Cajun Chicken Pasta
Cajun Chicken Pasta – Spicy, Cajun-flavored chicken tossed into creamy melt-in-your-mouth Alfredo sauce with pasta. Super easy to make with amazing flavors that are perfect for family weeknight dinners or get-togethers!
Pasta is a staple in most households, especially those with kids. It’s one of those meals that always gets them to the table in less than no time. So when pasta is on sale, I stock up on it. That’s the way to go.
The frugal in me doesn’t agree with paying full price for pasta. And when you combine it with chicken – you’ll have a heavenly meal experience right on your table. No need to go to those fancy-schmancy restaurants! Talking about saving, eh?
When my little man (not so little anymore) comes home from school, he already knows what he wants on his plate. He’s like a grown-up who already knows what to order before looking at the menu.
One-Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta
When my favorite man recently asked for pasta and chicken, this Mama got creative and strayed away from the usual combo. So I whipped up this Cajun-inspired chicken smothered in a light creamy pasta Alfredo sauce. You could add some steamed broccoli and carrot slices for an authentic one-pot meal. This Cajun Chicken Pasta immediately became our new favorite!
And my two favorite guys dig into it so heartily that they’ve requested it again on this week’s menu. But I’m not complaining because it’s super easy, and there’s sooo much to love in this new recipe. The creamy sauce complements the Cajun spice’s heat (totally customizable for kids) so well.
Recipe Ingredients
- Pasta – Choose the pasta you love best or whatever you have in the pantry. Penne pasta and fettuccine are my top choices.
- Chicken – Boneless chicken thighs or breasts will do the trick. Chicken thighs have more fat and are the juicier option of the two.😉
- Cream Sauce – Thyme, paprika, Creole or blackened seasoning, garlic, onion, diced tomatoes, red or green bell pepper, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, and chicken broth deliver an amazing sauce. Add cream for an irresistible mouth-feel and satisfying flavor.
How to Make Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Pasta – Boil your pasta in a large pot per the box instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Prep Chicken – Next, salt the chicken according to taste. Then, generously season with Creole Cajun Seasoning. (Photo 1)
- Cook the Chicken – Heat oil over medium heat in a cast-iron skillet. Pan-sear the chicken for about 8–10 minutes on each side or until fully cooked, and set aside.
- Make the Sauce – Add onions and garlic. Stir for about a minute. Then add tomatoes, thyme, paprika, Cajun seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce, followed by bell peppers, chicken broth, and cream. (Photos 2-4)
- Simmer – Bring the sauce to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 7–10 minutes.
- Add Pasta – Slice the chicken. Mix the pasta into the sauce, add the chicken, and toss until thoroughly combined. You can also serve the chicken on top. (Photos 5-6)
- Serve – Sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Seafood Swap -This is a highly versatile pasta. Swap the chicken for shrimp or your favorite seafood mix. Remember that seafood takes less time to cook and can get tough easily.
- Andouille Sausage – Add sausage for a true Cajun experience.😉 Of course, any sausage goes perfectly with pasta and chicken. Chorizo, Italian sausage, kielbasa, and even salami could only improve this meal.
- Creamless -You can omit the heavy cream and replace it with extra tomatoes for a dairy-free version. And you can replace the cream with whole milk for a lower-fat version.
- Gluten-Free – Replace the pasta with your go-to gluten-free pasta. You may need to adjust the cooking time for gluten-free pasta.
- Seasoning Swap -Swap out the Creole Cajun seasoning with poultry, Italian, or (for a Mexican twist) taco seasoning.
- Cheesier Pasta – Add decadence with a ¼ cup of softened cream cheese. 😍
Tips and Tricks
- An instant-read thermometer ensures the chicken cooks through. It should read 160°F (74°C) for safe chicken consumption.
- Cutting your chicken into bite-sized pieces before cooking will save time, as it cooks faster and more evenly.
- Don’t overcook the pasta sauce. If the sauce is too thick, it will be more difficult to coat the pasta evenly.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Prep your chicken as instructed, and keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two days. You can also make it up to two days ahead and store the chicken and sauce separately from the pasta. Reheat the chicken and sauce in a saucepan, add the cooked pasta, and heat through.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Creamy Cajun chicken pasta is best hot off the stove. But it’s not bad cold, either.
