It’s been a while since I’ve made a one-pot pasta! But this weekend I got a craving for a creamy, smoky, spicy, easy one pot dish, so I set to work! This One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is incredibly easy to make, so it’s perfect for weeknight dinners. I have a few variations for you below (spicy, non-spicy, creamy, non-creamy) so be sure to read on! :)
Check out my One Pot Recipe archives for more one pot goodness!
“Amazing!!! Just made it…..home run!! Easy, simple, yummy!! I did add spinach at the end which was a great addition. Thanks!!”
charles
Customizing the Pasta
There are several ways you can customize this super simple and delicious one pot pasta. Check out these ideas for substitutions, add-ins, or omissions:
Adjust the Heat
This pasta is spicy. BUT you can adjust the heat by adjusting the amount of cayenne pepper in the Cajun seasoning. You can cut it in half for just a little heat, or if you are completely spicy intolerant, leave the cayenne out all together. That makes me kind of sad, but I completely understand. Sometimes your body and brain don’t want the same thing. :)
Make it Creamy (or not)
If you can’t do cream cheese, feel free to replace it with a splash of heavy cream or half-and-half. I’d probably use about 1/4 cup heavy cream, or 1/2 cup of half-and-half. OR, if you don’t want it creamy at all, that works too. This pasta was quite delicious even before I added the cream cheese, but the creaminess does balance the heat and acidity very well.
Make it “Extra”
If you want this pasta to be super over the top, try adding some cooked bacon, or a final dusting of Parmesan cheese. That little bit of extra umami flavor will really take this Cajun Chicken Pasta over the top! Or, in place of or in addition to, you could add shrimp.
One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Servings 4Ingredients
Cajun Seasoning
- 2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.20)
- 1 tsp oregano ($0.10)
- 1 tsp thyme ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
Chicken Pasta
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp butter ($0.13)
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast ($5.47)
- 1 yellow onion, diced ($0.32)
- 1/2 lb. penne pasta (uncooked) ($0.75)
- 15 oz. fire roasted diced tomatoes ($1.00)
- 2 cups chicken broth ($0.26)
- 2 oz. cream cheese ($0.50)
- 3 green onions, sliced ($0.25)
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients for the Cajun seasoning in a small bowl. Cut the chicken into 1/2 to 3/4-inch cubes. Place the cubed chicken in a bowl, pour the Cajun seasoning over top, and stir to coat the chicken in spices.
- Add the olive oil and butter to a large deep skillet. Heat the oil and butter over medium-high until the skillet is very hot and the butter is melted and foamy. Add the seasoned chicken to the skillet and cook for a couple minutes on each side, or just until the outside gets some color. The chicken does not need to be cooked through at this point.
- Add the diced yellow onion to the skillet and continue to sauté for about 2 minutes more, or just until the onion begins to soften. Allow the moisture from the onion to dissolve any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- Next, add the pasta, fire roasted diced tomatoes (with the juices), and chicken broth to the skillet. Stir just until everything is evenly combined, then place a lid on top and allow the broth to come up to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the pasta simmer for about ten minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until the pasta is tender and the liquid is thick and saucy.
- Add the cream cheese to the skillet in chunks, then stir until it has melted into the sauce. Top the pasta with sliced green onions and serve.
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Notes
- The deep skillet I use is a 4-quart capacity.
- Depending on your cookware, you may need to adjust the heat up or down to maintain a simmer in the broth. Be sure to stir often to prevent the pasta from sticking.
Nutrition
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Other Chicken Pasta Recipes You Might Like:
- One Pot Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
- White Cheddar Mac and Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli
- Chicken Broccoli Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce
- Greek Chicken Pasta Salad
- Monterey Chicken Skillet
How to Make Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Stir together the ingredients for the Cajun seasoning in a small bowl (2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp salt). Cut one pound boneless, skinless chicken breast into 1/2 to 3/4-inch cubes. Place the chicken cubes in a bowl, pour the Cajun seasoning over top, then stir to coat the chicken in the spices.
Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is very hot and the butter is melted and foamy, add the seasoned chicken pieces. Cook for a couple of minutes on each side, or just until they get some color. The chicken does not need to be cooked through at this point.
