Spice up your next weeknight Chicken Alfredo recipe with a simple, delicious blackening seasoning you don’t have to make yourself! Served over Penne pasta, this Easy Blackened Chicken Alfredo will be a winner with the kids and is so quick, you’ll have plenty of time left over to enjoy it, too!
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There is something so satisfying about anything Alfredo!
Perhaps it’s the rich, creamy, luxurious sauce.
Or the wonderful penne pasta over which I like to serve this dish.
It’s a great weeknight dinner choice for Winter, Spring or Fall…
This Easy Blackened Chicken Alfredo served over Penne pasta is one of my go-to dishes in any season!
What Makes This Easy Blackened Chicken Alfredo, Well, Easy?
If you’ve tried any of my other recipes, you’ll know that I am all about sharing quick and easy seasonal recipes!
Specifically, recipes that are delicious and don’t require a lot of time or a ton of ingredients…
And this Blackened Chicken Alfredo fits the bill!
Mainly, because I am a big fan of using quality, store-bought, ingredients anywhere I can.
Inspiration For Easy Blackened Chicken Alfredo
This recipe was 100%, totally inspired by my Blackened Swordfish Oven Recipe
To this day, that is one of my favorite recipes on this website.
I love fish or chicken blackened to perfection.
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Easy Blackened Chicken Alfredo Ingredients
- 1 1/2 – 2 pounds lean, boneless chicken breasts
- 4 – 5 tablespoons blackening seasoning (I admit I LOVE blackening seasoning!)
- 10 ounces penne pasta
- 1 jar low-fat, creamy garlic Alfredo sauce
- 2-3 pats of low-fat butter
- 3-4 pinches sea salt (added to pasta water to prevent sticking)
- 2 ounces chopped parsley (or parsley flakes as substitute)
The Chicken I Use For Easy Blackened Chicken Alfredo
I like to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
The one drawback to using chicken breasts, is that they can be a little thick right out of the package.
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However, thinner pieces of chicken will sear more quickly.
This is why it is a good idea to flatten your chicken breasts before searing them!
Another option mentioned by Jennifer from Carlsbadcravings.com in her Blackened Chicken Alfredo Recipe is to slice the chicken breasts, horizontally, to turn them into chicken tenders.
Tenders are smaller and flatter, so they cook more evenly without having to flip them over.
Also, it is a good idea to pat the chicken dry with a paper towel before coating the breasts with the blackening seasoning.
This helps the seasoning stick to the chicken better.
Blackening Seasoning
For my blackening seasoning I used this exact same blackening seasoning that I used for my Blackened Swordfish recipe.
Don’t le the name fool you!
It’s great for chicken, as well as fish.
Searing The Chicken
Two things to remember about searing the chicken:
- Try to make each individual piece as thin as possible
- Use a cast-iron skillet
Melt 2-3 pats of butter right in your cast iron skillet.
Once the butter is bubbling, add the chicken breasts (that have already had blackening seasoning added).
The best thing about using a cast iron skillet to cook the chicken is that the high temperature allows the chicken to cook quickly (saves time)
And the high heat allows the blackening seasoning to sear perfectly.
This creates a nice ‘crust’ on the outer surface of the chicken breast.
Should I Finish My Blackened Chicken In The Oven Or Not?
Ahhh, the endless debate over whether to simply sear the chicken in the skillet and be done with it or sear it and then finish it in the oven.
I have done this recipe both ways, so here are my thoughts.
It is not that easy to ‘flip’ the chicken over over so that each side can be seared evenly – once the blackening seasoning has been added.
You will literally lose some of the seasoning when it comes in contact with the skillet.
On the other hand, searing my chicken breasts without flipping them over can lead to the tops being cooked less thoroughly.
And, I always want you to cook chicken thoroughly…
It is unhealthy to eat under-cooked chicken!
My Solution
I add a lid to my skillet!
This serves two purposes:
- Contains the smoke that will inevitably arise from melting the butter/searing meat
- Retains enough heat to thoroughly cook the chicken on both sides, including the seasoned tops, without flipping the chicken
Completing this recipe on the stovetop also prevents me from having to pre-heat my oven, which adds precious time to this recipe.
And I don’t have to transfer a heavy, searing hot, cast iron skillet from my stove-top to my oven.
Cover It With Love?
Or, rather, a nice sautรฉ pan lid with a silicone rim – I’ve found this lid to be perfect for my Lodge Skillet.
Alfredo Sauce
Look, I am all about making my own Alfredo Sauce – if I have the time.
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As a working professional and part-time food blogger, I need to save time wherever I can!
Part of my time-saving plan includes using store-bought ingredients when it makes sense.
I do this in most of my seasonal recipes.
My Easy Blackened Chicken Alfredo Recipe is no exception!
My goal with this food blog is to share simple, quick seasonal recipes with you.
The recipes on this site do NOT take a long time to prepare – that is intentional!
Homemade Alfredo Sauce
However, if you insist on making everything from scratch, I can help point you in the right direction!
For a great, quick and easy homemade Alfredo Sauce recipe, please check out Stephanie’s Blackened Chicken Alfredo Recipe.
Look for the section with the heading, ‘How-to Make Alfredo Sauce‘ – it’s so easy!