Cool leftover Cajun chicken pasta completely before transferring it to an airtight container. It will last refrigerated for 3-5 days or 3 months in the freezer. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or warm it up in the microwave on the defrost setting for a few minutes.
FAQs
Well, the name gives it away. The spice mix is famous in Louisiana, where French Canadians settled. This cooking style is spicy and flavorful, and I’m so grateful for it.
Cajun seasoning work great for a variety of dishes. Soups and stews (especially gumbo, jambalaya, and red beans and rice) take these spices on well. It also goes great on grilled chicken, beef, pork, and seafood.
If you don’t have Cajun seasoning, you can make your own. Mix half a teaspoon each of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
What to Serve With Cajun Chicken Pasta
For a quick dinner, you can’t go wrong with garlic bread. A simple tossed salad or a kale salad are also great options.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes To Try
Conclusion
This creamy Cajun chicken pasta recipe is spicy, decadent, and soul-satisfying. Bless your family’s tastebuds with its melt-in-your-mouth goodness! Let me know how it goes in the comments!
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in August 2017 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta (penne, fettucine, etc.)
- 2 pounds boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breast
- 2 teaspoons or more Cajun Creole seasoning (salt-free)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ medium onion, sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning or blackened seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 medium red or green bell pepper, sliced
- 1 cup or more chicken broth
- ¼ cup heavy cream (see notes for options and adjustments )
- 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Boil your pasta in a large pot per the box instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Next, salt the chicken according to taste. Then, generously season with Creole Cajun Seasoning.
- Heat oil over medium heat in a cast-iron skillet. Pan-sear the chicken for about 8–10 minutes on each side or until fully cooked, and set aside.
- Add onions and garlic. Stir for about a minute. Then add tomatoes, thyme, paprika, Cajun seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, bell peppers, chicken broth, and cream.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 7–10 minutes.
- Slice the chicken. Mix the pasta into the sauce, add the chicken, and toss until thoroughly combined. You can also serve the chicken on top.
- Sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes:
- Your chicken is fully cooked when it is 160℉ (74°C). It’s dangerous to eat undercooked chicken.
- To be safe, you may cut up chicken into bite-size pieces before cooking so it cooks faster.
- Adjust heavy cream to the desired thickness. I used about ¼ cup to cut down on calories – it’s less creamy with the same great results. Go with ½ cup or more for creamy pasta. You may omit it completely and replace it with extra tomatoes.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
This is amazing and so easy to cook
Literally just cooked this, absolutely delicious, feel like a proper chef!! 🙂
Wohooo! So glad to know that.
I love the recipes.
Hello, I made this twice believing my spices were old the first time because it tasted so bland. However, nothing was wrong with my spices…this recipe was extremely bland both times I made it. I could not do anything to make this palatable for my friends or myself.
Sorry to hear it didn’t work out well for you. I have made it several times with great results.
I made this tonight for the first time and loved it! I added some butter and black pepper, adjusted the spices a little to my taste and added some flour to thicken the sauce. My husband said it’s one of the best pasta meals I’ve ever made. Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic!! I am so glad you gave it your own little twist and that it was a hit in your home! Thank you for letting me know :)!
I love this recipe, it’s HIT every time I make it! The seasonings are perfect.
Awesome! Thank you for taking the time to let me know, Samantha. Glad you like this.
Add creole seasoning 2 teaspoons may help.
This recipe is great. Couple of things i do different is use 300ml heavy cream and about 150ml flour and milk mixed and added at the same tome as the cream to give it extra thickness. And rather than chopped tomatoes, try adding whole cherry tomatoes a couple of minutes before you serve. Great recipe as it is though!
How would I make home made Cajun spice?
Check it out here https://www.africanbites.com/creole-seasoning/
This was absolutely amazing! I added shrimp and andouille sausage and I’m already dreaming about leftovers. Thank you for sharing!!
What a great additions!