Add one diced yellow onion and continue to sauté for just a couple minutes more, or until the onion just begins to soften. The moisture from the onion should help dissolve any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Add 1/2 lb. penne to the skillet along with one 15oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes (with the juices) and 2 cups chicken broth.
Give everything a brief stir to make sure it’s all combined, then place a lid on top and allow the broth to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn it down to medium-low, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.
Simmer until the pasta is tender and the broth has become thicker and more saucy in texture.
Add 2 oz. cream cheese to the skillet in small chunks. Stir until the cheese has melted into the sauce.
Top with sliced green onions and SERVE! This One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is going to be on regular rotation in my house. :)
I think this bowl of pasta is begging for some Freezer Garlic Bread, what about you?
This is one of my family’s favorite recipes! So delicious!
Made this for dinner with just a few changes- used elbow noodles because I was out of penne, and doubled the cream cheese (to 4 oz). Otherwise, kept everything the same. It turned out super delicious! I will definitely be making this again.
Loveee this! Everytime I make it I’m so satisfied. Packed full of flavor. Bonus points? My husband hates creamy anything and since you add the cream cheese at the end (or just to your bowl in this case) everyones a winner! So far I’ve added veggies and used linguini instead of penne and it was still just as yummy.
I just made it. It’s fabulous. So easy!! I’ll make it again for sure.
Made this recipe today. Really delicious, family loved it. Added diced green and red peppers. Also added sausages.
Definitely will add to family menu.
I made a ton of substitutions to use what I had on hand and it came out great! I used some shrimp I cooked in premade Cajun seasoning, a can of chicken plus juice, a can of rotel and chickpea penne. So easy and my family loved it.
Love this recipe! So easy and yummy! I added some garlic, peppers and sweetcorn for some extra veg, and covered it in cheese and baked it at the end. So good!!
Yum! How long did you bake it for? And did you put the veggies in with the rest of the stuff?
Love this recipe! I’ve made it a couple of times now, and I’ve loved it every time. It takes adjustments really well. For example, I subbed in some pre-cooked chicken andouille sausage (it’s what I had on hand) and shortened the saute time, and it tasted fantastic!
So happy to have found this recipe! The spice level was perfect and my husband thanked me for my effort. Gotta love 1 pot meals!
I was worried that the sauce wouldn’t be thick enough after reading some of the contents, but that was totally not the case. Along with the 2c chicken broth & juice from the tomatoes, I added about 1/8c heavy cream at the end so that it would have more sauce without thinning it
My husband LOVED this recipe. Really easy and REALLY yummy!
LOVE this recipe. I make it almost once a week. I use a cajun spice blend and kinda just go heavy handed with it because I love spice.
Sorry if this has been asked before, but what kind of skillet are you using for this one-pot dish? Thanks!
Hi Lauren! The deep skillet I use is a 4-quart capacity.
My family LOVES this. Winner, winner chicken pasta dinner. I modified the cream cheese with jalapeno flavored cream cheese and it was divine. Reminded me of the chicken ramano dish at carinos. Sooooo good.
Sadly not a winner for me. The small number of ingredients resulted in quite a plain taste.
This is pretty good. I love spicy food and I find most recipes are spicy only to people who aren’t into actual spicy food. I end up adding extra spice to almost every recipe but this one is solidly spicy by itself.
I panicked the first time I made it thinking it would need more water and I added some. It was a mistake. I made it a second time the way the recipe states to and it’s much better. If anything I might even consider removing a half-cup of water to see if it makes it even better.
I made this for my husband and his cousin for dinner last night and it got devoured. This was so easy to make and has a ton of flavor. Thank you!!
This is amazing. I just made it for the first time and used whole wheat penne and served with steamed broccoli, and we’ll definitely make it again. Affordable and simple!
I love this dish because it’s packed with flavor! A few tweaks I made: reduced the chicken broth by 1 cup and added a can of black beans. This made the sauce thicker and creamer. I think there is plenty of liquid that comes from the canned fire roasted tomatoes. I made this for my weekly lunch meal prep so I cooked the pasta separately to avoid soggy noodles.