Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

This chicken pasta is perfectly creamy, cheesy, a little spicy, and flavored with Cajun spices. The juicy cajun-flavored chicken and the crisp veggies make this pasta really appetizing.

It is one of my favorite Cajun recipes that I shared on this website. The magical flavors come from homemade cajun seasoning. You can use this Cajun seasoning to make Cajun grilled chicken sandwiches and Cajun chicken and rice.

About this recipe

In this recipe post, I am sharing how to make Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta with homemade Cajun seasoning.

It is made with chicken, pasta, bell peppers, onion, garlic, and cajun seasoning. It is the homemade cajun seasoning that flavors the pasta so well that it tastes similar to what you get in the restaurant.

Cajun chicken pasta is one such dinner recipe that is creamy, tastes absolutely delicious and your whole family can enjoy. You will love to make it again.

If you like this recipe, you may also like these amazing pasta recipes  

• Chicken Chow Mein
• Chicken Hakka Noodles
• Italian Chicken Pasta
• Tomato Spinach Chicken Pasta
• One-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup with Vegetables

Why You Need This Recipe

• Easy step-by-step instructions with a recipe video.
• Quick and easy - You can make this one-pot pasta within 30 minutes. This pasta is made with simple ingredients easily available in your kitchen pantry.
• Homemade Cajun Seasoning - You can use store-bought Cajun seasoning too. It takes only 5 minutes to make it at home and it tastes absolutely delicious. Not only it is quick but also it gives you control over the quanitity of spices and salt that goes into your dish.
• One pot recipe - You can make the pasta in a single pot. Fewer dishes to go and easy to clean up.
• Easy to customize - You can easily customize this one-pot pasta recipe as per the ingredients available in your kitchen pantry. For more details related to substitutions, check out the ingredients notes below.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Ingredients Notes

• Chicken - I have used boneless skinless chicken breast in this recipe. You can also use boneless chicken thighs.
• Pasta - For this recipe, I have used penne pasta as it holds the sauces better. To substitute, you can use any other pasta of your choices like macaroni, bow tie pasta, or rigatoni.
• Cajun Seasoning - Paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper powder. This pasta is spicy but you can adjust the spiciness by decreasing the quantity of cayenne pepper in it.
• Vegetables - Onions, garlic, red and yellow bell peppers. You can add any veggies of your choice like steamed broccoli or baby spinach.
• Chicken broth - It adds a great depth of flavor to the pasta. You can substitute it with vegetable broth. Or add water with chicken bouillon cubes to cook the pasta.
• Tomato sauce - It adds a sweet, spicy, and tangy taste. To substitute, you can add tomato paste or half a can of tomatoes. Or use Tomato ketchup.
• Coriander leaves - You can substitute it with parsley.
• Cheese - I have used 2 different types of cheese for this recipe. Cream cheese adds creaminess to the recipe and cheddar cheese adds sharp flavor to the dish. To substitute, you can add Parmesan or whatever cheese you have. Or skip the cheese and add heavy cream to the recipe. Cream or cheese is added to balance the heat of the pasta.

For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.

Step by step instructions with photos

Preparations

1. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients mentioned under Cajun seasoning. Homemade Cajun seasoning is ready. Set this aside.
2. Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the prepared seasoning and lemon juice. Set this aside.

   

Making creamy cajun chicken pasta

1. Heat 2 teaspoon oil in a heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat.
2. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken to the pan. Stir and cook it until the chicken is completely cooked. Remove it to a plate. Keep it covered.
3. To the same pan, add 1 teaspoon oil. Add onion and bell peppers. Sauté it for 2-3 minutes.
4. Next, add garlic and sauté it for 30 seconds. Remove it to the same plate.
5. Now add chicken broth and tomato sauce to the pan. Combine it well.
6. Add uncooked pasta and 1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning to the pan. Stir to combine.
7. Let the broth come to a boil.
8. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and let the pasta cook until al dente. Stir it in between to avoid the pasta sticking to the bottom of the pan.
9. Add cream cheese and combine.
10. Add the chicken and veggies back to the pan and combine until warm. Remove from heat.
11. Finally, add coriander leaves and cheddar cheese. Combine until the cheese is melted.
12. Serve it warm and enjoy.

    

Tips to make the best cajun chicken pasta

• While cooking the pasta, keep stirring it so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan/pot.
• You can adjust the spiciness by increasing or decreasing the quantity of cayenne pepper in the seasoning.
• The pan should be hot while stir-frying the chicken.
• Before adding cheese to the pasta, reduce the heat to low and then add cheese to the recipe.
• Make sure the cheese that you are using is at room temperature. Do not use the cheese directly taken out from the refrigerator.
• You can substitute ¼ cup of cream cheese with ¼ cup of heavy cream. It adds perfect creaminess to this one-pot pasta recipe.
• After adding cheese, if you find it difficult to stir, add some milk and then stir to combine everything well.
• You can increase the quantity of cream cheese to make it creamier.
• The addition of cheddar cheese is optional. But it gives a very nice flavor to the dish. You can also substitute it with Parmesan cheese.

Frequently Asked Questions

Variations that you can try

• Add Vegetables - You can add any vegetable of your choice like broccoli or baby spinach.
• Make it with Shrimp - You can add shrimp instead of chicken and make Cajun shrimp pasta.
• Make it vegetarian by replacing chicken with mushrooms.
• Make it Healthy Cajun Chicken Pasta - Skip the addition of cream cheese and add some baby spinach, cook until the leaves wilt, and serve. You can add a dash of milk if you find it difficult to stir. It tastes delicious without cream cheese too.

Serving Suggestion

• You can serve this pasta with Asian slaw.

Storage Suggestion

• Store the leftovers within 2 hours of cooking.
• Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container in the refrigerator. Consume it within 2 days.

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Recipe Card