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?
If I’m already using cooked chicken that I already have, how do use the Cajun seasoning?
I would sauté the onions first, then add the seasoning and sauté for a minute or so more before moving on to the next step. :)
Hi,
If you’re using Cajun seasoning sold from the store instead of making it from scratch like the original recipe, how much Cajun seasoning would you recommended adding?
Probably about 2 Tbsp, but make sure to check if your seasoning contains salt. A lot of them are more like a seasoning salt and if you add 2 Tbsp it will be way too salty.
If you use the green can of Tony’s it will probably be too salty but I used the orange can of Louisiana Cajun seasoning (my favorite) and it turned out delish!!
very good , would make again!
I made my own little adjustments. I used heavy cream and grated parmesan instead of cream cheese, Italian sausage instead of chicken and I bought Cajun seasoning as opposed to making my own. I also live in the Bahamas so things costed slightly more but overall I still paid less than $25 for everything. This turned out amazing. It tasted great and because I live alone, the meal can last me a few days once stored properly.
Those are more than little adjustments…
This one is really good. I cooked the chicken separate so that my vegeterian wife could eat the pasta without the chicken. And I used vegetable bouillon base. For those in the family that eat meat, we mixed that in at the end. I split the spice mix between the chicken and the pasta mix. All came out great. Thank you!
This was so good! I modified it a bit since I had some Cajun seasoning on hand and I used andouille sausage and rotisserie chicken to cut down some time , but overall it was delicious and quick. If you have a little extra money it’s definitely work using some cherry tomatoes instead of the canned tomatoes or if you want a little extra spice, rotel chili works really well in this recipe. I make this dish regularly and I rarely have leftovers.
Love love love this recipe…made it a ciple times last year and again today. I double everything for my big boys and hubby, but its a fav for any busy mom. Quick, easy, tasty. Love it. Sometimes I add sausage or shrimp…but I love this recipe so much!
Delicious. Only adjustments were half a can of fire-roasted tomatoes instead of the full. Perfect texture, and I actually could have used a little more liquid from that other half-can (then just reduced a bit more). Great recipe… will absolutely make again!
This was fantastic. It will be going into the rotation, thank you! I didn’t have fire roasted tomatoes so used tomato sauce. Added chopped roasted red pepper. After ten minutes of covered simmer, remove cover and increase heat for about five minutes, stirring often. Zero soupiness. I added in a few splashes of cream with the cream cheese. Topped with Parmesan. It was fantastic. I think people have to be mindful of ratios in these types of dishes – I’m an experienced cook but I weighed everything for this and it’s the correct ratio.
Absolutely fantastic! Only made it once so far, but seriously can’t wait to make it again. And the fact that it’s just one pot, and quick to put together, makes it an super easy and super delicious weeknight meal. I was kind of worried the first time around that the pasta wouldn’t cook, but I used just enough chicken broth to barely cover the pasta, covered the pot, and stirred frequently, until the pasta was just about there. Then removed the lid and continued to simmer until the liquid reduced by about half (so no need for cornstarch as others mentioned to thicken the sauce)… added in the cream cheese (a bit of heavy whipping cream because it was in the fridge, and a bit of Parmesan because why not). This is now on my permanent wintertime rotation!!!
The best dish I’ve cooked in a long time sooo tasty thank you so much
Any thoughts how to make this with leftover pre-cooked chicken? I thought I would start by sauteing the onion, mixing the chicken with the cajun blend, and adding to the chicken to the onion after a couple of minutes.
I’d probably sauté the onion and about halfway through cooking that, add all the spices. Then continue with adding everything else (chicken, pasta, tomatoes, broth, etc.).
I would just sauté your peppers and onions, then add the garlic and sauté for about a minute then add the chicken in with your remaining ingredients to keep it from getting too dry. This is how I do it if I use meat from a cold rotisserie chicken.
Delicious! I added sausage as well for more protein. Will definitely make again!
This was easily to make me and tasted great. It also seems like a meal that is easy to keep for leftovers. Very filling.
It took us much longer than 40mins though. It took about 20 mins to get the pasta to cook and the sauce to get to the right consistency. In fairness, I used whole grain pasta which can take longer to cook. Taking the lid off near the end (when the pasta was where we wanted it) helped with boiling off the water faster.
This made for a tasty dinner! So quick and easy for a weeknight meal as well. I added sliced red bell peppers as I’d seen this in another picture and thought it would go well too. I used a bit of double cream at the end instead of cream cheese. I know they are not exact substitutes but it was more for preference. The Cajun flavour was delicious and I would definitely make this again!