This creamy Cajun chicken pasta recipe is one of our favorite restaurant-quality dishes to make at home in just 30 minutes. With layers of smoky spice, velvety cream sauce, and tender chicken, everyone will be going back for seconds!
“If you are looking for an easy, flavorful pasta dinner, this creamy cajun chicken pasta is it. I love how creamy and flavorful it turned out and how quickly it comes together. Perfect for an easy weeknight meal. I recommend you bake some garlic bread to serve on the side to sop up the sauce!” — Kerri, retired food blogger who still loves recipe testing.
Recipe Rundown: What To Know
- Quick and Easy: Ready in just 30 minutes!
- Bold Flavors: Cajun seasoning adds a smoky, spicy kick.
- Creamy Goodness: The rich, cheesy cream sauce balances the heat.
- Versatile Protein: Can easily substitute with shrimp or sausage.
- Restaurant Quality: Perfect for impressing dinner guests!
- Budget-Friendly: Uses simple, affordable ingredients.
Just like a bowl of gumbo, if Jorge spots Cajun chicken pasta on a menu, you can bet he’s ordering it. After lots of delicious recipe testing, we finally nailed it and now it’s a weekly menu stable at our house! If you love flavorful cajun dinners, you should also try my copycat Cajun jambalaya pasta, easy Cajun shrimp pasta, or this flavorful Cajun chicken Alfredo.
Key Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Below you will find helpful notes and substitutions for a few key ingredients. Visit the printable recipe card below for the full ingredient list and amounts.
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly shredded parmesan cheese (either by hand or the kind found in the refrigerated section) is best. Do not use the green shaker can style parmesan cheese. This type is coated in anti-caking agents that will overly thicken a sauce and can also make it grainy!
- Pasta: We use penne pasta, but you can use whatever kind you like. Bow-tie, spaghetti, linguini, etc will all work well.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or thighs, cut into bite size pieces.
- Bell Pepper: We prefer to use a red, yellow, or orange bell pepper for a milder flavor. If you use a green bell pepper, keep in mind they have a stronger, more pungent flavor.
- Heavy Cream: Just like when you’re making my homemade Alfredo sauce recipe, heavy cream is necessary for that ultra-creamy texture. Half-and-half or evaporated milk will also work, but your sauce will be less decadent.
- Cream Cheese: We always use full-fat cream cheese for the best creamy sauce. Let it come to room temperature before starting so it melts easily.
Can I Use Sausage or Shrimp?
Absolutely, you can add either (or both) with the chicken or use them in place of chicken in this recipe. For shrimp: add peeled and deveined raw shrimp to the sauce while you are cooking the sauce to thicken. The shrimp will cook in that same amount of time, about 8 to 10 minutes. Continue with the recipe as directed! For sausage: we recommend using already cooked sausage, that is cut into bite size pieces. Using a Cajun sausage, like andouille, or a smoked sausage will add an extra kick of flavor!
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How to Make Cajun Chicken Pasta
Packed with bold Cajun flavors that will make your taste buds dance, this Cajun chicken pasta recipe will have your kitchen smelling AMAZING! I like to cook the pasta just until al dente, then drain and rinse it with cold water. I do not add any oil or butter to my drained pasta, as it will make the sauce not stick well to the noodles! If you time it correctly, you may not even have to rinse your pasta at all, just drain it and toss it immediately in the creamy sauce. Below is a quick recipe overview — scroll down to the printable recipe card for the full instructions.
What to Serve with Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
This pasta pairs beautifully with a variety of simple sides that help balance its bold, spicy flavor. Warm, crusty bread is a must — don’t let that cheesy Cajun sauce go to waste! Garlic bread, breadsticks, or even a slice of beer bread all do the trick. For something lighter, pair it with a crisp green salad dressed in vinaigrette—this easy Greek salad with my zesty Greek salad dressing is a great option. And if you’re looking to add some veggies, Parmesan roasted broccoli, sautéed green beans, or easy roasted mushrooms make delicious, no-fuss sides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, with a few changes! For best results, cook the chicken and sauce in advance and store them in separate airtight containers in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, cook the pasta fresh and then combine everything. Reheat the sauce gently on the stovetop, whisking constantly, with a splash of milk or broth to bring back its silky texture.
Yes! If you prefer a milder dish, reduce the amount of Cajun seasoning and replace it with garlic salt.
Add extra cayenne pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes, starting with 1/4 teaspoon at a time. Remember you can always add more, but you can’t take it out! I don’t recommend seasoning it with additional Cajun seasoning as it can quickly become too salty.
Yes, you can! I tested this recipe both with and without tomatoes, and while we enjoyed both versions, we ultimately preferred it without. If you’d like to add them, stir in a well-drained can of diced tomatoes at the same time you add the bell pepper.
Not by default, but you can easily make it gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta.
