Best Rattlesnake Pasta

You have to try this copycat J. Alexander's Rattlesnake Pasta Recipe made in a light Alfredo sauce and full of flavor! It's incredibly easy and simple to make. The Alfredo sauce is made from a roux, allowing it to be lighter, yet still creamy and silky smooth.

Just like Cajun Chicken Pasta Alfredo you will love our tried and true recipe. We make this Rattlesnake pasta recipe all the time! It's a great copycat recipe similar to 54th Street Grill, Uno's, and Redlands Grill. It will bring you right back to those flavors you fell in love with.

This was inspired by our other spicy pastas: Cajun Shrimp Pasta and Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta. For other fun pasta ideas try our Creamy Kale Pesto Pasta, and Turkey Tetrazzini. Greek Spaghetti, Peanut Butter Ramen, Chicken Carbonara, Spicy Vodka Pasta, and our Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta are our go-to's. Serve with a side of Air Fryer Texas Toast.

Ingredients

Below is a list of ingredients needed for this recipe. Follow our tips on each ingredient for best results.

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts - you could also use chicken thighs in this recipe.
• Olive oil - we like olive oil for this recipe, but any oil such as vegetable or avocado will work great also.
• Pasta of choice- I used penne.
• Butter - we have not tried this with plant based butter and can't recommend it.
• Yellow onion
• Minced garlic- you could also use raw, finely minced. As we tested this recipe, we didn't find much of a difference in taste between raw, finely minced, and minced garlic bought in the refrigerator section. However, there was a huge difference when using garlic powder, so we do recommend minced or fresh.
• All-purpose flour
• Whole milk - this recipe does not work with a lower fat milk than whole milk. Generally, a sauce like this would be made with cream or half and half and it's already been lightened up as far as it can go and still have a good texture.
• Cajun seasoning - feel free to use more or less as desired
• Red chili pepper flakes -*optional and will add quite a bit of heat
• Bell Pepper - any colored bell pepper will work, red, orange or yellow.
• Jalapeños- fresh is recommended, but canned will work.
• Parmesan cheese- real cheese, not the powder.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Rattlesnake Pasta

While following the steps below, cook pasta according to package directions.

1. Heat oil on medium heat in a fry pan. Add cubed chicken breast and cook until done (165* F), stirring occasionally. While it cooks, mince (finely chop) the onion. Place in a bowl and set aside.

2. Melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. While it cooks, chop the bell peppers and slice the jalapeños.

3. Add flour and stir until combined. It WILL look weird, it will clump. The first time I made this I thought I was doing it wrong. Just trust the process.

4. Add 1 cup of the milk. Again it will look quite weird, and maybe a little gross. It will be separated.

5. Stir the milk in until it's combined. Repeat one cup at a time until all the milk is added and combined. The mixture should be smooth other than the onions. Add the cajun seasoning and chili pepper flakes if using, then stir to combine.

6. Add the bell peppers and jalapeños and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes until thickened, stirring often enough to keep the sauce from scorching to the bottom. Stir in the parmesan cheese until melted, then the chicken and pasta. Enjoy!

Hint: Making the Alfredo a roux like this makes this smooth and silky and creamy, even though it's a much lighter Alfredo. You'll also find that it reheats so much better. No separation or gross little clumps!

How To Serve

Rattlesnake Pasta could be perfectly served with garlic bread or corn bread. It is also great paired with some veggies such as a green salad, grilled vegetables, corn on the cob or roasted asparagus.

Variations

• Less Spicy- Omitting the seeds from the jalapeños can make a big difference in how spicy it is. You can also scale back the cajun seasoning, but you may need to add some salt if you do.
• Extra Spicy - Increase the chili pepper flakes, or make it with serrano peppers instead of jalapeños and put the seeds in.
• Veggie Lovers- Skip the chicken (or keep it), add one whole zucchini, one summer squash, and 2 large handfuls of spinach at the same time you add the peppers and jalapeños.
• Meat Lovers - Skip the bell peppers (but always keep the jalapenos!), decrease the chicken to 1 pound. Add 12 ounces of cooked shrimp (stirred in at the end) and 1 pound of Andouille sausage (cooked with the chicken).

