This creamy Cajun chicken pasta recipe is totally craveable. Juicy chicken breasts seasoned in a Cajun spice blend tossed together with pasta in a dreamy, creamy garlic Parmesan sauce will knock your socks off.
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This recipe is…
Season the chicken with as much spice as you like, add in your own favorite veggies, and make the sauce as creamy and cheesy as you desire. This Cajun chicken pasta is a no-fail recipe that comes together in under 40 minutes.
Pro-tip: Don’t skip the capers! Their salty, briny flavor takes this chicken pasta recipe to the next level.
If you’re looking for more easy pasta recipes, we’ve got you. This 30-minute salmon pesto pasta and this no-boil chicken alfredo bake are total game-changers!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s quick and simple – the ingredient list couldn’t be simpler and with a quick cooking time you can make this on a busy weeknight or impress friends and family on the weekend without breaking a sweat.
- It’s practically one pot – I don’t love washing dishes (who does?!) and this cajun chicken pasta dish only requires a skillet and a pasta pot, making cleanup a breeze.
Cajun Chicken Pasta Recipe Ingredients
You only need a few ingredients to pull off this restaurant-worthy creamy Cajun chicken pasta recipe. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Chicken – you can swap the chicken thighs for a different cut of chicken or even shrimp would work well in this dish.
- Creole seasoning – this seasoning is key to getting those bold spicy flavors you are looking for in this dish. I used Tony’s Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, but you could also use a homemade blend of salt, cayenne, black pepper, garlic powder and chile powder.
- Bell Pepper – this creamy Cajun chicken pasta recipe calls for 1 red bell pepper and 1 orange bell pepper for color, but you can sub any color you have on hand.
- Heavy cream – I don’t recommend swapping out the heavy cream in this recipe for half and half. The cream thickens the sauce and also helps mellow all the bold flavors in this chicken pasta recipe.
- Capers – the briny kick from the capers adds that little bit of acidity needed to bring this creamy, rich pasta dish together.
- Fettuccine – while the wide fettuccine noodles provide the perfect surface to stick to all that creamy Cajun-spiced sauce. Any shape or kind (i,e, gluten free pasta) could be substituted.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Modifications and Variations
- Use a different cut of chicken – if you don’t have chicken thighs on hand, use something else! Chicken breasts will work great here (they’ll just need a few extra minutes to cook through), or, if you want to make the cooking process super easy, debone a rotisserie chicken, toss it with Tony’s, and then sear that in olive oil to get it a little bit crispy and really full of flavor.
- Make it dairy-free – swap the cream cheese for a dairy-free cream cheese (Kite Hill and Miyoko’s both make a really delicious one) and the heavy cream for a dairy-free version (I’d stay away from coconut milk here to keep any coconut flavors out of your pasta dish).
- Make it gluten-free – use gluten-free fettucine in place of regular wheat-based pasta for a gluten-free dish.
- Use a different shaped pasta – any pasta will work here (from linguini to farfalle), so no worries if you can’t find fettuccine!
How to Make Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
This Cajun chicken pasta recipe comes together very quickly in a single skillet, so it is important to have all of your ingredients prepped before you start cooking . To find out how to make it yourself, follow along below.
Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions. In another large pot or skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over high heat, then dust the chicken in creole seasoning and sear it for 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate. While the chicken is cooking, cut your vegetables.
Step 2: Add the onion and bell pepper to the pan, and saute over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Step 3: Reduce the heat to medium and add the cream cheese, grated parmesan, and heavy cream, and stir until the cheese is melted. Add the capers and ½ of a teaspoon of salt to the pan, and stir to combine.
Step 4: Once the pasta is cooked, add the pasta to the pot or skillet with the cream mixture (add it straight from the pot of pasta water – no need to drain!), plus ½ of a cup of the pasta water. Stir, taste, and add salt if needed.
Step 5: Add the spinach and toss to combine.
Step 6: Slice the chicken, then serve over the pasta and enjoy!
Recipe Tip
- This Cajun chicken pasta recipe calls for Creole seasoning, but you can always sub in a different brand of Cajun seasoning. Note: Cajun seasoning tends to be spicier than creole.
How to Serve
This creamy pasta dish is actually really delicious all on its own. It’s loaded with protein, fat, and carbs, plus, it’s got some greens, thanks to the spinach add. If you’re looking for something to serve alongside your pasta dish though, we’d recommend a salad or green veggie. Here are our favorite options:
- Oven Roasted Asparagus
- Oven Roasted Broccoli
- Oven Roasted Green Beans
- Spinach Salad with Spicy Lemon Salad Dressing
- Lemony Kale
- Lemon Sea Salt Arugula Salad
How to Store and Reheat
To store: Store this creamy Cajun chicken pasta in an air-tight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. I would not recommend freezing this dairy-heavy dish.
