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This simple Lighter Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is made in 30 minutes and uses just one pot. It’s the perfect quick-cooking pasta that’s great for both busy weeknights and laid-back weekends too. Every bite is layered with spicy flavor, bell peppers, crispy chicken, the absolute best creamy parmesan sauce (made on the lighter side), and finished with fresh basil.
If there was one pasta to make this week, this is it. Hands downs, one of my favorites. And for two reasons. First, this is so, so, so easy to make. Simply boil the pasta, sear the chicken, make the sauce, and toss!.
Simple, simple.
And second? There is so much flavor. Mostly thanks to a good spoonful of my homemade cajun seasoning blend…it’s delicious.
And really all I have to say is that I wish I would have put this one together sooner, it’s soo delicious and so easy. A great new addition to your recipe rotation!
The Process
As you might guess, this is pretty simple and straightforward. But I gave it some get-up-and-go with the addition of my cajun seasoning blend.
Start with the pasta. For this particular recipe, I like to boil and drain the pasta first.
While the pasta is boiling, start prepping. Chop the chicken, prep the bell peppers, and grab some herbs. The idea is that by the time the pasta is finished boiling, all the other prep work will be complete.
Once you drain the pasta, move on to the chicken. Toss it with a little cajun seasoning, then cook it until it’s just crisp.
Now that sauce…
First, you’ll need to cook up some onions, peppers, garlic, herbs, and a touch more cajun seasoning. Then add a splash of chicken broth, milk, and plenty of parmesan. Next comes the ingredient that keeps the sauce creamy without adding any additional cream or butter…the tiniest amount of cream cheese.
I know cream cheese isn’t typical, but I swear it creates a silky smooth sauce every time. And a little goes a long way. Trust me, it really does the trick!
Once the sauce comes together, toss in the pasta, and add the chicken back in. And that’s it! Top with additional parmesan and lots of fresh basil and thyme.
Yummm!
This recipe is all about the sauce and that spicy cajun chicken. The sauce is slightly spicy, herby, and ever so creamy. It’s my favorite combo. And the chicken? It’s a game-changer, tender and delicious, and just perfectly seasoned and spicy! SO GOOD in this creamy pasta.
This is the perfect dish for livening up an average Wednesday night. Or maybe save it for a Friday night. Either way, everyone loves this simple, creamy pasta!
Looking for other quick pasta recipes? Here are a few…
Jammy Cherry Tomato Pasta with Crisp Lemon Rosemary Chickpeas
Southern Style Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pasta
20 Minute Lemon Butter Pasta with Ricotta and Spicy Breadcrumbs
Lastly, if you make this Lighter Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Lighter Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 467 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound short-cut pasta
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound chicken tenders, cut into bite size pieces
- 1 tablespoon, plus 1-2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 bell peppers, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain.2. In the same pot set over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the onion, chicken, and 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning. Cook until browned all over, about 5 minutes. Spoon the chicken onto a plate.3. To the pot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the bell peppers, and garlic. Cook another 5 minutes until the peppers are soft. Stir in 1-2 teaspoons cajun seasoning. Add a pinch each of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook another minute, until the spices are fragrant, then pour in the broth and milk. Add the cream cheese. Whisk until smooth. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook 5 minutes, until thickened slightly.4. Stir in the parmesan. Then toss in the pasta and chicken and cook 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil. Serve immediately topped with additional basil. Enjoy!
Notes
Homemade Cajun Seasoning: mix 2 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika, 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon black pepper. Makes 3/4 cup.
A wee bit if prep work, but the end result was worth it and so delicious! I used skimmed milk and it was still smooth and creamy.
Hi Carol,
Happy Monday!! I truly appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed! xx
I really wanted to love this recipe but the sauce was SO runny and did not coat the pasta very well. If I made this again I also wouldn’t cook the sauce in the same pot we used for the pasta because it was not nearly big enough to hold everything at the end. The flavor was pretty good so if the sauce had been creamier I would have liked this recipe a lot better.