Storage

Store this jalapeño pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Use 1-4 Tablespoons of milk when reheating. Mix the milk in after it's warm for a wonderfully smooth texture.

This freezes really well! Sometimes I make a double batch for a freezer meal. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 months in the freezer. Allow to thaw for a few hours then reheat in a pot. Add milk until it reaches the desired texture.

Learn From Us

I like to make sure my cajun seasoning is more spice and less salt. One time I accidentally used milk cajun seasoning which had a lot of salt in it. By the time it was spicy enough, it was way too salty. If you start with a spicier cajun seasoning and get it to the desired spiciness, you can always add a little salt separately if needed.

Recipe

Best Rattlesnake Pasta

Nicole

Homemade with jalapeños and parmesan cheese, Rattlesnake Pasta is made in a smooth, light Alfredo sauce and is full of flavor!

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5 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

0 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 8 servings

Calories/serving 509 kcal

Equipment

• Large Pan

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 pound penne pasta
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes.
• ▢ 4 Tablespoons butter
• ▢ 1 onion finely minced
• ▢ 2 teaspoons minced garlic or 4 cloves fresh, finely chopped
• ▢ ⅓ cup flour
• ▢ 4 cups whole milk
• ▢ 3 teaspoons cajun seasoning Please see Notes below!!
• ▢ 1 green bell pepper chopped
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper chopped
• ▢ 3 jalapeños sliced. we leave our seeds in- for less spicy remove all or part of the seeds.
• ▢ 1 ½ cups parmesan cheese
• ▢ 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes optional

Instructions

• ***cook pasta according to package directions while completing the steps below***
• Cut chicken breasts into 1" cubes.
• Heat oil in a large fry pan/ skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until cooked through, stirring occasionally. While cooking mince onion. Internal temperature of chicken should reach 165*F. Place in a bowl and set aside.
• Melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and garlic then cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. While it cooks, chop the bell peppers and slice the jalapenos. I like to leave the seeds in my jalapenos, for less spicy scrape out the seeds.
• Add the flour to the onion mixture and stir to combine. It'll be clumpy and odd looking. See photos above for a great visual.
• Add 1 cup of the milk and stir until combined. It will look weird. The first time I made this I thought I was doing it wrong. Trust the process. Check the photos above for texture.
• Repeat 3 more times until all the milk has been added. At this point, it should be smooth other than the onion pieces.
• Add the cajun seasoning and the red chili pepper flakes if using and stir to combine. Add the bell peppers and jalapenos. Bring to a simmer, and simmer 5 minutes, until sauce starts to thicken.
• Add the parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Then add the chicken and pasta and stir to combine. 
• Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• This pasta is made with a roux, which allows it to be less heavy than traditional alfredo sauces. It also makes it smooth and silky rather than clumpy when reheated.
• Cajun seasoning has different amounts of intensity and different amounts of salt. Season until it has the amount of cajun flavor desired. Depending how much salt is in your cajun you may need to add more salt to the sauce. 
  • if you like spicy foods, we recommend not using a mild cajun seasoning- if you do, you may end up with too much salt.
• For an extra kick and a little extra flavor, add the chili pepper flakes. If you don't like things very spicy, skip the chili pepper flakes.
• When using jalapeños, the seeds add a lot of spice. We like to leave the seeds in, but feel free to remove all or part of the seeds to retain the jalapeño flavor and lessen the heat.
•  Use gloves when cutting jalapeños to reduce skin irritation.
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Add milk upon reheating until desired consistency is reached.
• Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Allow to thaw for a few hours then reheat in a pot over medium heat. Add milk when reheating until desired consistency is reached.

Nutrition

Serving: 1large bowlCalories: 509kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 36gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 591mgPotassium: 757mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1140IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 346mgIron: 2mg

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