To reheat: Gently reheat in a clean skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, to ensure the sauce does not break and the pasta does not overcook and become mushy.
Frequently Asked Questions
I wouldn’t actually recommend omitting the cream in this recipe. A big part of the volume of sauce comes from the cup of heavy cream, so taking that out would leave you with a much less saucy pasta dish.
Yes. Use any brand you like, but make sure you season to taste, as the spice level varies from brand to brand.
Yes. You could add sauteed mushrooms, celery, or diced tomatoes, but note that watery vegetables may thin the final sauce.
More Favorite Pasta Recipes
If you tried this Creamy 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!
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1¼ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon Tony's Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 orange bell pepper, diced
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup fresh parmesan, grated, plus more for garnish
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons capers
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces fettuccine
- ½ cup pasta water, reserved
- 5 ounces fresh spinach
- Lemon wedges, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- In another large pot or skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over high heat, then dust the chicken in creole seasoning and sear it for 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate. While the chicken is cooking, cut your vegetables.
- Add the onion and bell pepper to the pan, and saute over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the cream cheese, grated parmesan, and heavy cream. Stir until the cream cheese is melted.
- Add the capers and ½ of a teaspoon of salt to the pan, and stir to combine.
- Once the pasta is cooked, add the pasta to the pot or skillet with the cream mixture (add it straight from the pot of pasta water – no need to drain!), plus ½ of a cup of the pasta water. Stir, taste, and add salt if needed.
- Add the spinach and toss to combine.
- Slice the chicken, then serve over the pasta and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Use a different cut of chicken: if you don’t have chicken thighs on hand, use something else! Chicken breasts will work great here (they’ll just need a few extra minutes to cook through), or, if you want to make the cooking process super easy, debone a rotisserie chicken, toss it with Tony’s, and then sear that in olive oil to get it a little bit crispy and really full of flavor.
- Make it dairy-free: swap the cream cheese for a dairy-free cream cheese (Kite Hill and Miyoko’s both makes a really delicious one) and the heavy cream for a dairy-free version (I’d stay away from coconut milk here to keep any coconut flavors out of your pasta dish).
- Make it gluten-free: use gluten-free fettucine in place of regular wheat-based pasta for a gluten-free dish.
- Use a different shaped pasta: any pasta will work here (from linguini to farfalle), so no worries if you can’t find fettuccine!
Nutrition
Before you mix the pasta and sauce together make sure you taste the sauce to your liking. I added some more creole seasoning and salt but I think i needed to add something else because it still is a little bland.
Great tip, Rachel!!
I was really excited about this dish, but my dinner guests and I were all a little let down by the lack of Cajun flavor, which was only truly evident in the chicken itself. Based on the description, I was hoping for a spicy, creamy sauce, but the sauce was only seasoned by the small amount of residual spices in the pan from cooking the chicken, which ended up being hardly noticeable. The sauce was good but felt like quite a calorie bomb that wasn’t quite good enough to be worth it, IMO. Good bones here but could use some tweaking to make it great.
Thank you so much for your feedback, Alicia. We are so sorry it was not a hit!! We will definitely look into seeing how we can improve it!
Could you freeze this dish? Absolutely LOVE it and want to try batch cooking.
Incredible recipe!!! Easy, quick, flavorful, and a family pleaser. Love this meal! You’ll never go wrong with anything by Cassy Joy Garcia but this is incredible. Don’t miss this delicious meal!
Bret! We’re so glad you loved this recipe. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. It means more than you know!
i subbed chicken sausage and diced it as i cooked the peppers. it worked!
Yum! That sounds delicious, Jenn!
The calorie count per serving is crazy, yet the nutrition label doesn’t show the servings. My question is, are the calories for 1 serving or 4 servings? My son is recently diagnosed as type 1 diabetic so these counts are very important to us. Thank you.
Hi Elizabeth! The nutrition facts are for one serving (there are 4 servings total). I hope that helps!
So good! Leftovers were delicious as well!! Might add a little more spice next time!
Awesome, Vickie! We’re so glad you loved this one! Thank you for sharing!
Absolutely delicious. Made this for Valentine’s Day and it was perfect. Highly recommend Jovial GF Egg Tagliatelle Pasta in this recipe.
Amazing, Teresa! We’re so glad to hear that this made for a delicious Valentine’s Day dinner. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
Very good and will make again. Added mushrooms because we had them. Will add more spice to the pasta next time (to make it spicier).
That sounds delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
I love cooking with my l
Wife at home
That’s great, Moses! Thanks for sharing!