If you love spicy Cajun flavors, creamy sauce, umami chicken, and the carb-y goodness that comes only from noodles, then you’ll love Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta. Its smoky notes and rich tomato punch taste like they came straight out of a restaurant kitchen for a fraction of the price and on the table in only 25 minutes.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
I first tasted this dish at a little spot in New Orleans, a place that combined flavor and hominess for the ultimate comfort experience. When I got home, I knew I wanted to recreate it for weeknights without losing the depth of the original. I’ve been making it ever since.
The benefits extend beyond the hygge. Simple, fresh ingredients: butter, olive oil, chicken, tomatoes, cream, and parmesan. A quick prep period, searing the chicken in fat before building the sauce right there in the same skillet. Al dente penne is cooked separately for a toothy bite in each forkful, while a bit of pasta water effortlessly takes the sauce from creamy to Wow That’s Creamy in less than a second. I love serving this with a simple green salad and garlic bread, but it’s absolutely good enough to plate on its own if you’ve got a busy to-do list (read: Netflix and chill).
Table of Contents
Recipe at a Glance
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Total: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Skill level: Easy
Ingredients for Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts: Good breasts are plump, firm, shiny, and light pink. Avoid anything that has lots of liquid in the package, which signals age.
- Cajun Seasoning: You can get it store-bought, but it’s important to control the salt content. I advise a salt-free blend so you can adjust your seasonings while cooking.
- Penne Pasta: Classic penne does the best job catching and holding the creamy sauce. Choose a high-quality brand that you already know you like.
- Butter: As with your spice mix, select a butter that is both high-quality and unsalted, so that you can control the sodium level in the finished dish. If possible, opt for a European-style butter and thank me later.
- Olive Oil: I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: A good extra-virgin olive oil is always worth having in your kitchen. No, it doesn’t have to be super expensive, but choose one with a light, clean, fruity flavor.
- Garlic: I always advise fresh garlic with firm cloves and a tight, papery head.
- Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes: If you go out of your way for one ingredient in this dish, make it the tomatoes. Plain canned tomatoes simply won’t do, because they don’t add the same smoke factor as the fire-roasted kind. If you truly can’t find them, then regular diced tomatoes will work in a pinch, but keep them on hand going forward. Want to make them yourself? Give my Fire Roasted Tomatoes a try. Tomatoes + your oven + free will = heaven. It’s that simple.
- Heavy Cream: No, you cannot substitute half-and-half or milk. They simply don’t bring the richness of heavy cream, which is what binds the other ingredients together and makes them cling to the pasta. Without it, you can say goodbye to that restaurant feel.
- Parmesan Cheese: It’s not snobby to say that you should freshly grate your Parmesan cheese. Why? Because the pre-grated stuff is a different animal, grainy and oddly flavored and resistant to melting in the same way. Take the time to prep your own and your pasta will shine.
- Fresh Parsley: This is optional, but nothing says fresh and restaurant-quality like a sprinkling of chopped herbs. For bold flavor, I always reach for flat-leaf, aka Italian, parsley.
How to Make Cajun Chicken Pasta
This simple recipe starts with a quick toss of your chicken in the Cajun seasoning, then searing it in a large skillet. Using both butter and olive oil as your fat combines flavor and heat tolerance, allowing you to cook the chicken quickly without burning. Cook until just done, then move it quickly to a plate.
Next, add the fire-roasted tomatoes along with their liquid. Scrape up any browned bits while stirring, then reduce the tomato sauce by half before adding the heavy cream and parmesan. Simmer until the sauce turns thick and velvety.
Meanwhile, cook penne in a large pot of boiling, salted water until al dente, reserving 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
Add cooked pasta, chicken, and any accumulated juices to the skillet, tossing until heated through and sauce reaches desired consistency, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Season to taste with additional Cajun seasoning, then serve hot, garnished with parmesan and parsley if you like.
Pro Tips
- Start light on the Cajun seasoning: As with any punchy spice blend, you can always add more, but science has not yet found a good way to reverse entropy. Go slow, tasting along the way.
