Rattlesnake Pasta
This Rattlesnake Pasta is essentially Cajun Chicken Pasta Alfredo. That sounds delicious in its own right, but Rattlesnake Pasta adds an element of intrigue!
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Folks always say that we eat with our eyes. I’d agree with that 100%. Heck, as a recipe blogger, I have to rely on eyes and appealing photos as I don’t have a way to make these recipes magically appear in front of you. (I keep hoping Apple or Google will invent a scratch-and-sniff monitor, but so far I’m still waiting.)
In addition to eating with our eyes, I’d add that we also eat with our minds. Take this pasta recipe for example. A couple of months ago, we stopped by a local bar for chicken wings. I’ve mentioned this place before. On your birthday, you can get free chicken wings equal to your age. 40 years old? 40 free wings. 50 years old? 50 free wings. And so on. Oh, and they do buy one-get one on beers for your birthday, too. Half-price beers and free chicken wings? Sign me up!
Rattlesnake Pasta
As we went inside, the chalkboard on the front door advertised Rattlesnake Pasta as a special pasta dishes of the week. I was intrigued. I love pasta in all forms, but I’ve never heard of Rattlesnake Pasta. At first, I thought maybe (just maybe) it included rattlesnake meat in the pasta. Fortunately I was wrong there. This pasta is essentially creamy chicken pasta with red and green bell peppers. There’s a nice punch of Cajun seasoning in there, too.
To be honest, I have no idea why this pasta is called Rattlesnake Pasta. But I will say that the name caught my eye. If it had been called Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta, I might not have given it a second thought. (Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta sounds delicious, but it wouldn’t have made me stop and think.) With that said, we still ordered our chicken wings. But the name did make me give that dish a second thought.
For some reason, that Rattlesnake Pasta popped into my head again the other day, and I decided to make my own version here at home. Holy cow was this one delicious! This is a creamy pasta packed with loads of flavor thanks to the peppers, onions and garlic. (There’s both regular garlic and roasted garlic in here. Don’t worry, the overall recipe doesn’t taste too garlicky.) Then there’s the Cajun seasoning. I love all things Cajun, so a good Cajun seasoning mix is hard to beat. (Recipe note: If your Cajun seasoning mix includes salt, then omit the additional salt in this recipe.)
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover Rattlesnake Pasta should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, place pasta back in a dry skillet over medium heat for 6-8 minutes, or until heated through. I do not recommend freezing leftovers as the creamy sauce will not freeze well.
If you love creamy alfredo pasta, then put this Rattlesnake Pasta on your menu. Not only is it delicious, but it sounds cool, too!
Did you make this Rattlesnake Pasta recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). Cheers!
Rattlesnake Pasta
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- 16 oz. penne pasta
For the Chicken
- 16 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into ½” cubes
- 1½ tsp Cajun seasoning see note
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
For the Sauce
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter divided
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper sliced into ¼” strips
- 1 green bell pepper sliced into ¼” strips
- ½ large red onion sliced into ¼” strips
- 1½ tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- ¾ cup whole or 2% milk
- 1 head 10-12 cloveroasted garlic (see note, coarsely chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- green onions chopped
Instructions
For the Pasta
- Cook pasta for 2 minutes less than al dente on package instructions; drain and set aside.
For the Chicken
- Using a medium bowl, add cubed chicken and Cajun seasoning; toss until well coated.
- Using a large, deep skillet (or Dutch oven), add 2 Tbsp of butter; place over medium-high heat. Once butter has melted, add cubed chicken. Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until chicken is fully cooked. Remove chicken and set aside.
For the Sauce
- Using same skillet as chicken, add 2 Tbsp of butter and olive oil. Once butter has melted, add bell peppers, onions, garlic and Cajun seasoning; stir until well combined. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, or until onion has begun to soften slightly. Remove vegetables from skillet and set aside.
- Add remaining 2 Tbsp of butter. Once melted, add flour and stir well. Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent flour from burning.
- Add chicken stock, milk, chopped roasted garlic, salt and pepper; stir mixture until smooth.
- Bring mixture to a simmer and cook on low heat, stirring often, for 8-10 minutes.
- Add Parmesan cheese and heavy cream; stir until smooth.
- Add chicken, vegetables and cooked pasta to skillet; stir until well combined. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until hot.
- Garnish with chopped green onions before serving.
Notes
Looking for more delicious pasta recipes? Check out some of these other favorites, too:
A scratch and sniff monitor would be cool, but considering the internet as a whole, it’s probably good that it does not exist. Imagine a smell virus.
I love this pasta! It has many of my favorite things in it. I do wish that in one of the photos, |ou had half-buried a rubber snake, though. Maybe it could be one of those Mardi Gras traditions where, if you find the snake, you’re king for a day.
Ohhh…you make an excellent point, Jeff. There are a lot of things on the Internet I would rather not smell. In other news, though, this pasta is awesome!
