I’m so excited about this Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta Skillet! It’s a cheesy and a slightly spicy chicken with pasta that’s all cooked in just one skillet!
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta Recipe:
This creamy and cheesy goodness comes together in less than 30 minutes and is bursting with delicious spices in a creamy sauce.
- Start by seasoning cut up boneless skinless chicken thighs in some cajun seasoning.
- I prefer to use chicken thighs, but you can easily switch them out for chicken breast if desired.
- To switch things up even more, you could use some andouille sausage in place of the chicken.
What type of Pasta Should I Use?
- Once your chicken is seared, toss in your preferred pasta. I used a campanelli noodle because it’s twirly and fun, but you could use any pasta that you prefer.
- You could substitute in penne, ziti, shells, or whatever you have on hand.
- If you want to make this LOW CARB: remove the pasta and add in either some cooked spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or cauliflower rice. REDUCE the chicken broth to 1/2 cup and cook until the substituted noodle is tender.
How To Make Creamy Cajun Sauce:
- Once the noodles are cooked, stir in a little heavy cream and some extra cajun seasoning.
- To make the dish extra creamy, stir in 2 tbsp of cream cheese until it’s melted into the sauce.
- Top the oven-safe skillet with cheese and pop it under the broiler to get it nice and bubbly.
What Is Cajun Spice Made Of?
Cajun Spice is a blend of seasonings including garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, paprika and a little heat from some cayenne pepper. If you don’t have a jar of cajun seasoning in your cupboard, here is a Simple Cajun Spice Recipe to use:
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
What Should I Serve Cajun Chicken Pasta With?
This creamy chicken pasta dish would pair perfectly with a cool Caesar salad, garden salad, Parmesan Roasted Broccoli, or even served by itself!
Can I Make Cajun Chicken Pasta In Advance?
You can definitely make this creamy chicken pasta dish in advance and serve it later. In fact, the cajun flavors in this dish get better as it sits, but there are a few things to keep in mind if you’re wanting to make this recipe in advance.
- The longer this dish sits, the less creamy it’ll become, because the sauce will absorb more into the pasta.
- One option is to cook everything except the pasta in advance, then just before serving combine the cooked pasta with the re-heated chicken and creamy sauce.
- Keep the creamy cajun chicken pasta refrigerated in an air tight container until ready to serve.
More Chicken Pasta Dishes To Try:
- BBQ Chicken Pasta Skillet
- Creamy Chicken Asparagus Pasta Skillet
- Thai Chicken Pasta Salad
- One Skillet Chicken Parmesan Pasta
HELPFUL PRODUCTS TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:
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Cajun Chicken Pasta Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp cajun seasoning, divided
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ½ large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 10 oz. campanelli noodles, uncooked
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Season the diced chicken thighs with salt, pepper and 1 tbsp of the cajun seasoning.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and cook chicken until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to the skillet. Cook another couple minutes until the onions and pepper are tender.
- Add the chicken broth and uncooked noodles to the skillet, stir to combine. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the heavy cream and remaining cajun seasoning until combined. Top with the shredded monterey jack cheese and broil about 5 inches away from the heating element in your oven for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until cheese is slightly browned and bubbly. Carefully remove from oven, let cool slightly, garnish with parsley if desired and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
Crispy Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
Laura
This is the third recipe of yours I have made now. This was delicious ! Everyone of your recipes have been wonderful and so satisfying!
Thank you!
Denise
My sauce was almost watery, what did I do wrong ?
Shawn
If your pasta maybe didn’t absorb all the chicken broth that could be why it was more watery. If you run into that again, you could drain off the excess moisture before adding in the heavy cream and cheese.
Marybeth Olson
Another amazing recipe from iwashyoudry!!! I made it by doing the chicken and sauce first then cooked the pasta just short of al dente. About 15 mins before dinner I added the pasta to the rewarming sauce and it came out perfectly…husband just said it was “another home run”
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Marybeth! Thank you for the comment!
MIKO
I made the cajun chicken recipe and it was amazing and like you said, quick and easy. May not have been as good as your but I loved it nonetheless. I made minor adjustments like not add the cream cheese and I did not make my own cajun seasoning.
Shawn
I’m sure it was amazing! Thanks for your comment!
Lauryn L Pawl
Does heavy cream has to be used? Can milk be used instead like 2%?
Shawn
I bet it would work with 2% milk, it just wouldn’t be as creamy as it would be with the heavy cream. The sauce might not come together as well.
Cindy
Any idea what the carb count would be for the Cajun Chicken Pasta Skillet if the Riced Cauliflower is used instead of the pasta?
Shawn
There are a lot of great websites that can help you do those calculations for free. This is a great one: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Janet
Made this wonderful Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta for us last night. As I’ve got older (now 74 and will be 75 in a few months) I head for quick and nutritious meals.
We had our dinner last night and really enjoyed it and have enough for at least one extra meal. I did add a few extra veggies but that’s all I changed.
Just wonderful – thank you for these one fry pan meal recipes.
Shawn
Awesome! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes Janet!
Lacey Fields
Hi. I’m wondering what Cajun seasoning you use? I made this tonight and it had delicious flavor but it was very salty. I’m wondering if it might be the Cajun seasoning I used which was Slap Yo Mama. Thanks 🙂
Shawn
I’ve never used the Slap Yo Mama brand. I typically use the McCormick seasoning or the brand Louisiana.
Angelynn Cozadd
I forgot that I was to cook the pasta with the other ingredients in the pan. I had cooked them prior to starting the recipe. After realizing what I ‘d done I added a little flour to the broth so the sauce would thicken. What would you have done in that case?
Shawn
I would have not added all of the chicken broth, maybe just a 1/4 cup of that along with the heavy cream and stirred it all together until warmed throughout. Hope you still enjoyed it!
Jen
Is it spicy? It looks good but I have a little one who doesn’t like spice.
Colleen
Thanks for sharing the recipe. This came out nicely, even though I used wagon-wheel pasta and unsweetened greek yogurt (instead of the cream).
Angelynn
Can I use roasted, jarred red bell peppers in place of the red pepper in case I don’t have any on hand?
Shawn
You may certainly try. Just be aware the texture and flavor might be a little different than if using fresh. Hope this helps!
Dana
Tried this last night. It was delicious! Hubby liked it too. We will definitely make this again.
Perri
Hi Shawn – when do you add the 2nd tablespoon of Cajun seasoning? Thanks!
Shawn
Hi Perri, Looks like I forgot to add that in there! You’ll want to put it in when you add the heavy cream. I’ve updated the recipe to reflect this. Thanks for bringing it to my attention! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Denise
I enjoy making your recipes. I would really like to know how you spent $75.00 for dinners n ate like like kings.
Thank you
Denise
Shawn
Hi Denise! Great question! I was able to make a menu before we left and used items that I already had in my pantry in addition to what I purchased at the grocery store.
These are the dinners I prepared: Spaghetti with meatballs, Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet, Cajun Chicken Skillet, Tacos, and a Chicken Stir Fry. The last night we just ate all the leftovers and cleaned out the fridge.
I buy chicken in bulk at Costco, I found a great deal on ground beef too, so I was able to use that to make great use of that. As for breakfasts we brought 4 dozen eggs (we have backyard chickens), so I was able to make breakfast burritos, eggs and sausage, pancakes, oatmeal and cold cereal.
Lunches included sandwiches, wraps, and we left room in our budget to go out a couple times. 🙂 Hope that helps!!
Roxana
You can’t go wrong with one skillet dinners!