This Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta couldn’t be any more delicious if it tried! Better still, it makes the perfect quick and easy family dinner.
As one of my most loved and most popular recipes, I had to include this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’!
Cajun Chicken
The heart and soul of this dish is indeed the cajun chicken. Honestly? It couldn’t be easier to make. Here’s what you’ll need:
Cajun Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken Breast (butterflied)
- Olive Oil
- Lime Juice
- Cajun Seasoning
- Salt & Pepper
Grab yourself a ziplock bag, mix it up and leave it to marinate for as long as you have time for (up to overnight). This will maximise the flavour and tenderness of the chicken. However, if you’re truly pushed for time, just mix it up and fry right away.
How to make Cajun Chicken (quick summary)
- Lay out your chicken breast.
- Butterfly to make 2 even-sized breasts.
- Combine with seasoning and leave to marinate.
- Fry both sides until nicely charred and white through the centre.
Creamy Cajun Sauce
The cajun sauce is actually just as simple (and delicious) as the chicken. For this sauce, I’ve opted for mushrooms, onions, peppers and garlic in a simple sauce of butter, cream, parmesan and chicken stock. Finished with more cajun seasoning and parsley. Lovely jubbly. Slightly indulgent, totally worth it.
How to make Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta (quick summary)
- Fry mushrooms in leftover chicken oil.
- Add onions, peppers and garlic, then stir in seasoning.
- Melt in butter.
- Pour in chicken stock.
- Add cream, simmer, then add parmesan and parsley.
- Stir in pasta, then add chicken strips.
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Spice Level
Different cajun seasonings will have varying levels of spice. If you’re not too good with spice, I recommend starting off with 1 tsp (as opposed to 1 tbsp) in the sauce and adjusting accordingly.
Leftovers
Most creamy pastas don’t heat up well in the microwave and end up quite oily. As such, I recommend heating this up in the pan with a splash of milk. Also, just make sure the chicken is piping hot before serving.
Pasta
Feel free to sub any pasta with the penne! It’s usually just what I’ve got on hand.
And there we have it! Easy right?
Hey, whilst you’re here why not check out my other recipes?
Creamy Pasta Recipes
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta
- Penne Alfredo with Sun Dried Tomato and Bacon
- Salmon Pasta in a Creamy Dill Sauce
- Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
- Creamy Chicken & Broccoli Pasta
For more cajun recipes check out my Creamy Cajun Salmon, Cajun Chicken with Avocado Corn Salsa and Cajun Chicken Thighs!
Okay, let’s tuck into the full creamy cajun chicken pasta recipe shall we!?
How to make Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta (Full Recipe & Video)
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Zip Lock Bag or large Shallow Dish & Cling Film (for marinade)
- Large Frying Pan & Tongs
- Wooden Spoon
- Pot & Colander (for pasta)
- Jug (for stock & Cream)
- Fine Grater (for parmesan)
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 tbsp EACH: Lime Juice, Olive Oil, Cajun Seasoning
- 1/4 tsp EACH: Salt, Black Pepper
- 2x 7-9oz/200-250g Chicken Breasts
Pasta
- 3.5oz / 100g Button Mushrooms, sliced
- 1 medium Onion, finely diced (white or red)
- 2 small Peppers, cored & finely diced (I use 1 red 1 green)
- 2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 1 tbsp Cajun Seasoning
- 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 cup / 250ml Chicken Stock
- 1 cup / 250ml Double/Heavy Cream, at room temp
- 10.5oz / 300g Penne
- 1.7oz / 50g Parmesan, plus extra to serve if desired
- 1 heaped tbsp Fresh Parsley, finely diced (plus extra to serve if desired)
- Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
- Olive Oil, as needed
- Lime Juice, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Slice each chicken breast horizontally right through the centre to make four even-sized breasts. In a large, shallow dish (or ziplock bag), whisk together the lime juice, oil and 1 tablespoon of the Cajun seasoning with the salt and black pepper. Add the chicken and toss to coat, then cover with cling film and marinate in the fridge for as long as you have time for (2 hours if you can, up to overnight). If you’re pushed for time, just rest the chicken at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients.
