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! :)
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“Good, easy, simple recipe. The sauce is perfect, and creamy, the spices are great, the only thing i did different was add a little lemon juice and it enhanced the flavor. My fiancé and I are obsessed with this meal!”
Julietta
What is Cajun Chicken Pasta?
This tasty pasta dish is one of my favorite easy weeknight meals. Everything happens in one pan, and there’s so little to clean up afterward. I mix tender cubes of chicken with plenty of savory (and hot!) spices, tomatoes, pasta, and cream cheese to create this flavorful one pot Cajun chicken pasta dish. It’s super simple to make, costs less than $10 total, and feeds the whole family!
Ingredients for One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Here’s what you’ll need to make creamy Cajun chicken pasta:
- Spices: Smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt infuse this dish with a savory and spicy flavor.
- Fats: Olive oil helps the chicken cook without burning, and butter adds richness and flavor to the dish. You can use all oil if you prefer. I like the flavor olive oil adds, but vegetable or canola oil both work well and cut costs a bit.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are my favorite lean protein for this dish. You can also use chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Onion: Yellow onion adds a sweet and earthy flavor to the dish.
- Penne Pasta: Cooks perfectly right in the pan. Any short pasta shape will work, but skip longer noodles.
- Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes: Add a smoky and acidic flavor to the dish.
- Chicken Broth: Helps create a rich and flavorful sauce. You can also dissolve chicken bouillon in water to help cut costs.
- Cream Cheese: Makes this dish rich and creamy.
- Green Onions: Add a pop of freshness and color to the dish.
Serving Suggestions
This is a one pot meal, so you could totally end it right there and be completely satisfied. But I like to add a salad or some bread to round it off. My classic Caesar salad really plays up the creaminess of this dish. Or try some homestyle cornbread for a little sweetness to balance out the heat!
Recipe Tips!
- 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 altogether. 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 of 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.
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
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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Stainless Steel Pots and Pans
- White Cutting Boards
- Glass Mixing Bowls
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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how to make One Pot 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?
I tried this recipe after seeing a video about Cajun Steak Pasta. I substituted the chicken with steak, the chicken broth with beef broth, and since neither my husband or I like tomatoes I used a little bit of lemon juice instead. It was so good! May try it as the recipe intended because it was so good.
This is a fan favorite in our house. I follow the directions but substitute half and half for cream cheese. It’s fast and easy and delicious. Thanks for sharing.
The cajun spice mix for the chicken is pretty good (needs more salt for that amount of chicken though — about 1tsp), but unfortunately the rest of the tomato sauce was fairly bland. I had add a lot of salt and pepper to compensate.
The timing of doing a one pot pasta is tricky considering the amount of time the canned tomato needs to cook versus not wanting to overcook the pasta. The tomatoes were a little acidic in the end.
Overall not bad but not great (except for the chicken.)
Followed all directions and it came out perfect!
This is the best one pot recipe I’ve tried. I love a bit of spice so the second time I made it I added a bit more cayenne. Otherwise I make it as is and finish up every single bit. The sauce is delectable. I’m in heaven whenever I make it. I love this recipe so much.
Has anyone tried this recipe omitting cream cheese/heavy cream/ any creamy element? I want to try this for a picky eater in my family who hates creamy textures!
I think you could definitely try it without the cream cheese!
This was so stupidly EASY and TASTY, I want to cry. First of all, I want to take a second for us all to appreciate how well written these recipes are. No long blog post. Straight to the very simple recipe. Easy to follow instructions with PICTURES EACH STEP! I’m so impressed with how delicious this was with how few ingredients there are. Someone mentioned using shrimp in place of chicken, I think that would be DELICIOUS!
Beth, thank you for what you do! You’re awesome!
I’ve made this many times, with chicken or with shrimp. I’ve never had the problem some are stating about it not thickening or feeling like it was too much broth to cook down… If you want a more Cajun kick, just add more of the spices. Taste and adjust the sauce, problem solved! I usually make it as written, but sometimes with extra cayenne or pepper flakes.
Hi Beth,
Curious to know, when cooking the chicken, why the butter and the olive oil? Why not just one? Thanks!
We like using the butter here for the flavor, but since we’re using a higher heat, we add in the oil to precent the milk solids in the butter from burning. You’re welcome to use all olive oil if you like!
I used sausage and shrimp instead of the chicken but it turned out amazing!! Would make again!
This was really good! This was a “What can I make with what I have” kind of meal as tomorrow is errand/shopping day and I didn’t want to drive to town just for a few ingredients. I did use Cajun seasoning instead of the listed spices since I already had it and I never use it. I had some shredded sharp cheddar cheese that needed to be used so I put some on top of each serving of chicken pasta when plated. I’ll make this again! Thank you for the recipe, you saved a country girl from having to brave the elements and waste time, money, and gas! :-)
So good! Had to use up some leftover turkey, so used that instead of chicken. Added them to the pan after cooking onions and peppers, and then mixed in the spices. This recipe is very flexible and forgiving! Thanks for this recipe!
Great recipe with lots of room to customize. Lowest grocery bill I’ve had in a long time, too.
I doubled the recipe to make lots of leftovers. If you double as well, I recommend adding an extra tablespoon or so of cream cheese.
I had some green pepper and Andouille sausage that I needed to use up so I added those as well–they were a great addition if you’re looking for ways to beef up (or pork up?) the recipe. I always keep Tony Chachere’s on hand so if you don’t have and don’t want to purchase all of the ingredients for the seasoning, Tony’s is great. I added some hot sauce for extra heat, as well. The recommendation in the recipe for adding parmesan kicked everything up a notch.
This recipe will definitely be entering my dinner rotation and I’m excited to play around with it more!
One of my all time favorite pasta recipes
You don’t put in the recipe when to add the chicken back to finish cooking that’s a major step missed in this recipe otherwise it was good!
Hi Katie, I had the same thought but after looking at the step by step pictures, I reached the conclusion that you dont take the chicken out.
I made this last night, and it was a big hit in my picky eater household. I subbed heavy cream for cream cheese and used some left over rotisserie chicken. This was so good! My husband loved it. I’ll make a double recipe next time so we can have leftovers.
Good call. I used some leftover deli chicken and threw in a couple of breasts and the chicken shreds were way better than the breast pieces. Yum recipe though overall. Might try different pasta shape next time like big spirals.