- Don’t overcook your pasta: You’re looking for al dente pasta, but it will keep cooking once you toss it with the warm sauce. If you let it cook to perfection in the water, it will be mush by the time you serve it. Pull it a minute early.
- Save your pasta water: Fill a measuring cup with pasta water as soon as you turn off the heat so that you don’t accidentally toss it out. You really do need it to bind the sauce and make it stick to the noodles.
- Let the chicken brown: A hot skillet lets the chicken brown without overcooking it, which creates needed flavor. Always remember that crowding the pan leads to steaming, so cook in batches if needed.
- Avoid cast iron: Because you make your sauce right in the pan, it’s best to choose stainless steel rather than cast iron. Tomatoes are acidic, which risks ruining your cast iron’s cure … true heartbreak to anyone who has experienced it.
Recipe Variations
- Swap the protein: If you prefer thighs to breasts, go for it. Boneless, skinless thighs are just as yummy and stay moister for those who care. Watch for doneness in the same way as with breasts.
- Use a different short pasta: Rigatoni, rotini, and cavatappi will all work for this recipe as well. If you simply can’t resist twirling pasta around your fork, fettuccine and linguine are great too.
- Add vegetables: Adding tender greens like baby spinach or leftover cooked vegetables turns this pasta from a main course to a handy one-pot dinner.
- Dial the heat up or down: If you’re suspicious of the heat level, start with 2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning and add more as needed. If you want to add more flavor without adding more salt, a pinch of cayenne at the finish is the ticket.
- Add a splash of dry white wine: A splash of white wine into the sauce enhances the flavors by adding a slightly acidic bite. Feel free to experiment.
How to Store and Reheat
We all love a good make-ahead strategy. For Cajun Chicken Pasta, feel free to dice and season the chicken and grate the parmesan earlier in the day. Keep both covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook everything.
While this pasta is best straight off the stove, the leftovers are still quite tasty. For best results, put them in an airtight container in the fridge and eat them within 3 days. It’s normal for the sauce to thicken in the fridge. Resist the urge to add liquid until after you’ve heated it and can see the sauce’s true consistency. If you still need to loosen it, add a splash of cream or milk. I don’t recommend freezing this, as the dairy will separate and the pasta won’t hold up well.
More Delicious Cajun Recipes
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts diced into bite size pieces
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning or more to taste (recipe note #1)
- 8 ounces penne pasta or other short pasta
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 14 1/2-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes with liquid
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 ounces grated parmesan cheese about 2/3 cup, plus more for garnish
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Combine diced chicken and Cajun seasoning in a medium bowl and toss to coat. Set aside.
- In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook penne according to package directions until firm to the bite (al dente). Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
- While the pasta cooks, heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add garlic, then cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook and stir until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes; transfer to a clean plate with a slotted spoon.
- Add tomatoes with liquid to same skillet and bring to boil; cook and stir until liquid is reduced by half, 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in heavy cream and parmesan cheese; bring to simmer. Cook and stir 3 minutes, or until cheese has melted and sauce thickens.
- Add drained, cooked pasta, chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet; cook and stir until heated through and sauce has thickened to your desired consistency. Or, for a thinner sauce, add reserved pasta water a little at a time as desired. Taste for seasoning and add more Cajun seasoning if needed. Transfer to serving platter or individual pasta bowls and garnish with parmesan and parsley (optional); serve hot.
Notes
- The amount of salt in Cajun seasoning varies widely by brand, so start out with a bit less than the recipe calls for and add more taste. If you’re using a salt-free seasoning (my preference), add 2 teaspoons of seasoning and ~1/4 teaspoon of fine sea salt. Then add more of each to taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love to marry traditional Italian pasta with other cuisines / dishes myself (although Italians may disagree!) Loving your fusion of Cajun and Italian cuisines – this pasta looks and sounds wonderful!
Thank you, Ben!
Such great flavors! Love the color of the pasta.
Thanks so much, Mimi!