- If you marinated the chicken in the fridge, bring it to close to room temperature, then fry the breasts in a deep frying pan over a medium-high heat for a few minutes each side, or until lightly charred and just cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside to rest, then slice into thin strips just before adding to the pasta.
- Fry the mushrooms in the leftover marinade until they begin to soften (add a splash more oil if you need it). Add the onion and peppers and continue frying until golden (again, add a splash of oil if you need it). Add the garlic and fry for a minute or so longer. Add 1 tbsp Cajun Seasoning, fry for a minute, then melt in the butter. Pour in the chicken stock and cream, then bring to a gentle simmer. Allow to simmer until it begins to thicken (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally.
- While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta in a saucepan of salted boiling water until al dente. Retain a cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.
- Add the Parmesan and parsley to the sauce, then season to taste. Stir through the cooked pasta until coated in the sauce, then stir through the sliced chicken, along with any resting juices. Continue tossing until the sauce clings to the pasta, thinning it out with more pasta water if needed.
- Serve with extra Parmesan and parsley and a squeeze of lime juice if desired.
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
Love the recipes of yours I have made so far. Thanks Di x x x
Thanks so much Diane! 🙂 C.
This is deliciously amazing!!! I love Olive Garden’s Cajun Chicken Pasta… this recipe is a great contender to make myself…& for far less money plus leftovers
Thanks so much for the review Candy! C.
This has become a staple in my house but I can not for the life of me get my sauce to thicken up. I’ve added flour, cheese, the extra pasta water and nothing makes it thicken. What am I doing wrong?
If you keep simmering away I promise it’ll thicken. Make sure the pasta is al dente and as you toss it through the pasta the excess starch will also help thicken up the sauce. Again, just keep stirring away and it will thicken. Sorry I can’t offer too much guidance past that! Glad it has become a staple either way 🙂 C.
I really like Cajun seasoning, but I’m a spice wuss when it comes to even a tiny bit of heat. So if I used just a bit of Cajun, what could I add for more seasoning, but no heat?
Hmmmm that’s a tricky one! Cajun seasoning is quite paprika heavy, so you could sub in some of that (I prefer smoked). You’ll likely need to season more generously with salt and pepper too. If it’s still lacking I’d then go in with some onion powder, garlic powder and oregano. Hope this helps! C.
When I came across this recipe a few months ago, I couldn’t have been paid to eat pasta, was totally uninspired by it. I’ve done it at least half a dozen times since along with plenty of other DGBMH pasta recipes.
A firm family favourite and an absolute pleasure to cook to boot. I’ve cooked it for multiple groups of guests too and they’ve all loved it. I think you’re right about it not being able to be more delicious, Chris. This is an absolutely perfect recipe.
The only thing I’d like to see is a seasoning recipe. I make my own with
3 tbsp Paprika
3 tbsp Smoked Paprika
4 tbsp Oregano
4 tbsp Onion Granules
4 tbsp Cumin
2 tbsp Coriander
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Salt
1 tbsp Black Pepper
And then use what I need. Having done your Chili and Slow Cooker Curry, I know your spice game is properly on point so I’d love to see a definitive mix.
Cheers Simon! The seasoning mix looks awesome. You’re right – will definitely have to give my own a whirl. C.
Seriously, one of the best chicken & pasta dishes I have ever cooked. I didn’t quite have 2tbl of Cajun spice in my jar. Next time I will cook with the 2tbl as I like spicy. There was enough left over for another meal, which I ate cold
Thank you for another great recipe
Ah so great to hear this went down well! Thanks for the review, Dee 🙂 C.
Lovely. Can you eat this cold the next day or does it need to be reheat?
You can definitely eat leftovers cold if you wanted 🙂 C.
Could this be done in a slow cooker? Incredibly yummy but cooking stresses me out
I haven’t tested it so couldn’t offer any guidance, but unfortunately I think it’s best on the stove. C.
Wow, is what my partner said. So delicious”
Great to hear! 🙂 C.
Very good. Next time I will tone down on the seasoning I used, very salty. Needed some more acid from like red diced tomatoes to tone it down. Took a bit longer for sauce to thicken then I imagined, I used heavy whipping cream. All in all 4 stars with some tweaks.
Thanks for the review, Michael! Glad the recipe went down well 🙂
Thanks so much for the review, Michael 🙂