I’m cracking up at your comment about the rubber snake. I missed my chance there! Robbie even has a rubber snake somewhere. That would have been pretty epic! Don’t be surprised to find a snake in your meal when you stop by for dinner, though. 🙂
I’ll be on guard!
An Alfredo with a cajun bite, now you’re talking. Actually, this was my go too dish at J. Alexander’s. But, I’ve never made it. I’ll work on that.
Now let’s talk birthday wings. Does your wing joint have an age limit. I’m thinking I could really hurt those guys.
Absolutely 100% start with this recipe, Ron! I, too, loved J. Alexander’s – but I haven’t seen one in years. I think they’re only down South. This Cajun cream sauce will have you coming back for more!
Also, there is no age limit at the wing joint. In fact, one time we were in there and 2 twins were celebrating their birthdays – 80th birthdays. Umph!
Rattlesnake Pasta is new to me, but I love the play of creamy and spicy! Definitely my kind of comfort food.
I think the name is purely a gimic…but it sure does sound fun, right? I’ve gotta say that this is one delicious pasta dish – no matter what you call it. Thanks, Marissa!
Oh yes. Great ingredients make for a great pasta dish. And this is a perfect example. Yum.
Thanks so much, Mimi!
Okay, my first thought was that there was rattlesnake in there too! I was a little afraid! Glad to hear it just a great creamy pasta dish with great spicy flavors! I think this would be fun to serve to guests just to see how they respond to the name! 🙂
Haha! Nope, I couldn’t go so far as to put rattlesnake in this one, Kathy. (Although to be fair, I’ve heard of folks using rattlesnake meat before. That’s not for me, though!) I love a good creamy pasta, and this one ranks up there in my book! And the name alone is enough reason to serve this to a group. 🙂
I am loving the name of this – such fun!
And these flavors are really delicious also!
It’s definitely a fun play on names. I mean hearing ‘rattlesnake pasta’ is enough to make you stop and say “huh?” Fortunately there’s no rattlesnake in this one! (Although I’ve heard of folks cooking with rattlesnake meat before…ummm, no thanks.)
i love the name of this pasta, and i love that it has lots of garlic! the more the merrier, i always say. yes such an interesting name for this dish. what on earth can it mean? tee hee …
I’m with ya on the garlic, Sherry! The funny thing is the garlic doesn’t come through as strongly as you might expect here. But it totally adds a base layer of flavor that’s amazing. I highly recommend this sauce!!
Ha ha! Me too David. When I read your recipe title “Rattlesnake Pasta” I thought it included rattlesnake meat in it. (I’d love to try rattlesnake!). Anyway, I love how creamy and spicy this recipe is. As pasta is one of Lynne’s favourite recipes, this goes on the “must try” list!
You know, I’ve heard of folks cooking with rattlesnake before. (I say no thanks to that…more power to you, though!) A good creamy pasta sauce is a thing of beauty, and the Cajun spices in this one really take it to a whole new level. I highly recommend this recipe!!
I love the name rattlesnake pasta. This dish looks amazing.
The name certainly adds a bit of intrigue…even if there isn’t any actual rattlesnake in there!
Ok, this has got to be the BEST pasta recipe name ever! Totally caught my eye! And then your gorgeous pictures with those colorful bell peppers completely drew me in! This pasta dish looks absolutely amazing! One of my favorite restaurants serves a cajun pasta, and it’s the only thing I ever order there. Your Rattlesnake Pasta looks like it would have the same effect on me! Too many things to love here, definitely trying it! 😋
I think that was the goal when the local bar had Rattlesnake Pasta on the menu…it caught my eye! (To be fair, I didn’t order it, but I did come home and make my own version!) If you like Cajun pasta, then you’ll love this one, Shannon! It’s delicious. 🙂
This rattlesnake pasta looks really delicious! I’m taking your advice and putting this on the menu soon. I already know we will all love it! Great recipe 🙂
Thanks so much, Marcelle! It might have a silly name, but this pasta is creamy and delicious! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. 🙂
I just made this and wow!!!!! I halved the recipe and used linguine and grilled my chicken but everything else just as written.
I have made a lot of Cajun pastas and this one is the best I’ve ever made. I did add about 1/4 cup of the pasta water to my sauce as it started to look a bit thick.
Outstanding! I am marking your site bc if this is any indication of your food I am excited. Thank you!
Hey Knox! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. It really is quite delicious, and I love the twist to grilling the chicken. (I originally posted this in February, so grilling was kinda difficult. Haha.) Now I’m craving this again with the grilled chicken addition. Please do stay in touch if you have questions/thoughts on other recipes. Happy cooking + baking! 🙂
I made this for the family last week and they loved it – all went back for seconds.
Awesome! I’m so glad everyone loved this recipe, Bob. And thanks so much for coming back by to leave a comment, too. Cheers!