo Pasta is a simple, comforting 30-minute dinner that feels a little special. Chicken thighs get coated in a bold homemade spice rub, seared in a cast iron skillet, finished in the oven, and served over creamy garlic linguine pasta with Parmesan cheese. The rich and rustic pasta pairs beautifully with this fresh and bright Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette.
- Weeknights to Company! - This dinner is back to basics in pasta! A simple sauce, not from a jar, made with just butter, garlic, cream and Parmesan and topped with perfectly cooked seasoned chicken! It's easy enough for busy weeknights, but delicious and pretty enough for guests!
- The Perfect Side Salad - I wrote this pasta recipe to go with my Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette. They go wonderfully together because the tart lemon and peppery arugula cut through the richness of the cream sauce, making the whole meal feel balanced. It's rare for me to make a plain pasta dish without vegetables! But that's how my kids love it, so the arugula salad is a must!
- Love Pasta Night? Try my Sausage Orecchiette with Peppers and Spinach or my Pesto Alfredo Chicken Pasta!
Jump to:
Ingredients & Substitutions
With simple ingredients, it's easy to great this classic dish with pantry staples, real butter, garlic and cream!
- Chicken - I always use skinless boneless chicken thighs for this recipe because they are a little less expensive and more juicy and flavorful than chicken breasts. Either are fine, but if you're using breast that are thick, slice them in half lengthwise. You can use anywhere between 1 and 1.5 pounds of chicken, if you want to go heavier or lighter on the protein.
- Blackening Seasoning - Boldly seasoned but not at all spicy, plus a little hint of sweetness that makes the chicken so delicious! Try making your own Homemade Brown Sugar next time you run out, it's so fluffy! We really love this blackening spice rub! Try it on my Blackened Chicken Tacos and this Blackened Chicken Chopped Salad!
- Butter and Cream - These are the backbone of an Alfredo sauce, plus the addition of a bit of starchy water from boiling the pasta.
- Garlic - This is the main flavor so use 5 big cloves of fresh garlic.
- Pasta - My family loves linguine with cream sauce, but you could use fettuccine, spaghetti, or even short pasta like penne or rotini.
- Parmesan Cheese - Get a block of good quality Parmesan cheese because the flavor is truly better and shred it yourself!
See recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
This dish is pretty simple, the chicken sears and bakes in the oven while the pasta boils and comes together with the creamy Alfredo sauce!
Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 400°F and a cast iron skillet and set a pot of water to boil for the pasta.
Mix together the blackening seasoning in a bowl and generously coat the chicken on both sides.
Step 2 - Add the oil to the hot skillet and sear the chicken, skin side down, about 4 minutes.
Flip and sear the other side, another 4 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the internal temperature is 165°F, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 3 - In a large skillet, make the cream sauce by first sautéing the garlic in butter.
Add the cream and simmer over a low burner, it will reduce and thicken.
Step 4 - Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water, about 10 minutes.
Before draining, scoop out a cup or 2 of the starchy cooking liquid. You can add 1 cup to the simmering cream sauce.
Step 5 - Whisk together your cream sauce with the starchy water, it will continue to thicken as it cooks.
Add the Parmesan cheese and your drained pasta and toss well. If it doesn't seem thick enough, don't worry, just keep tossing with the pasta over a low burner and it will thicken.
Add more pasta water or cream if it gets too thick.
Step 6 - The chicken can rest in the skillet on the stovetop until you're ready to serve.
Slice the chicken on a cutting board and serve it over the pasta.
Step 7 - Top with more Parmesan cheese and serve with this very simple Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette.
Top Tips
- Adjusting the Sauce - A cream sauce is constantly in motion, and it will change and can be adjusted, as long as it sits on the burner. The cream should never be boiled and always just over low heat, but it will continue to thicken the longer it cooks and reduces. Adding the pasta will also thicken the sauce as the pasta absorbs the liquid. Keep whisking, or tossing the pasta to thicken. If your sauce becomes too thick or dry, add more cream or starchy pasta cooking water.
- Serving Suggestions - I purposely kept this pasta very plain and vegetable-free, so a salad is essential! This Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette goes perfectly because the tart tangy dressing balances the rich cream. This Italian Mixed Greens Salad with Crispy Prosciutto or this Spinach Arugula Salad would also go well!