I just stumbled upon this recipe last week and made this today. This was SO GOOD! Tasted like restaurant quality! I ate so much of it, because I couldn’t stop eating it! I’m saving this to add to my current dinner rotations! Great job on this and thank you so much for sharing this recipe !!
Glad you love it, Heather, as much as I do. This is one of my fave pasta recipe. 🙂
I just made this for my family and it turned out great! I did omit the tomatoes completely and I used beef smoked sausage. I also added a bit of pesto, cayenne pepper, and Cajun seasoning to taste to the dish.
5/5
YaY! Thank you so much for your detailed feedback . So glad to hear it worked out well for you.
I just made this dish and it was off the charts . Iam definitely gonna make it again easy peasy. I just wished i could have made a much thicker sauce , it was packing the heat. Thanks and iam up for some new recipes from you.
Yay! Maybe next time reduce the creole seasoning . Or add more cream.
Just tried this recipe sooo soo good! New favorite cajun recipe! thank you so much, your an amazing cook.
Aww thanks Ana! Glad it worked out well for you.
Made this a few days ago and was really good. Thanks.
I usually don’t leave comments but I made this today today and it was perfect! My family likes spice so I added cayenne and red pepper flakes. My dad doesn’t like “creamy sauces” but I snuck the heavy cream and he didn’t even know . It’s just enough but not too much !
Am honored Bella! Thank you so much !!!
Made this meal today! My boyfriend and i really enjoyed it. I’m lactose intolerant so i used dairy free single cream and it still tasted lovely. Will definitely be trying out other recipes from you! Thank you for sharing!
My pleasure! So glad to hear it worked out well for you Ruth. Thank you so much!
Calories 420 is for how many grams( quantity) I notice you don’t put the quantity, just the calorie amount on your recipes. Not sure If I am the one who is not understanding. Thanks
I have updated it Kelsey! It’s 340 grams . I know what you mean, it makes it easier if you are measuring .
Loved this recipe. Made it for the whole family (my 10 month old gobbled it up) and an impromptu guest who doesn’t usually have spice also ate it all up and gave good feedback. I used spelt penne pasta and the cream of coconut milk due due to dietary requirements then thickened with arrowroot. Cannot wait to make this again. New family staple. ❤️
Yeah! Always thrilled to hear it ‘s a hit with the little ones – aren’t they such picky eaters ? Mine is… And when he enjoys something new am overly excited . Thank so much Denise!
Have a great weekend!!!
This is one of the best looking meals I have seen in a while. I almost ate my phone… jeez. keep it up Imma,
Hahaha! Thanks Girl! Give it a try you are going to love it even more.
This looks so good and I can’t wait to try it! My daughter is sensitive to spice, but I love things HOT! Do you have any tips for making a recipe like this work for both of us?
Absolutely ! This dish can be really spicy if you use store-bought cajun seasoning, as reported by another reader. To make it less spicy go with my homemade cajun seasoning and omit the cayenne pepper COMPlETElY. You can always add hot sauce on your plate, if you want more heat.
what type of hot sauce would you recommenced to use on a recipe like this to make it spicy at the end?
The dish was very flavorful but OMG watch out for the cajun spice. I used brand name Slap Your Mama an boy was it HOT! For my own taste and husband’s I’m reducing the cajun spice to 1 teaspoon. Maybe this one was quite potent, but I had to strain half the sauce and add straight half & half…still that didn’t cut it. Strained again and added 1/2 bottle of alfredo sauce. Next night, boy…it’s still a spicy dish!
Oh My! Sorry to hear about the spice ! Store-bought cajun spice is usually loaded with cayenne pepper. Homemade is best , cause you can control what goes in. More spice and less heat. Thanks for the feedback.
Thank-you, Can’t wait to try this!
Awesome! Do let me know how it works out for you.
Thanks!
When should i add the worcestershire sauce?
After the cajun spice . Thanks!
Thanks, I saw it after I posted that question.. smh. So, excited to make it that I almost didn’t pay attention to the instructions.. lol.. My wife and I enjoyed the meal! Can’t wait to make it again along with other receipts on the site! By the way what part of African is your food base on? I ask because I’m from Ghana and there are not of sites like this. So, we really appreciate your work!