Recipe Equipment Needed
- Lodge Cast Iron Skillet
- Large Pasta Pot
- Grilling Tongs
I cannot tell you how useful I have found my Lodge Cast Iron Skillet to be!
This is the skillet I used it for my Texas Roadhouse Herb Crusted Chicken and my Fast Italian Frittata With Roasted Red Peppers recipes.
I also used this exact, inexpensive Lodge Cast Iron skillet to make my Easy Shrimp Mei Fun!
It’s extremely versatile…but also quite heavy…
So, be careful not to drop it on your foot!
Easy Blackened Chicken Alfredo
2
servings10
minutes20
minutes480
kcalThis Easy Blackened Chicken Alfredo Over Penne Pasta is so flavorful and requires very few ingredients! The blackening seasoning imparts an intense, slightly smoky flavor to the chicken and the creamy Alfredo pasta is the perfect complement. Finish it with fresh parsley for a bright, Springtime meal that is bursting with flavor!
Ingredients
1.5 – 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 – 5 tbsp blackening seasoning
10 ounces penne pasta
1 jar creamy Alfredo Sauce (10 ounces)
2 – 3 pats low-fat butter
3-4 pinches sea salt
2 ounces chopped parsley
Directions
- Fill pasta pot 3/4 full with water and place over Medium Heat on stove top until water begins to boil.
- While waiting for water to boil, remove chicken breasts from packaging and flatten each breast using a food tenderizer hammer (NOTE: I will even, occasionally, use the base of a heavy coffee mug if my food hammer isn’t handy!)
- Lightly pat the top of each chicken breast dry with a paper towel to remove any condensation – this will help the blackening seasoning stick to the chicken better.
- Coat the top of each chicken breast with my favorite blackening seasoning – make sure no part of the chicken’s surface is visible!
- Place a heavy-duty cast iron skillet like my Lodge Skillet over High Heat for about 5 minutes. Cast iron will heat up quickly and retain its heat.
- Once the skillet is hot, add 2-3 pats of low-fat butter to it.
- Once the butter bubbles/evaporates, add each of the chicken breasts to the skillet (seasoned-sides facing up)
- Sear the chicken in the skillet for 5 minutes (if skillet covered) or about 7-8 minutes (if skillet not covered). Cook until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F. (NOTE: I will cut open and visually inspect each chicken breast to make sure there’s no pink showing. You can also use a food thermometer like this one to make sure the internal temperature is 165 F)
- While the chicken is cooking in your skillet, add your pasta of choice to the pasta pot of boiling water (I used Penne pasta for my Blackened Chicken Alfredo recipe, but linguine or fettuccine also works well). I will also add a few pinches of sea salt to the pasta water to prevent the pasta from sticking.
- Cook pasta over Medium Heat until some of it begins to float to the top. This indicates it’s done.
- Drain the water from your pasta pot, but leave pasta in pot on top of LOW Heat.
- Add 12 ounce jar of Alfredo sauce directly over pasta in pot and mix thoroughly for 5 minutes so that the Alfredo gets hot and also fully coats the pasta.
- Transfer 1/2 of the pasta Alfredo onto a plate – this forms the base over which to serve the Blackened Chicken.
- Using grilling tongs, place one of the two chicken breasts on top of the Alfredo pasta (NOTE: You can serve the full breast uncut, sliced, or like I did, just broken into small pieces (see food photo above).
- Garnish with fresh parsley (chopped or shredded).
Notes
- Using a cast iron skillet like my Lodge Cast Iron Skillet makes this recipe go fast since cast iron heats up quickly and retains its heat
- Use a good glass lid with a rubber silicone rim to cover the cast iron skillet. This helps the chicken cook more evenly without having to flip it and lose some precious blackening seasoning!
- Blackening seasoning usually contains: Garlic powder, paprika, thyme, cayenne pepper, oregano, onion powder, salt, and maybe black pepper. You can make your own or just use the same blackening seasoning I did.
- I just added my Alfredo sauce right into my pasta in the pot (once the water was drained). but cooking the Alfredo in a separate sauce pot definitely keeps it hotter, longer, so consider this.
- All ingredients can be added to the cast iron skillet at the end. Since cast iron retains heat so well, this will keep not only the Alfredo pasta hot, but the blackened chicken, as well. I will even serve everything right from the skillet!
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How To Keep The Alfredo Pasta Hot
One of the drawbacks I’ve found to preparing the pasta Alfredo by mixing the Alfredo right in with the pasta, is that the sauce may not get as hot as I would like.
One option, is to simply heat the Alfredo in a separate sauce pot.
This keeps it hot until I want to add it to the pasta.
It’s also great if things do cool off, I can just add some more hot Alfredo sauce on top of everything.
Another technique I’ve done is just transfer everything to the VERY hot cast iron skillet and let sit for a couple minutes.
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Storing & Re-heating My Easy Blackened Chicken Alfredo
Store any leftovers in a Tupperware, air-tight container and refrigerate.
I would recommend eating any leftovers within 3-4 days.
You can reheat leftover Blackened Chicken Alfredo in your microwave, or just heat up in the oven for 15 minutes at 375 F.
What Do You Think Of This Easy Blackened Chicken Alfredo Recipe?
Please let me know by posting a comment in the COMMENST SECTION below!
I respond to all comments and appreciate and tips or suggestions you can provide.
Until next time…
Happy Cooking!
