A creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe tossed in a delicious cajun sauce with your favorite vegetables. It's made all in one pan and on the table in 20 minutes!
Do you love 30 minute meals? Make sure to try Shrimp Alfredo, Chicken Marsala Pasta, Honey Mustard Chicken, and Mediterranean Meatball Bowls!
Cajun Chicken Pasta is our favorite one-pot-meal.
Cajun Chicken Pasta is our favorite one-pot-meal.Weeknights just got an upgrade with this easy cajun chicken pasta! It's made all in one pan with simple pantry ingredients that come together so harmoniously. It's easy to customize with your favorite veggies, and it has a mild to medium spice, so my kids love it too. Check out my tips below for adjusting the spice level for your family, and if you want a healthier version. I've also included adaptations and information for anyone counting their macros or looking for high protein meals.
How to Make Cajun Chicken Pasta:
Sauté Chicken and Veggies: Cook pasta then drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside. Add butter to a skillet then add garlic and cook for a couple minutes. Add chicken and vegetables then season with cajun seasoning. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until chicken is almost cooked through. Add milk and cream cheese then stir for 2-3 minutes until cream cheese is melted and sauce is smooth.
Serve: Add pasta and cheese to the pan then stir to combine and season with salt and pepper if needed.
Recipe Variations:
- Spice Level: This pasta has a mild to medium spice level, if you want it less spicy, start with just 1 teaspoon of cajun seasoning, or more than 2 teaspoons (or a sprinkle of cayenne), for more spicy pasta.
- Pasta: I usually use farfalle (bowtie) pasta, but you can substitute 8 oz of penne, shells, rotini, linguine, or your favorite pasta.
- Make it Healthier:
- Use whole grain pasta.
- Add extra veggies: Look in your fridge and use up what you have. Some of my favorites are: sliced bell peppers, spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini, etc.
- Use olive oil instead of butter, or reduce the butter in half.
- Use low fat cream cheese and skim milk in the sauce, and don't add the parmesan cheese.
Make Ahead Instructions:
Cook vegetables and chicken in the creamy sauce. Store in the fridge until ready to serve, when you can reheat it and stir in cooked pasta and shredded cheese.
More Pasta Recipes:
- Manicotti
- Pasta Primavera
- Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Pastalaya
- Harissa Pasta
- Baked Ziti
- Crock Pot Baked Ziti
- Chicken Parmesan
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Recipe
Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces farfalle pasta (or your favorite type)
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts), cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning , more or less, to taste
- 4 ounces cream cheese , softened and cut into small pieces
- 1 cup milk
- 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt , more to taste, if needed
- Fresh vegetables, if desired , see note*
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
- Cook chicken: In a large pot or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken pieces (and any desired vegetables*) and season with cajun seasoning. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until chicken is nearly cooked through.
- Add milk and cream cheese, stirring well until cream cheese has melted and sauce is smooth, 2-3 minutes. Stir in pasta, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Notes
Macros Recipe Adaptation
1 Tablespoon of butter, ½ Tbsp Neufchatel cream cheese, ½ cup of both chopped zucchini and green bell pepper, use unsweetened almond milk.Per Serving Amount
247 grams.Macros
415kcal, Fat: 11g, Carbs: 38g, Protein: 39g (serves 5) | MFP: Cajun Chicken Pasta (TBFS Macros)Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe December 2014. Updated April 2020 and September 2024.
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Definitely a great go-to recipe for an easy weeknight meal! Everyone in the family likes this and it’s easy to adjust the seasoning levels for taste.
Easy and delicious!!
Such an easy and delicious recipe! I’ve made it again and again for last minute crowds! Even though they are optional, you don’t want to skip adding the bell peppers!
We both loved it! Went mild. Made spice with red pepper, garlic powder, and salt and pepper( 1 tsp, 1 tsp, 1/2 tsp+ lil black)
The calorie count and macros on your image are not the same as what is listed in the recipe.
Hi Christina! We have some instruction to adapt this to be Macro-friendly at the bottom. Scroll down and you’ll see them under the recipe card where it says “Macros Recipe Adaptation”.
I made the recipe. My Wife and I absolutely loved it. all the ingredients were blended perfectly.
It WOULD be good. We’re going to adjust it a lot next time. Very very very salty. So salty I almost can’t eat it. And too much parmesan. I would definitely not add the salt or pepper that it calls for and just salt it to taste instead. The cajun spice would probably add enough salt on its own. I’d probably go half with the parmesan as well.
Delicious!!! A big hit with all of my children. We added spinach & bell peppers…yum!!! This will be added to the rotation. Thank you!
Even after adding a small additional garlic clove, and a decent portion of Cajun seasoning, both myself and my spouse felt that this tasted a bit bland. It wasn’t terrible, but it simply wasn’t flavorful, which is something that we both enjoy from our meals. I was disappointed.
This was SO GOOD! I did lessen the cajun seasoning to be more kid friendly, but my family of 5 raved about it. Definitely going on our regular meal rotation.