Cajun Chicken Pasta
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Amazing, creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta that’s made in one pot for a quick and easy dinner recipe. A creamy sauce, penne noodles, chicken with the perfect amount of Cajun spice. Skip the restaurant and make this easy pasta recipe at home.

This cajun chicken pasta is such a tasty dish that the whole family will love! If you’re struggling to find variety in your dinner rotation, this pasta dish is sure to change things up a bit. It’s not super spicy, so don’t worry about that if you’re not a fan of heat! But, it is packed full of flavor!
Pasta night doesn’t have to be Italian. In fact, I love to cook dishes like this easy cajun pasta, Mexican pasta bake, and taco pasta to keep from making Italian all the time.
Each of these dishes are family friendly and super easy to make. You’re going to love the flavors in this tasty cajun pasta, and you’ll love how easy it is to throw together even more!
Why You’ll Love Cajun Chicken Pasta
- This easy one pot pasta will ensure that you don’t have a massive amount of dishes to clean after dinner!
- It only takes 30 minutes to make, start to finish. Great for a busy weeknight!
- Leftovers store really well. You can even make this dish and store separate it into servings as a protein packed meal prep item.
Ingredients for Cajun Pasta
- Penne pasta – Penne pasta works best in this recipe, but you could use rotini, fusilli, or even spaghetti. Some pasta needs more liquid than others though, so just make sure you cook it to the right texture.
- Cubed chicken – Be sure your diced chicken chunks aren’t too large so that they cook through evenly.
- Chicken broth – Chicken broth or chicken stock will both work!
- Heavy cream – If you don’t have heavy cream, you can use half and half or whole milk. Keep in mind that the sauce for the cajun pasta won’t turn out as creamy without heavy cream though.
- Yellow onion – The mild flavor of a yellow onion is perfect in this dish.
- Roma tomato – Dice a fresh roma tomato to add to this pasta. Don’t use canned tomatoes, they’ll be too liquidy.
- Shredded parmesan cheese – You can either buy fresh shredded parmesan cheese in the deli section of your grocery store, or buy a block and shred it yourself.
- Minced garlic – Both freshly minced garlic and minced garlic from a jar will work for this recipe!
- Extra virgin olive oil – Feel free to substitute olive oil for avocado oil, vegetable oil, or even butter.
- Cajun seasoning – There’s tons of different brands of cajun seasoning out there. Just use your favorite!
Helpful Tools
How to Make Cajun Chicken Pasta
Place the cubed chicken into a large stock pot and season it generously with cajun seasoning. Begin cooking the chicken over medium heat and then add the onions and olive oil until cooked through.
Stir in the minced garlic and let it cook for one minute, until fragrant.
Pour chicken broth, heavy cream, and pasta into the pot and bump it up to high heat.
Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn the heat to low. Then, cover the pot and let the mixture simmer for 15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.
Once the pasta is cooked, then stir in the shredded parmesan cheese.
Top the fresh creamy cajun chicken pasta with tomatoes, parsley, and extra cajun seasoning to taste.
Scoop into bowls, and eat up!
What to Serve with Cajun Chicken Pasta
This dish is great on its own, but you can throw in some tasty side dishes to round out your meal! This air fryer garlic bread would pair perfectly with cajun pasta, and so would some tasty breadsticks.
You can pair this pasta dish with a veggie too! These bacon wrapped green beans or air fryer broccoli would be great.
Make your meal extra fun by serving a chocolate lava cake or strawberry lemon cake for dessert!
How to store leftover Cajun Pasta
FRIDGE: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
FREEZER: It will last in the freezer for up to 3 months if stored in an airtight container. Allow it to thaw completely before reheating.
How to Reheat Leftovers
To reheat the pasta, place it on the stove top or in the microwave. You may need to add a splash of heavy cream or milk when reheating the pasta to keep the sauce creamy and delicious.
Can I add Sausage to this pasta recipe?
Sure! Slice up some andouille sausage and cook it in the first few steps with the chicken and onion. You can also completely replace the protein with sausage instead of chicken if you prefer!
Pro Tips for the Best Cajun Pasta
- Don’t over-season your pasta. Depending on what cajun seasoning you purchase, it could be salty and/or spicy. A little goes a long way, so add a little at a time and continue adding until it reaches the desired flavor.
- If you don’t like parmesan cheese, you can swap it out for mozzarella, cheddar, or any other cheese you want. You can also leave it out if you want.
- Make this pasta gluten free by using gluten-free noodles and ensuring the other ingredients are gluten free as well.
I can’t wait to hear how this tasty dish turns out in your kitchen! It’s just too good of a recipe to not try it out!
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
- This Shrimp Pasta is absolutely drool worthy. It’s one of my favorite dishes to make when we have company over for dinner.
- Love one pot dishes? This One Pot Skillet Spaghetti will be one to add to your list!
- I love this Beef Ragu recipe. It’s so simple and packed full of flavor.
- Need a new recipe to make for that next potluck? Try out this delicious Baked Mac and Cheese.
- Artichoke and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta is a quick, easy dinner recipe that’s ready in 20 minutes!
- Easy, homemade Chicken Alfredo is the perfect dinner!
- Need a quick, easy dinner recipe that the entire family will love in under 30 minutes? This delicious Shrimp Penne Pasta is what you need!
- Cheesy Bacon and Broccoli Tortellini Pasta – Quick Dish is Perfect for Busy Weeknight Dinners! 5 ingredients, Easy Prep and Ready on Your Table in 20 Minutes!
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta is loaded with flavor!
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Video
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound chicken cut into chunks
- 1 Tablespoon cajun seasoning
- ½ cup yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 4 ounces Crystal Farms Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 2 roma tomatoes seeded and diced
- Fresh parsley and Cajun spice for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat season chicken with Cajun seasoning. Add onions. Cook in olive oil until cooked through. Stir in garlic and cook for one minute.
- Add chicken broth, heavy cream and pasta. Turn heat to high, bring to a boil then turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until pasta is tender.
- Stir in Parmesan Cheese.
- Top pasta with tomatoes, parsley and additional Cajun seasoning to taste.
Sara says
How many people will this feed??
Julie says
I would say 4-5 people.
Deb says
This dish was easy and very tasty. I’ll make this again.
Julie says
Glad to hear it, Deb!
Cathy Trochelman says
This looks perfect! Simple yet super flavorful!
Geoff says
I would make some kind of cheesy pasta dish in the dutch oven.
Melissa says
I’d like to make potatoes au gratin in there!
Starla says
That looks so delicious. I would love to make a lobster mac and cheese in the dutch oven!