Easy Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta - Little Sunny Kitchen (2024)

Tender pan-fried chicken meets a spicy alfredo sauce in this easy recipe for Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta. You’ll love the warm spices and the rich, cheesy pasta, and you’ll especially love how simple it is to make!

What’s not to love about creamy penne pasta mixed with juicy, Cajun-seasoned chicken? This meal is delicious, layered with bold flavors, and includes the best homemade Cajun cream sauce that you’ll definitely want to soak up with some bread when you’ve finished eating!

Making creamy chicken pasta dishes from scratch is one of my specialities lately! You’ll want to check out my Rasta Pasta recipe which is very similar to this one but with jerk seasoning and bell peppers. Creamy Chicken Orzo is another favorite at my house!

Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta, Creamy Chicken Gnocchi, and Creamy Chicken Spaghetti are made using a similar cooking method.

This skillet cooking method is so quick and easy, that there are endless variations on this stovetop chicken pasta meal. Today, let’s make it Cajun!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. Spicy Chicken Pasta –This Cajun alfredo-style pasta sauce is perfectly spicy! You can use your favorite brand of Cajun seasoning, and that will decide how spicy the dish is. Some of them are hotter than others.
2. Easy 30-Minute Meal –Boil the pasta while you cook the chicken and make a quick cream sauce. Then, just mix everything together and serve! This meal is great for busy weeknights.
3. Delicious Flavors– Aside from some spiciness, Cajun Chicken Pasta is full of layers of flavor from sauteed onions and garlic, salty parmesan cheese, and rich diced tomatoes.

Ingredients In This Cajun Chicken Pasta Recipe

Fresh ingredients make all the difference. Here’s what you’ll need:

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

• Pasta – Penne is delicious in this recipe, but any short pasta will work. You can try it with rigatoni, ziti, or shells too. I like to use a ridged pasta shape so that the pasta will hold on to all of the delicious sauce.
• Chicken Breast Cutlets – Slice three chicken breasts into 6 thin cutlets, or buy the cutlets already cut from the store.
• Cajun Seasoning – Pick this up from your local grocery store. Cajun seasoning is generally a blend of salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic, and other spices. It’s a bit smoky, a bit spicy, and a delicious all-purpose seasoning to cook with. Look for “Slap Ya Mama” cajun seasoning at your local store or online, or I’ve had great results with McCormick seasoning.
• Olive Oil and Butter – We’ll pan-fry the chicken cutlets in a combination of oil and butter to get a nice crust on the outside. A bit more butter will be used to cook the onions and garlic too.
• Garlic and Onions – These are the first layer of flavor in this cajun pasta dish. You can also add some finely chopped green bell pepper if you want to be super authentic. Many Cajun dishes use the “holy trinity” of aromatics: celery, onion, and green pepper (plus garlic), but we’re skipping some of that since all of those flavors should be in the cajun seasoning.
• Diced Tomatoes and Heavy Cream – These two are combined to create the bulk of our cream sauce. The acidity of the tomatoes is perfectly balanced by the richness of the cream.
• Parmesan Cheese – Grate parmesan fresh from a block or wedge. It’s so much better this way.
• You’ll also need some salt and pepper. We’ll season by taste as we cook. Fresh parsley is the perfect garnish too.

How To Make Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

1. Cook Pasta: Boil water in a medium-sized saucepan, and add salt. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until it’s al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water before you drain the pasta, just in case you need it later.
2. Prep the Chicken: While the pasta is cooking, season the chicken cutlets on both sides with 1 tablespoon of cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Then heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet.
3. Cook the Chicken: Working in batches, cook the chicken cutlets for 3-4 minutes per side until fully cooked. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover to keep warm.

1. Start the Sauce: Using the same skillet, melt the remaining butter and then saute the onion until it’s soft and translucent. Add the garlic, and saute for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes. Season with the remaining cajun seasoning and stir in the heavy cream.
2. Cook the Sauce: Stir everything together with a spatula or whisk until everything is well mixed. Then add the grated parmesan cheese and let it melt into the sauce. Taste the sauce, and adjust any seasonings to your preference. If the sauce seems too thick at any point, thin it out with a bit of the pasta water that you saved earlier.
3. Finish the Dish: Cut the cooked chicken into thin strips. Add the cooked pasta to the cajun cream sauce and stir to combine. Then mix in the chicken pieces. Serve, garnished with freshly chopped parsley.

Recipe Tips

• Use your favorite brand of Cajun seasoning, but note that not all of them are the same, heat-wise. If your seasoning is particularly spicy, you may need to use a bit less in this recipe.
• Save some of the pasta water before you pour it down the drain! You may not need it, but in case your sauce seems too thick, pasta water is the perfect thing to adjust the consistency later.
• Use boneless chicken thighs if you want to. Pound them with a meat mallet if needed so that they are thin and cook quickly.

Storing Tips

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To reheat, add a splash of water and warm over low heat, just until heated through.

What To Serve With Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

All you need to turn this into a full and well-balanced meal is a veggie side dish!

Make air fryer vegetables, broccoli, or roasted broccolini. All three of these are quick and easy and will go perfectly with the creamy chicken and pasta.

Some homemade garlic bread or freshly baked olive garden breadsticks are perfect for soaking up the sauce from your plate too!

FAQs

This Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is so simple to make, and the flavors will blow you away! Be sure to pin the recipe so you can always find it.