- Storage and Reheating - Extra pasta can be stored in the fridge and reheated within 2 or 3 days. The sauce will thicken and can dry out when cooled, so add a splash of cream or milk when reheating. If you find you have more blackened chicken than you need for the pasta, it is very versatile and can be used in quesadillas, sheet pan nachos, chicken salad, or in soup.
Recipe FAQs
The heavy cream is really best for making a rich Alfredo sauce. If you want to try using milk or half & half, add a Tablespoon or two of flour to the sautéing garlic before adding the liquid. This will help the sauce thicken.
This pasta dish is rather flexible in its amounts. It serves 4, but if you want to stretch that, you can use a full pound of pasta, a bit of extra cream (like 1 and a ¼ or ½ cups) and the full 1.5 pounds of chicken. If you are serving a smaller crowd, just stick with ¾ pound of pasta and closer to 1 pound of chicken. Leftovers are excellent for lunch!
Yes! While I made this dish very plain and simple, you could add a vegetable to cook in the butter before adding the garlic such as red bell pepper, mushroom, or zucchini. You could also add chopped broccoli right to the boiling pasta in the last 3 minutes and drain it together. Fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh herbs, or frozen peas could be added to the cream sauce as it's simmering. So really this dish could be made lots of ways!
Try Another Pasta Night!
If you made this recipe, I'd love to hear how you liked it! Be sure to leave a star rating by clicking the stars in the recipe card, or leave a comment below!
Follow Sungrown Kitchen on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for loads of garden recipes! Join the Email List for new recipes delivered straight to your inbox!
Blackened Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Hit the stars to rate this recipe!
Print Pin RateIngredients
For the Chicken
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 grinds fresh black pepper
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 to 1.5 pounds chicken thighs or breasts (boneless, skinless)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
For the Pasta
- ¾ pound linguine pasta
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste)
- 1 cup cream (more if needed)
- 1 cup starchy pasta cooking water (reserved from boiling the pasta)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese shredded, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ and set a large pot of water to boil for the pasta.
For the Chicken
- In a small bowl, mix together the blackening seasoning. Sprinkle evenly to coat both sides of the chicken.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet (or oven safe skillet) over medium to medium high heat. When it's hot, add the olive oil and sear the chicken on one side (skin side down), about 4 minutes.
- Use tongs to flip the chicken and sear the other side, another 4 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165℉ in multiple places. Let the chicken rest in the skillet on the stovetop until ready to slice.
For the Pasta
- Meanwhile, add a pinch of salt to the boiling water, and cook the pasta al dente, about 10 minutes. BEFORE DRAINING - use a measuring cup, a ladle, or a coffee mug to pull out and reserve about 2 cups of the starchy water from cooking the pasta.
- While the pasta cooks, set a very large skillet (large enough hold the finished dish) over medium low heat. Melt the butter and saute the garlic a couple minutes until fragrant. Add the salt and add in the heavy cream. Allow the sauce to heat, thicken and reduce, adding in about ½ to 1 cup of the starchy pasta water when you have it.
- When the sauce has thickened a bit, taste and add another pinch of salt as needed. Add the Parmesan cheese and toss well with the drained pasta. It will continue to thicken as it cooks and as it is absorbed by the pasta.
- Slice the chicken and serve over the top with more Parmesan cheese. This dish pairs well with my Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette.
Notes
- Adjusting the Sauce - A cream sauce is constantly in motion, and it will change and can be adjusted, as long as it sits on the burner. The cream should never be boiled and always just over low heat, but it will continue to thicken the longer it cooks and reduces. Adding the pasta will also thicken the sauce as the pasta absorbs the liquid. Keep whisking, or tossing the pasta to thicken. If your sauce becomes too thick or dry, add more cream or starchy pasta cooking water.
- Adjusting Amounts and Portions - This pasta dish is rather flexible in its amounts. It serves 4, but if you want to stretch that, you can use a full pound of pasta, a bit of extra cream (like 1 and a ¼ or ½ cups) and the full 1.5 pounds of chicken. If you are serving a smaller crowd, just stick with ¾ pound of pasta and closer to 1 pound of chicken.
Leave a Review