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This Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe is a one pot pasta recipe, loaded with seasoned chicken, tender veggies, and penne in a Cajun cream sauce. Ready in 30 minutes!
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We’re all about the one dish dinner here and this Cajun Chicken Pasta fits the bill nicely – rich and creamy with loads of flavor thanks to our favorite seasoning! The chicken and pasta cook up so tender and that cream sauce is so good you might want to take a straw to it. 😉
We love to serve this Cajun Chicken Pasta with a nice green salad on the side, topped with our favorite keto ranch dressing (it’s the best!), or with something simple like air fryer frozen broccoli.
So tasty and the whole family loves it – and you’re not dirtying a ton of dishes, which we all know is a major win!
I love simple comfort food recipes like this! Another big comfort food favorite I’ve been loving lately is this salisbury steak recipe from my buddy, Amy. That gravy on the steak is divine!
Ingredient Notes:
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Chicken – We prefer breasts, but chicken thighs would also work well.
Penne Pasta – Any small shape of pasta would work well here.
Veggies – You’ll be adding in some freshly diced onion and bell pepper that’ll get cooked up in the Cajun seasoning. Also going in is a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes and finally, some fresh baby spinach and minced garlic.
Cajun Seasoning – We love Tony Chachere’s. It’s our favorite Cajun seasoning and we use it in all our Cajun recipes! If you have a preferred brand, feel free to use it.
Chicken Broth – The pasta will get cooked up in the broth with the chicken and veggies for lots of flavor. It’ll go in with some half & half to make up the base of the creamy sauce.
Cream Cheese – This is going to add all that wonderfully rich and creamy, cheesy flavor to the Cajun chicken pasta sauce!
What We Love About This Recipe!
This Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe all cooks in one skillet (even the pasta!) and is ready to go in less than 30 minutes! The sauce is so creamy and flavorful and the prep and clean up is minimal.
How to Make Our Cajun Chicken Pasta Recipe:
Chicken: Chop the chicken into 1″ pieces, season with Cajun seasoning, and brown in a hot skillet with butter.
Veggies: Stir in diced onion and bell pepper along with the remaining Cajun seasoning. Cook until softened and then stir in garlic.
Pasta: Add the penne pasta, chicken broth, half & half, and the drained canned tomatoes to the skillet. Stir well and bring it to a boil before reducing to a simmer and covering. It’ll take about 10-12 minutes for the pasta to cook.
Cream Cheese: When the pasta is good and tender you can remove the lid and stir in the cream cheese. Give it all a good stir.
Spinach: One final step in this one pot Cajun chicken pasta recipe! Stir in the freshly chopped spinach, remove the skillet from the heat, cover it, and let it sit for about 5 minutes until the spinach has wilted.
Serve: Finally, stir it up well and serve it hot! This creamy chicken pasta goes great with my favorite garlic bread recipe!
Helpful Tip!
Swaps & Substitutions
- Any small shape of pasta will work well, such as bowties, macaroni, or ziti.
- Andouille sausage makes a great addition! Brown it up with the chicken.
- Spinach doesn’t add a whole lot of flavor, so it’s an easy veggie to get my kids to eat. Add in as much or as little as you’d like. The flavor really won’t change much.
FAQs:
You can keep this recipe stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days. It’ll reheat well in the microwave. Be sure to stir halfway through cooking for even heating.
Cajun seasoning can have a bit of a kick, so it will depend on what brand of seasoning and how much you use. Taste and add additional seasoning as needed. The creamy sauce really tones down the heat so if it isn’t spicy enough for you try adding some red pepper flakes!
MORE CAJUN RECIPES!
- Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Cajun Chicken Alfredo
- Cajun Ranch Chicken Soup
- Slow Cooker Cajun Sausage & Bean Soup
- Air Fryer Smoked Sausage with Vegetables
- Fried Green Tomatoes with Cajun Remoulade
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning divided
- 1 medium sweet onion diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 14.5 ounces canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes drained
- 3/4 cups half and half
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 6 ounces fresh baby spinach rinsed and dried
Instructions
- Chop the chicken into 1 inch pieces.
- Heat a 12 inch skillet over medium heat and add the butter to melt. Stir to coat the pan.
- Add the chicken to the skillet and sprinkle with half of the Cajun seasoning. Cook, stirring often, until the chicken is browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion and pepper to the pan and sprinkle with the remaining seasoning. Cook 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the penne, chicken broth, canned tomatoes, and half and half. Stir well to combine.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover the pot.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender.
- Remove the lid and stir in the cream cheese to melt.
- Stir in the spinach. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes to wilt spinach.
- Stir well before serving.
Erica B says
I didn’t follow the recipe at all—I think the only like ingredients were butter, chicken broth, half and half, and cream cheese—but I used the method and liquid:pasta ratio to make a quick lunch with some Italian sausage and chopped vegetables that needed to be used. I LOVED being able to cook the pasta in the same pan as the rest of the dish! It worked really well, even using Banza chickpea ziti which just needed a few minutes less cooking time than wheat pasta. I definitely want to follow the actual recipe in the future, and I want to try so many other dishes with this technique. Thanks, Karly!
Karly says
Sounds like a delicious lunch! Thanks for sharing!