This creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is a simple and flavorful homemade ready in under 30 minutes. Made with chicken breast, pasta, and plenty of fresh, colorful veggies with Cajun Seasoning is an easy meal!
This Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe is one of my family’s favorite meals all-year ’round.
Easy Chicken Pasta
This pasta dish has a creamy cajun sauce that coats every bite.
Pasta for Cajun Chicken: 8 oz of your favorite medium pasta is perfect in this recipe, I like to make mine using Penne pasta (like Chili’s Cajun Chicken Pasta penne dish). Linguine is another a popular option to make this Cajun Chicken Pasta tasty! You can also substitute whole grain or whole wheat pasta for added nutritional value!
How to Make Cajun Chicken Pasta
My favorite part about this Cajun chicken pasta dish is that it’s easy to make.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions and set aside.
- Season chicken, cook through, and remove to a plate to rest.
- Cook veggies and add sauce ingredients. Cook until the sauce reduces and thickens.
- Add cheese, return chicken to the pan, and add pasta.
To Prep Chicken: I prefer to cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces before cooking so the chicken has a lot of great flavor (as more surface area is covered with seasoning than if you seasoned/cooked the whole breast).
You could alternatively season and cook the chicken breasts whole, keep them removed from the pan after cooking, and then mix all of the other ingredients together and serve the chicken over your cooked pasta.
What should I serve with Cajun Chicken Pasta?
We often eat this creamy Cajun Chicken recipe without anything on the side, it’s a great stand alone meal. However, this time of year we also enjoy it with lighter side dishes including Caesar Salad, Corn on the Cob, or Corn Salad.
Jalapeno Cornbread will also make for a good, heartier, side! And will help scoop up any Cajun chicken sauce left in your bowl too!
Can I make Cajun Chicken Pasta in Advance?
If you don’t wish to serve this dish right away, you can make it in advance to serve later, and in fact the flavors will develop even more as it sits!
Keep in mind that the pasta will absorb a lot of the sauce, so your dish will be less creamy if you make it in advance and store all the ingredients together.
Another alternative would be to prepare everything except for the pasta, and then to cook the pasta fresh when you are ready to serve and add it to your other ingredients after re-heating them.
Keep your Cajun Chicken Pasta refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to enjoy.
More Chicken Pasta:
- Cordon Bleu Casserole! (No cream of anything soup in this!)
- One Pot Pasta with Chicken
- Homemade Chicken Spaghetti
- Chicken Lasagna
- Sun Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken
What is Cajun Seasoning Made of?
I have the perfect homemade cajun seasoning recipe! It’s a great option to use in this Cajun spice or seasoning contains tasty spices such as garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt, oregano, and thyme.
To give it its world famous kick, my Cajun seasoning contains chili flakes, black pepper, and cayenne pepper, and smoky paprika!
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne cooked according to package instructions and drained
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1" pieces
- 4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning divided
- ½ teaspoon salt divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper divided
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅓ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
-
Place 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan over medium-high heat until melted.
-
Meanwhile, combine 3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a zippered bag. Add chopped chicken, zip closed, and shake until chicken is coated.
-
Transfer chicken to heated pan and cook until chicken is browned and just cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside.
-
Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to pan and allow it to melt.
-
Add peppers and onion and cook until beginning to soften (about 3-5 minutes).
-
Add heavy cream, smoked paprika, basil, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, cooking until sauce is thickened.
-
Add parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Return cooked chicken and add cooked pasta, stir well and serve.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
REPIN this Easy Pasta Recipe
More Recipes You’ll Love
Slow Cooker Cajun Bean Turkey Soup Recipe
This was delicious! It was flavorful and easy. I will definitely make often. Thank you.
This recipe is so delicious! I couldn’t believe how easy it was and so flavorful. Thank you. This will be something I make often.
Love this dish!! Most importantly my grandchildren love it too. Thank you!!
So happy to hear that, Tammy!
We’ve been using this recipe for the last couple years now and it’s delicious. I don’t change anything, except adding an extra teaspoon or so of Cajun Seasoning and a splash extra of heavy cream. Otherwise, it’s perfect exactly how it is. It’s so easy to make and the leftovers I think are even better. Thank you for sharing this!