Valentina Ablaev
This cajun chicken pasta is the perfect comfort meal to make from scratch! This chili’s cajun chicken pasta copycat is easy to make and tastes even better from scratch! The chicken is crispy and juicy, cooked in the best homemade cajun alfredo sauce. Penne pasta ties everything together, making for a delicious 30-minute meal.
This cajun pasta recipe is the spicier version of a classic chicken alfredo! It’s so delicious and brings a nice little kick.
Inspiration For This Recipe
This dish is a beloved classic from the famous Chili’s restaurant! Once we tried this dish, we knew we could recreate it at home, but much better and cheaper! The pasta is vibrant and creamy and seasoned with our homemade cajun seasoning, which adds the most incredible flavor.
Ingredients for Chicken Cajun Pasta
The ingredients are so simple you most likely already have them at home!
- Pasta – we love to use penne for this recipe, but you can use rigatoni or ziti.
- Chicken – chicken breasts are beaten even in thickness to get the perfect crisp crust.
- Veggies – we add sliced mushrooms and tomatoes for the perfect flavor.
- Heavy cream – adds richness to the sauce.
- Parmesan – freshly grated parmesan thickens the sauce and adds a great flavor you can’t get otherwise!
- Seasoning – our homemade cajun seasoning blend adds great flavor to this dish.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Boil Pasta. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water to al dente according to package instructions.
2. Cook the chicken. Season the beaten chicken breasts and sear on both sides. In a skillet, sear the chicken on both sides, then turn the heat down and cook it over low heat for 5 minutes or until it is cooked through. Remove from the pan, chop into bite-sized pieces, cover, and set aside to keep warm.
3. Cook veggies. To the same pan, add sliced mushrooms and butter: saute, then add minced garlic and diced tomatoes.
Make alfredo sauce. Turn the heat down to low and add heavy whipping cream, parmesan cheese, and remaining cajun spice. Stir to combine and bring up to a simmer and cook until the sauce begins to thicken.
4. Combine. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss lightly to combine. Top with extra grated parmesan cheese and fresh parsley, and serve!
Expert Tips:
- Add extra vegetables. Add red bell peppers, broccoli, or onions to this dish to bulk it up and make it extra delicious!
- Don’t boil the sauce. When bringing the cream to a simmer, it is important not to have it on a rolling boil.
- Add fresh herbs. Take this dish to the next level by adding fresh basil and fresh parsley to this pasta.
Serving Suggestions
- Bread: Pair this pasta dish with a side of homemade fluffy breadsticks to make the perfect combination.
- Salad: Add some greens to your meal with a simple romaine salad!
Recipe FAQs
Cajun seasoning is loaded with spicy garlic flavor, and our homemade cajun seasoning is made up of paprika, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and italian seasoning.
Though chicken tastes incredible in this dish, you can easily swap it out for a variety of proteins! Juicy cajun shrimp or andouille sausage for a delicious cajun flavor.
Store & Reheat
- Storage. Keep leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. To warm up leftovers, add the pasta to a warm pan, add a little water, and cover with a lid. The sauce will thicken in the fridge, and as it is reheated, it should become creamy again. The noodles also absorb the sauce, and if they are too dry, you can add a splash of heavy cream to help give them that creamy consistency again.
- Freeze. We don’t recommend freezing this recipe as the sauce can begin to separate.
More Recipes
If you enjoyed this pasta recipe, be sure to try our other favorite pasta dishes; here are some of our favorites:
If you tried this cajun chicken pasta recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Cajun Pasta Recipe (with Chicken)
Ingredients
pasta-
- 8 oz penne pasta
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced or quartered
- 1 lb chicken breasts, boneless skinless (2 chicken breasts)
- 1 Tbsp oil (canola or olive)
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 garlic cloves, mined
cajun seasoning-
- 2 tsp ground paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cayenne powder
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Boil the pasta in salted water according to the package instructions. Penne typically takes 10-12 minutes to cook to al dente.
- In a small bowl, combine all of the seasonings and set aside.
- Beat the chicken breasts to an even thickness with a meat mallet.
- Season both sides of the chicken with cajun seasoning. Reserve half of the seasoning for the pasta.
- Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat and add the oil. Once the skillet is hot, add the chicken and sear for 2 minutes per side or until each side is golden brown. Turn the heat to low, cover the skillet with a lid, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- In the same skillet, saute the mushrooms with 1 Tbsp of butter and lightly season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, 1 Tbsp of butter, and tomatoes, and saute for 2 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to low and add the heavy whipping cream, parmesan cheese, and remaining Cajun seasoning.
- Bring the mixture to a light simmer and let it cook and thicken.
- Cube up the chicken and add to the milk mixture.
- Stir the pasta into the cream sauce.
- Top the pasta with parmesan cheese and garnish it with fresh herbs. Enjoy!
Notes
- Add extra veggies. Add red peppers, broccoli, or onions to this dish to bulk it up and make it extra delicious!
- Don’t boil the sauce. When bringing the cream to a simmer, it is essential not to have it on a rolling boil.
- Storage. Keep leftovers in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. To warm up leftovers, add the pasta to a warm pan, add a little bit of water, and cover with a lid. The sauce will thicken in the fridge; as it reheats, it should become creamy again. The noodles also absorb the sauce as they sit in the fridge, and if they are too dry, you can add a splash of heavy cream to help give them that creamy consistency again.
- Freeze. We don’t recommend freezing this recipe as the sauce can begin to separate.
