The Simplest Recipe for Cajun Chicken Pasta

Simple Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe is both creamy and spicy at the same time. Make it with Homemade Cajun Seasoning and you'll have this easy Cajun Chicken Pasta ready in less than 30-minutes⏳

Excellent for weeknight meals and can be prepared ahead of time⌚️

This all in one recipe saves so much time. You don't have to cook the pasta separately. The pasta cooks in the skillet along with tomato paste🥫and chicken broth.

Finally, just stir in heavy cream and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

We commonly associate Cajun Chicken Pasta with Chili's or Cheesecake Factory's. One of the most common places to chill out on a Friday night, Cajun Chicken Pasta has all that that you need to make your weekend special.

Typically, you'll find people making this recipe with Penne Pasta. But, I figured that it's totally up to you. Penne is easily available at our homes most of the times and it holds the flavors too.

But, I think my favorite is Bow Tie, shells, and rigatoni. In this recipe, I've used shells. You could also make this fettuccine in the form of 20-Minute Cajun Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

I think you might also like these similar cajun recipes😋

• Cajun Butter Crockpot Chicken Thighs and Rice
• Creamy Cajun Chicken (BAKED)
• Extra Crispy Cajun Dry Rub Chicken Wings in Air Fryer

Jump to:

• 👀What is Cajun Chicken Pasta
• 📝Ingredients
• 🍽How to make Cajun Chicken Pasta?
• 🧆Cooking Variations
• 🥦What goes with Cajun Chicken Pasta
• ☃️Can you Freeze Cajun Chicken Pasta
• 🔥Can you reheat Cajun Chicken Pasta?
• 💁Can I use Philadelphia Cream Cheese?
• 🥛Can I Skip Heavy Cream?
• 🥘Can I make this in the Instant Pot?
• 🍲Can I make this in the Crock Pot?
• 🌱Tell me some proteins substitute for this recipe
• 🔖Recipe
• The Simplest Recipe for Cajun Chicken Pasta

👀What is Cajun Chicken Pasta

As the name suggests, Cajun Chicken Pasta is your regular pasta with cajun seasoning and chicken. It's so easy and making it in the skillet 🍳 makes your job so much easier 😌

📝Ingredients

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (or Chicken Thighs)
• Cajun Seasoning
• Olive Oil and Butter
• garlic cloves (minced)
• pasta of your choice
• tomato paste
• chicken broth
• heavy cream
• freshly chopped parsley

see the recipe card below for quantities

🍽How to make Cajun Chicken Pasta?

• Coat Chicken in Cajun Seasoning

Place chicken in a large resealable bag and coat it with cajun seasoning.

TIP: You can add a tablespoon of Olive Oil to help the seasoning stick to the chicken.

• Cook Chicken

Cook Chicken in a skillet with some olive oil. Cook both sides for 3-4 minutes until chicken cooks completely. Once done, keep it aside.

• Make Sauce

In the same pan, add unsalted butter and freshly minced cloves of garlic. Once garlic becomes aromatic add cajun seasoning. Cook the spice on low for a minute until fragrant.

• Add uncooked Pasta and cook until al dente

Now add a pasta of your choice, tomato paste, and low sodium chicken broth. Give it a quick stir and then cook on low until the pasta gets al dente.

• Stir in Heavy Cream

Finally, stir in Heavy Cream and cooked chicken in the pasta.

• Garnish and Serve

Finally, garnish and serve with freshly chopped parsley 🌿or green onions.

