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!
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“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?
Good day Beth, could I substitute cream cheese with low fat or Greek yoghurt for a lower calorie option?
Personally, I don’t think that low fat Greek yogurt would be creamy enough for this, and it definitely won’t melt into the sauce the same way. But I wouldn’t be surprised if someone says they’ve made that substitution and enjoyed it. Sometimes it’s just a matter of personal preference. :)
Hallo Beth, just prepared your recipe and really loved it, I did add salt at the end because I felt it needed it, could be just my taste buds or my chicken broth has less salt than yours, I also added some mushrooms I had left in the fridge as someone else suggested but didn’t feel that it made much of a difference since the spicy sauce made it completely unnoticeable, I also added about a teaspoon of Sriracha sauce because I really like my food spicy and a squeeze of lemon juice and Table spoon of peach chutney because I prefer a stronger acid/sweet balance, the tad of sweetness made all the difference, thanks for your recipe.
Hallo Beth, if I wanted a lower calorie version can I replace the cream cheese with low-fat plain or Greek yogurt?
I’m really not sure how the yogurt will melt into the sauce, but I’m sure it won’t be quite the same as the cream cheese. If anything, I would try regular and not low-fat. You need that creaminess to balance the heat.
Do you think it would taste good with tofu? :)
I think it would taste pretty much the same, but you’d just have tofu texture instead of chicken. :)
Hi. can I use fresh tomatoes?
It won’t turn out the same, unfortunately. Canned tomatoes have a more concentrated flavor and you need the juices from the can to provide enough liquid to cook the pasta.
Super yummy! However 1/2 lb
of penne didn’t seem like enough. I added a big handful more and it was perfect in the end.
Wow! This is a keeper. Just the right amount of heat paired with the delicious, creamy sauce. Shop at Aldi and you’ll get the cost down even more.
Thank you, Beth, for the recipe. I made the pasta dish last week and thought it was very good. I especially like the Cajun seasoning and the way the chicken tasted. This week, I decided to take the tasty Cajun seasoned chicken and turned it into a chicken salad and it was awesome. I added celery, onion and mayo to the Cajun spiced chicken and it put a nice flavor to my plain chicken salad. Thank you again!
Could you substitute the homemade spice mix with Tony Chacheres?
The only issue I can see happening with that is that Tony’s has a LOT more salt than my mix did, so you may either end up with too much salt, or too little spices if you add less to control the salt.
Don’t do it! I tried to cut that corner, and it was sooo salty I couldn’t handle it, and I love salt. Beth uses these seasonings often, so it’s worth it to just buy them if you make her recipes often. Plus I had to add to it anyway, because Tony Chacheres doesn’t have thyme or oregano.
Seeing as this is fairly similar to your version of pastalaya (mostly just missing the rest of the trinity), would this also be good with some andouille or other sausage in place of the chicken?
Yes, absolutely. :)
Absolutely delicious!! So easy and cheap. I LOVE this recipe. My husband loved it too! Thanks, Beth!
Delicious! My 10 year old declared “Mom, this is really good” after a few bites and my husband went back for seconds- he’s normally not a fan of pasta. I used the full amount of cayenne and was worried it would be too spicy for the kids, but my two year old cleaned her plate. Loved the addition of the cream cheese, I definitely would not skip that step.
Any suggestions for replacing the chicken in order to make this vegetarian?
Tempeh would probably be good!
What’s a good substitute for cream cheese? Where I live it’s surprisingly hard to find at store in varieties other than the flavored tabs you’re meant to eat with crackers.
Sour cream, heavy cream, half and half, mascarpone. :)
mascarpone <3
Just incredibly delicious and so cheap and easy!!!
Oh dear my diet…I tried this last night and it was so delicious! I ate too much! My family loved it too! It’s one of many of your recipes that we try and fall in love with. Lovely flavors and so easy too.