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced white onion
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper**, more or less depending on taste
- 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly shredded
- 1 cup heavy cream, or half and half
- 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup chicken broth
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Instructions
- Boil 6 cups of water in a large pot over high heat and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the butter, olive oil and onion to a large pot over medium-high heat and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the onion becomes translucent.
- Add the red bell pepper, garlic, Cajun seasoning, basil, paprika, ground black pepper, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine and cook for 3 more minutes or until the bell pepper starts to become soft.
- Add the chicken and stir and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Add the parmesan, heavy cream, cream cheese and chicken broth and stir and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken and the cream cheese has fully melted.
- Add the cooked and drained pasta and stir to coat pasta with sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then serve with freshly chopped parsley on top, if desired.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
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More Easy Pasta Dinner Recipes To Try
- Dive into this flavor-packed, loaded Cajun pasta with shrimp, sausage, and juicy chicken!
- Whip up a restaurant-quality spaghetti carbonara recipe at home with simple ingredients.
- Skip the box — this creamy, cheesy one-pot hamburger helper recipe is ready in 30 minutes.
- This quick shrimp alfredo combines tender pasta and succulent shrimp in a velvety sauce.
- Both this Mexican spaghetti and taco mac and cheese combine pinto beans, ground beef, and melty cheese with tender pasta.
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This is a good recipe. Sauce is nice and creamy and the spices make it complex and flavorful. I did add the garlic at the end for a pop of taste.
This dish is amazing! We end up making it a few times a month. I make it as written except I wait to add the garlic to the sauce, it totally elevates the pasta and makes it taste like it came from an Italian restaurant.
AMAZING! 5 stars. Boyfriend had seconds! Followed recipe exactly and will follow tips for reheating tonight.
I made this tonight but substituted Cajun ground sausage for the chicken, because I didn’t have any. This dish is amazing! My husband says we need to do both proteins next time. Thank you for such a good dish!
This pasta was supremely creamy and had the perfect amount of Cajun spice! Next time, I’d add more bell peppers just because I love them so much. Other than that, 10/10 will be making again.
This recipe came out so delicious my whole family loved it! Definitely going on our family dinner nights!
This is one of my husbands favorite meals. But he likes it more spicy than what the recipe calls for. So I add about 3/4 tsp of cayenne pepper and 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes. I like it in all variations so far. I’ve also used small shells or elbow noodles instead of penne too.
This is a go to in our house.
This recipe has very quickly become a family favorite and one of the most requested dinners from by teenaged sons! Thank you so much for sharing!
This was GREAT, made as instructed. Very good, will be making this again!!!
This is so very good. I think some finely chopped spinach would be great in it and a second bell pepper. Definitely adding to our repertoire. Thanks
RESTAURANT QUALITY! This meal was absolutely packed with flavor, the cayenne pepper added a nice kick. Everyone loved it. Definitely cooking this one again.
My family loves this recipe! It has become a regular dinner time meal for us.
I don’t cook (I’m more of a baker), but decided to try my hand at this recipe. It is so quick and easy and tastes amazing! Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂
Excellent and super flavorful. I wish I had tripled the recipe. We all wanted more.
My entire family loved this recipe (which doesn’t happen often). I was worried that it would be too spicy, but it was perfect! Will definitely keep this in the recipe rotation- thank you!
I added a little bit of lime to the chicken and used the chickpea noodles and this was SO amazing.
My family absolutely loves this recipe. It is good leftover too!!!
My husband and I really enjoyed this recipe! I had a 16oz box of pasta instead of 12, so I amped up the measurements just slightly. I will have this recipe handy! 10/10 recommend!
Really good! I added sun dried tomatoes!
When did you add the sun dried tomatoes to the dish? It sounds delicious.
My family loves this recipe!!
I do change it a bit by adding sliced andouille sausage and using the fat from that instead of the butter or oil. I also use a pound of noodles and double the sauce.
This was SOOOO good, my husband had 2 full plates then had the left overs for lunch.. I didn’t have heavy cream or half n half so I made my own 3/4 cup melted butter 1/2 cup of milk… I didn’t measure any of the seasonings which probably made it even better lol and I did throw some shredded mozzarella cheese on it too because I had to use it before it went bad.. REGARDLESS this will be a monthly meal in my house
This is an excellent recipe! Made it tonight with the homemade Cajun seasoning and it is a keeper! Thank you-Deb!
Absolutely amazing! I added an additional 1/2 cup of parmesan because the only thing better than cheese is more cheese. Next time I’ll add shrimp as well.
So good! Next time I make it I think I’ll add another bell pepper because the bell pepper had such amazing flavor!
This recipe is a FAM FAVORITE! I omitted the cream cheese and used Creole seasoning instead of Cajun (just our preference) and it was fantastic!
We added some chorizo and it was perfect!
DELICIOUS AND EASY TO MAKE. I topped with fresh tomato and green onion. Literally so simple and really took 30mins.
So delicious! I added extra of all the seasonings because that’s just me but it was so good. The whole family loved it