Hi Brooke,
Thanks for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Let me know if there is anything that I can help with. xx
Would fettucine work instead of a short cut pasta?
Sure! I hope you love the recipe, Danielle! xx
Amazing! but took me way longer than 25 minutes. I will make it again though 🙂
Hi Angela,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Sorry this took longer than expected! Have a great Saturday! xx
Made this last night and it was amazing. I used half and half instead of milk and added extra parmesan cheese because why not. It is a great base recipe and then you can tweak the sauce along the way. It does make a ton of pasta so today I am thawing out another lb of chicken and will add to my leftovers. This is wonderful. Everything I’ve made from your blogs has been great.
Hey Michelle,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This looks and sounds delicious. I was wondering what type of pasta you have in the picture? It looks shorter than Rotini, but I cannot determine the type and shape? I look forward to making this recipe. Thank you for the recipe and feedback re: my question.
Hey John,
It’s called radiatori. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xx
The sauce was too runny and did not coat everything. I made a side vodka sauce and it worked perfectly with the spices in this recipe. It will definitely be in my rotation going forward.
Hi Cree,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback! xTieghan
I am adding this to my meal plan for next week right now. It sounds amazing. And I’m thinking it would be delicious with shrimp too. Guess I’ll have to make it both ways. 🙂
I hope you love the recipe:)
T, this was amazing! I hate when people alter a recipe before they try it but I did in this case because my husband’s stomach cannot handle bell peppers. Instead of them I use the mini, red, yellow and orange peppers. We both LOVED it! My only other comment is that thank you for including a recipe for homemade Cajun seasoning. I was a tad bit short on paprika but all in all, fantastic fish. My husband said, “Add this one to the rotation!
Hey Joanne,
Thanks for your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out! xTieghan
I love this recipe! It’s so good and has joined our recipe rotation.
I want to make it for friends who just had a baby and was wondering if you knew if it froze well and if you had any recommendations on freezing it?
Hey Natalie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback! I love to hear that it was a hit! Sorry, I’ve never frozen this one, but you probably could turn it into a pasta bake and reheat with some melted cheese on top. xTieghan
This was amazing! I cut back on the pasta to add halved cherry tomatoes and a sliced zucchini. I also used a total of 2 tablespoons of the homemade Cajun spice, as I like spicy. And since I was using better than bouillon chicken broth, I reserved 1 cup of pasta water and used that for the broth. My husband and I raved about how delicious this was! It is definitely going in my recipe rotation!
Hey Kathy,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit! Have the best weekend!? xxTieghan
WOWSER! Excellent dish! So very tasty! Make sure that you make the homemade Cajun spice mix! Do not skip this step! Thank you so much for sharing! ❤️
Hey Jacqui,
Awesome!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for your comment and sharing your feedback! xxT
We make a Half baked Harvest recipe probably once or twice a week. We made this for the first time and it was a huge hit. I’m dairy and gluten free and the swaps were perfect. Next time, I’ll undercook my gf pasta about 2-3 minutes since it’s mushy when over cooked. I subbed with wildbrine dairy free cream cheese and notmilk whole milk and DIY vegan parm (minimalist baker) and it was a big hit! Even for dairy eating husband, he topped with real parm. We also used andouille sausage to save some time and it was delicious.
Thank you so much for all you do. So so so tasty!
Hey Keana,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it. Have the best week:) xx
Love this recipe! Have made it twice, the second time was better than the first. Super easy to make and tastes delicious!
Hi Kelly,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you so much for giving it a try!! Have the best day:) xx
Second time making this so I had to leave a comment! So good. Definitely worth it to make the home made cajun seasoning blend, so much better than my store bought blend that I used last time. My company went for thirds lol… Love your recipes
Hi Helen,
Wonderful!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
Hi could i make this without the pasta? just cajun chicken with rice or something else on the side?
Sure, I don’t see why not:) I hope you love the recipe!