🧆Cooking Variations

• Boneless skinless chicken thighs - Chicken thighs are so much juicier than chicken breasts. Skip chicken breasts and use chicken thighs instead.
• Onions - I have skipped onions because I didn't really feel that this recipe would need onions. You can add finely chopped or diced white or yellow onions while sautéing garlic if you want.🧅
• Parmesan Cheese - For that extra kick you can add some freshly shredded parmesan cheese.
• Roma Tomatoes - You can also skip tomato paste and serve it with chopped Roma tomatoes instead.🍅
• Cream Cheese - Make sure you use cream cheese that has been cut into small blocks. This will make it easier for you to combine.
• Go Easy on Cayenne - If you are making this for kids, then my tip would be to chill out with cayenne🌶
• Grated Gruyére Cheese - Grated Gruyére Cheese makes this Cajun Chicken Pasta sweet and cheesy🧀
• Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest - to bring that zesty lemon-y fragrance you can grate some lemon zest or you can squeeze in some lemon juice while making this pasta🍋

Not Interested in this recipe😑? You might find these chicken pasta recipes interesting🤔

• Bruschetta Chicken Pasta - Slow Cooker / Instant Pot
• Instant Pot Crack Chicken Pasta
• Chicken Enchilada Pasta
• Chicken Parmesan Pasta Skillet

🥦What goes with Cajun Chicken Pasta

Cajun Chicken Pasta is spicy. Therefore, I would suggest you pair it with steamed broccoli or crispy air fried broccoli. You can also use broccolini.

If not that, then I suggest you serve your pasta with cheesy garlic bread. Seriously one cannot go wring with garlic bread!

In case you want to use Zucchini then you can serve your pasta with these crispy Zucchini Carrots Tater Tots

And, that is not all. You can serve your pasta with Baked Eggplant Curry or Crispy Eggplant Fries in Air Fryer.

Just like Eggplant Fries you can also serve it with Southern Fried Okra in Air Fryer or Crispy Fried Green Beans in Air-Fryer

☃️Can you Freeze Cajun Chicken Pasta

Yes, you can freeze this recipe for up to 2 months provided you store it appropriately.

So, the best way to do that is allow your pasta to cool down completely. Then transfer it to a large resealable bag.

Wrap it all over again with an aluminum foil or cling wrap.

Freeze for up to 2 months.

🔥Can you reheat Cajun Chicken Pasta?

Yes, you can definitely reheat your pasta.

Make sure you thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat it in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until completely warmed through.

💁Can I use Philadelphia Cream Cheese?

Of course. There is nothing better than Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Cream Cheese will add a tasty tangy texture to your recipe.

The creamy texture of Cream Cheese will complement the spicy cajun seasoning and you will have a smooth, cheesy, comforting Cajun Chicken Pasta.

🥛Can I Skip Heavy Cream?

Well, you can definitely skip Heavy Cream. But, I personally, wouldn't recommend you to do that.

I think heavy cream is important to add that creamy subtle sweetness to this spicy Cajun Chicken Pasta.

Cajun Recipes are always spicy. Therefore I certainly add heavy cream while making cajun recipes.

Of course, if you can substitute heavy cream with half and half or whole milk.

🥘Can I make this in the Instant Pot?

Yup! Why Not? I love Pasta in Instant Pot. You should see my Instant Pot Chicken Parm Pasta recipe where I have cooked it all in my Instant Pot. Super good and certainly sounds like something that you should try.

🍲Can I make this in the Crock Pot?

Of course you can. But, the major question that everyone asks about cooking pasta in crock pot is - what is my pasta turns soggy?

Well, the trick to a non-soggy pasta cooked in a crock pot is to first cook your chicken along with the Cajun spices in your crockpot for about 2 to 3 hours on high or four hours on low then add the uncooked pasta. Cover it with a lid and within 15 minutes your pasta will be completely cooked.

🌱Tell me some proteins substitute for this recipe

• You can choose lean ground beef or smoked sausages instead of chicken.
• You can also add the holy trinity of cajun cuisines - onions, bell pepper, and celery.
• You can skip chicken and use turkey. I think leftover Thanksgiving Turkey would be of an excellent use here.
• If you're looking for some vegan alternatives to chicken then you can use tofu or tempeh or lentils or mushrooms to make this recipe.

More Cajun Recipes to Try:

• Salmon Pasta in Creamy Cajun Sauce
• Cajun Shrimp and Rice
• Easiest Cajun Shrimp Pasta

🔖Recipe