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 was DELICIOUS! I doubled the recipe and have no regrets!
The only change I would make is to season the chicken overnight.
Agreed! I definitely do that as well!
A fun and fast meal – I happened to have gumbo filé here, so I used that to thicken the stock. Also used porter ale instead of something i was surprised was not on hand, chicken stock. Terrific dish…. and I had a bit of crusty bread on hand to wipe up what little was left of it.
This was really delicious and flavorful. It turned out pretty soupy looking at first, but if you let it sit a little bit, the sauce will start to thicken up, I think simmering it uncovered will help. I added a bit of Parmesan in the end too.
Is there a way I can make a lactose free version of this and still have it be creamy? I’d love for my dad to have some too, but the cream cheese will hurt his stomach.
If your dad can tolerate a small amount of lactose, try adding a tablespoon or two of Greek yogurt to make it creamy. We do this often in my household because we almost never have things like heavy cream or sour cream on hand.
Really good pasta dish and well-balanced flavors. Love the Cajun seasoning. Will make this recipe again!
My kids loved this. I didn’t have fire roasted diced tomatoes so I used diced tomatoes with chile.
I’ve tried this recipe for the first time this week. All I have to say is YUMMY!!!!. My husband came back for a second plate. I doubled the chicken for extra protein. Also double to Cajun seasoning since I used extra meat. I kept everything else the same. I had to remove the lid covering wok after 10 minutes to let the sauce reduce (take about 15-20minutes for penne to soften and sauce to reach creamy texture).
I really enjoy this recipe. I’ve made it many times already. The first time I made it exactly as is. I have since made some changes.
I prefer to cook the pasta separately so that I don’t have to use two cans of broth. I just add some pasta water to the can of tomatoes. I also prefer to use angel hair pasta. To me it is a lot better than penne
My entire family LOVED IT. I used leftover grilled chicken and follow the recipe to the T. Thank you!
Deeeelicious. I was looking for a recipe to mimic the Citrus Pear meal we had. I did it in the slow cooker; tomato sauce (bc that’s what I had) and onion, topped it with frozen chicken breasts and seasonings. Left it on low for 5 hours and then pulled the chicken out to shred. I added the cream cheese, melted, and added the shredded chicken back. I’m going to leave it on warm for an hour before serving with pasta. The taste test after adding the chicken back is perfection. Thanks for the recipe!
Omg it was good added fresh garlic and fresh Thyme I also added fresh parm & cream cheese My kids went back for seconds.. will definitely make again
Hmmm, mine ended up being soup! Did you simmer uncovered? Drain the tomatoes? Tasted great just super liquid.
Simmer the pasta uncovered. Tomatoes do not need to be drained.
Did you by chance cook the pasta first? If so, that was the mistake. The pasta has to be put in dry and cook in the liquid. The dry pasta absorbs much of the broth and juice from the tomatoes. It also gives the pasta great flavor. If not, could be you needed to simmer it longer uncovered.
I am very disappointed in this recipe.. came out extremely soupy. I was expecting cajun chicken pasta..this was not it at all. No depth, no flavor.
Did you by chance cook the pasta first? If so, that was the mistake. The pasta has to be put in dry and cook in the liquid. The dry pasta absorbs much of the broth and juice from the tomatoes. It also gives the pasta great flavor. If not, could be you needed to simmer it longer uncovered.
soooo easy. ended up being a bit spicy so i added more cream cheese and i also added some parm at the end. delicious!!
This was really, really good. I made a double batch and since we have picky eaters, I made the chicken separately from the pasta and didn’t add the cayenne. Since I wasn’t cooking everything in broth, I added a little more salt to the sauce. And then my husband and I added some frank’s hot sauce to ours. This was delicious and I was able to freeze some of the leftover sauce and chicken to use another night. This is a really easy, really versatile, and incredibly delicious recipe.
So I tried out this recipe and I had to make a few tweaks to make it taste the way I like. First of all, I added beef broth base and combined it with the chicken base. It deepened the savory flavor. Secondly, I added Parmesan. Definitely a necessity. I added cream cheese as well as whipping cream. Instead of salt, I used creole Cajun seasoning. This made a huge difference. Most importantly, the pasta I used took much longer than 10 minutes to become tender. I thought I was finished, but the noodles were stiff and chewy. So I had to recook the pasta, which was frustrating.
In the end, the flavor was AMAZING. Definitely recommend this recipe.