Our delicious and creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is a flavor packed dinner that is perfect for busy weeknights! Made with tender chicken, a creamy sauce, and perfectly cooked pasta noodles. You definitely need it on your weekly meal plan ASAP!
The Best Cajun Chicken Pasta
Quick and easy pasta dishes are a staple at our house that the entire family will love and they don’t take too long to make – perfect weeknight dinners! In this pasta recipe we used our favorite cajun seasoning to add a little spice to the mix, but feel free to adjust the cajun flavor to your desired taste. And if chicken isn’t your thing, it can easily be swapped out for andouille sausage, Italian sausage, or shrimp in this cajun pasta. It would actually make your cook time even shorter. Can’t wait for you to try this amazing dinner recipe that’s a family favorite around here!
Looking for More Pasta Recipes?
If you love a good pasta dish as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Chicken Piccata Pasta!
What You Will Need
- cajun seasoning – we used a store-bought cajun spice to keep it simple and add a little bit of heat, but you could probably make your own cajun seasoning.
- chicken thighs – love the flavor of boneless skinless chicken thighs but you can also pick-up some chicken breasts at the grocery store.
- unsalted butter – a little bit to sear the chicken and the rest used as a base to the cajun sauce.
- pasta noodles – we used penne pasta, but any type of noodle would work here. A few other favorites are pappardelle noodles, linguine noodles, etc.
- garlic – everything is always better with some fresh garlic in the mix.
- creamer – to keep this main dish a little lighter we highly recommend a dairy-free, unsweetened, unflavored creamer, but you can also use half-&-half or heavy whipping cream.
- salt and pepper – simple seasonings that are a must when cooking any type of meat.
- diced tomatoes – just one can of diced tomatoes to go with the bold flavors!
- parmesan cheese – the perfect way to add the best cheesiness to this simple sauce, feel free to add more.
- reserved pasta water – for best results save some of that starchy pasta water in case the cream sauce gets a little too thick and needs to be thinned out.
How To Make Cajun Chicken Pasta
The first steps to making this easy recipe are to gather all of the simple ingredients.
Pat the chicken thighs with a paper towel and then season chicken with a tablespoon of the cajun seasoning. Now bring a large skillet to a medium high heat, melt one tablespoon of butter, and cook the seasoned chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side or until their internal temp reaches 162 degrees F. Remove chicken and let rest on a plate.
Next, return the hot pan to a medium heat, add the remaining butter, and garlic. Move around pan until fragrant. Add your cream of choice, diced tomatoes, remaining cajun seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix to combine the sauce mixture and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until it reaches your desired thickness.
Remove the deep skillet from the heat and mix in the freshly grated parmesan cheese to melt.
Bring a large pot of salt water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente, drain, and then add the tender pasta to the creamy cajun sauce. Toss to coat. Cut chicken and return those chicken pieces to the pan and toss again.
Pro Tip
Use a glass measuring cup to reserve some of that starchy water before fully draining the pasta! It will come in handy to help thin out the cream sauce, if it gets a little to thick.
Best Way To Serve Cajun Chicken Pasta
This easy cajun chicken pasta is delicious all on its own, but we do love to garnish with some extra parmesan cheese, a sprinkling of fresh parsley, or chopped green onions. Option to serve with some crusty bread or grilled bread to soak up any extra sauce!
Storage
Leftover pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- What do you eat with cajun pasta? Definitely a piece of bread with butter on top and then some oven roasted green beans, air fryer asparagus, or a simple house salad as a side dish!
- Seasoning: the amount of cajun seasoning used here is really up to you and your personal preferences. Adjust to what you want!
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Cajun Chicken Pasta Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our lightened up and creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe is just what you need for dinner tonight! Super easy and full of the best flavors!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, divided
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 9 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 pound penne noodles (regular or gluten-free)
- 2–3 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 cup dairy free, unsweetened, unflavored cream OR heavy cream*
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- pinch of kosher salt
- 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
- garnish: fresh parsley and additional grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook Chicken: Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season all sides with 1 tablespoon of cajun seasoning. Bring a large cast iron skillet to a medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter to melt. Once hot, cook the chicken thighs for 5-7 minutes on one side, flip, and continue cooking for 5-7 minutes on the other side. Cook until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the meat reaches 162 degrees F (use an instant-read meat thermometer). Let chicken rest on a plate.
- Boil Pasta: while the chicken is cooking, bring a separate pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook to al dente according to the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water before fully draining.
- Make Sauce: in the same large skillet used to cook the chicken, bring back to a medium high heat and add the rest of the butter to melt. Add garlic to the hot pan and move around until fragrant; about 30 seconds. Gradually add the heavy cream (or dairy-free alternative) along with the remaining cajun seasoning, diced tomatoes, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine, let simmer and reduce for about 10 minutes, whisking consistently. Once mixture has thickened, remove from heat and mix in the parmesan cheese to melt.
- Combine: Add cooked noodles to the skillet and toss to combine. Add splashes of reserved pasta water to thin, as-needed. Taste and more salt or cajun seasoning, if needed. Cut cooked chicken into strips and toss with the pasta in the pan.
- Serve: enjoy immediately with some chopped parsley and/or parmesan cheese on top!
Notes
- *Cream: highly recommend keeping this main dish a little lighter by using a NutPods Creamer, Califia Farms Better Half, or Silk Dairy-Free Whipping Cream.
- Chicken Breast: option to use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs, but you will need to adjust the cook time. Keep an eye on that internal temperature.
- Gluten-Free: use a gluten-free pasta.
- Dairy-Free: use a dairy-free creamer, plant-based butter, and a dairy-free parmesan alternative.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 451
- Sugar: 2.8 g
- Sodium: 361.9 mg
- Fat: 19.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 45.5 g
- Protein: 23 g
- Cholesterol: 94.8 mg
Meagan Weber says
Made this tonight and it is amazing! Definitely recommending to friends
B says
Another quick and delicious recipe. Thank you!
Erin says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review!