Cajun Chicken Pasta is a creamy pasta dish with a bit of a kick! The chicken and sauce are both seasoned with Cajun seasoning giving this pasta dish a punch of flavor with a bit of spice. From the seasoned chicken to the creamy Cajun sauce, this pasta dish is one that you will love!
What ingredients are needed for this Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta dish?
For this Creamy Cajun Pasta recipe you will need:
- 1 pound chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil – for cooking the chicken
- 1/2 pound pasta of your choice (more on that below), cooked according to the package
- 1 can chicken broth
- 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick of butter)- salted or unsalted
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons jarred/bottled minced garlic or 4 fresh garlic cloves, minced
- Cajun seasoning: 2 1/2 teaspoons for the chicken and 1 tablespoon for the sauce (or more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon of paprika (or more to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or more to taste)
What kind of pasta is best for this Cajun Chicken Pasta dish?
For this Cajun pasta dish I prefer to use a pasta that has some surface space to it so the sauce can cling to the pasta. The perfect pasta, in my opinion is one you can poke with your fork so it’s easier to eat. Bowtie, penne, cavatappi, rotini, or even a tortellini work great.
You can use a long pasta like spaghetti, fettuccine, linguini or angel hair. It is up to you what you want to use.
Cook the pasta ahead of preparing this dish. Cook the pasta according to the package.
The Chicken for Creamy Cajun Pasta
I use boneless skinless chicken breasts and cut it into bite sized pieces.
Place the chicken in a zip top bag and then add the olive oil (or vegetable oil). Squish the chicken around so the chicken pieces are all covered in the oil. Then add 2 1/2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning to the chicken and squish it around again in the zip top bag so the seasoning gets evenly distributed on the chicken.
*You an also put the chicken, oil and seasoning in a bowl and mix it together if you do not have a zip top bag.
*If you want your chicken spicier, add more Cajun seasoning to the chicken before cooking it.
Then, the chicken will cook over medium heat until it’s fully cooked and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the cooked chicken aside.
Making the sauce for Cajun Chicken Pasta
In a large saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. When the butter just starts to melt add the finely diced onion and minced garlic.
Cook the butter, onion and garlic over medium heat until it’s fragrant- this will happen fast. Then, add the flour, whisking it into the butter. The butter will be thick and clumpy. Don’t worry it will mix in just fine with the chicken broth and heavy cream.
Let the butter and flour cook for a minute, whisking it occasionally.
Next, add your chicken broth, whisking the butter/flour into the broth as you add it. Keep whisking and the lumps will come out! It should start to thicken.
Then, you will add the heavy whipping cream, whisking as you add it slowly.
Turn the heat to med-low and keep whisking until the sauce keeps thickening.
Then add the paprika, 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix them in fully and then give the sauce a taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. If you like it a bit spicier, you can add more Cajun seasoning.
Next, turn your heat to low and add the Parmesan cheese. Whisk it in the sauce and make sure it fully melts.
Finishing the Cajun Chicken Pasta
The pasta is cooked, the chicken seasoned/cooked and the sauce is made. So what is next?
Add the cooked chicken to the sauce and mix it in.
Finally, add your cooked pasta and stir into the sauce with chicken.
Take the dish off of the heat.
Serving Cajun Chicken Pasta
Serve this pasta dish with extra grated parmesan cheese on top if desired. You can also add some chopped green onions.
This Cajun pasta dish is a bit spicy, creamy, and delicious.
Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
For some other delicious pasta recipes try these on the blog:
- Easy Homemade Alfredo Sauce
- Two-Sauce Slow Cooker Pasta
- Two-Sauce Pasta Bake
- Chicken Bacon Alfredo Pasta Bake
- Creamy Chicken Bacon Pasta
- Slow Cooker Penne Pasta
- Slow Cooker Lasagna
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Cajun Chicken Pasta
Equipment
- large skillet or saucepan for making the pasta dish
- medium sized pan for cooking the chicken
- zip top bag or large bowl to season/oil the chicken
- sharp knife for chopping onions (and garlic if using fresh garlic)
- cutting board for chopping onions (and garlic if using fresh garlic)
- cheese grater
- whisk
- large spoon for mixing sauce and serving
Ingredients
The Cajun Chicken
- 1 pound chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
- 2 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning *add more if you want the chicken spicier
Pasta and Pasta Sauce
- 1/2 pound bowtie pasta, cooked according to the package *you can use another type of pasta
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced/chopped
- 2 tsp minced garlic from a jar/bottle *OR 4 fresh garlic cloves, minced
- 14.5 oz. chicken broth *one regular sized can
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, fresh grated *extra for topping if desired (optional)
- 4 tbsp butter (1/2 stick) *either salted or unsalted will work
- 6 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning *or more to taste
- 2 1/2 tsp paprika *or more to taste
- 1/2 tsp salt *or more to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper *or more to taste
Instructions
Cooking the Chicken
- In a zip top bag or in a medium sized bowl, add the raw cut up chicken pieces with the oil. Mix the chicken with the oil so all of the chicken pieces are covered – a ziptop bag makes it easy to just shake/squish the bag to get the chicken covered. Then add the Cajun seasoning and mix it all again making sure the chicken is evenly covered.*If you want this dish spicier you can add more Cajun seasoning to the chicken before cooking it.
- Add the chicken to a skillet and cook the chicken over medium heat making sure the internal temperature reaches 165 ℉. Take the chicken off the heat and set it aside.
Making the Sauce
- In a large skillet or sauce pan, over medium-low heat, add the butter to the pan. Let it start to melt and then add the onion and minced garlic. Stir/whisk the onion and garlic with the butter and let it heat until it’s fragrant.
- Add the flour to the melted butter with onions and garlic and whisk it together. It will be thick and probably lumpy-that is ok-see the blog post above to see what mine looks like. Whisk it the best you can and let it cook over the heat for a minute, whisking it while you let it heat.
- Add the chicken broth slowly to the butter mixture. It will till be lumpy, just keep whisking, the lumps will eventually disappear and melt into the chicken broth. The mixture should start to thicken.
- Add your heavy cream and keep whisking, making sure all of the lumps are out.
- Reduce the heat to low after it has started to thicken and then add the seasonings to the sauce. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings to your liking. More Cajun Seasoning will add more heat.
- Next, add your grated Parmesan cheese. Whisk it into the sauce until it’s fully melted and incorporated. Taste the sauce again and adjust the seasoning to your liking if desired.
Making/Finishing the Pasta Dish
- Add the cooked chicken to the sauce and stir it in. Then add the cooked pasta to the chicken and sauce. Top with extra grated Parmesan cheese if desired- or you can add this to each serving as desired. You can also top with chopped green onions. (Optional)
- Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. The pasta reheats just fine in the microwave.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
