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?
I’ve made this recipe a few times and it has been delicious every time. The only additions I’ve made after the first couple times were a little red wine to deglaze after the chicken saute step, and at the last minute of the onion saute step a couple cloves of thinly sliced garlic + a couple ounces of sundried tomatoes.
Awesome Recipe! I had to add about a half cup of water at around 5 minutes and then boil for a total 15 minutes to get the pasta done enough, but it turned out great. have made 2 times already!
Would this recipe be good to freeze . It looks delicious- can’t wait to try it.
I haven’t tried freezing this one, unfortunately, and a lot of times creamy sauces don’t do so well with freezing.
Wowzer! This was really really good! I read some reviews and the only addition I did based on the review was to add in roasted red peppers with the onions. And there was a comment saying to add a squeeze of lime….weird, but it worked so well, I just squeezed in my bowl . Best ,earl I ever made according to the s/o!
This is one of my favorite foods to make for my fiancé and I. We both love it. I often do 3/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper rather than 1/4 because we love spicy foods. It turns out amazing :).
I have some shrimp I’d like to throw into this recipe. When do you recommend I do that? And should I marinate it with the same cajun spices as the chicken? Thanks!
Yes, you can coat it in spices, just like the chicken. Then I’d sauté the shrimp first until it’s cooked through, remove it from the skillet so it doesn’t over cook, then add it back in at the end.
Hi! New Orleans native here, really excited to make this recipe tonight but just wanted to add that if you truly want to make it cajun make sure you add bell peppers and celery at the same time that you add the onion! This is called the maurepas/holy trinity of cajun cooking and its what trademarks things as Cajun. I also am going to probably saute the maurepas first in bacon grease and then add some garlic and then cook the chicken in the sauteed maurepas before adding the tomatoes (which actually make the dish creole, not cajun because cajuns typically dont use tomatoes in their cuisine). I will also, like a lazy cajun, be using Tony’s instead of all the individual spices, mostly because i’m cooking this dish in a hostel so I won’t have all the spices but also to anyone out there feeling particularly lazy, you can probably get away with using a pre-bought cajun seasoning. I have Tony Chachere’s Extra Spicy :)
Being from just a bit northwest of New Orleans I have to agree. This is more Italian than Cajun. It’s good but does need to be tweaked right to make it Cajun.
I’ve made this 4 times now, it is delicious! I found for me (maybe because I cut my chicken to small) that if I pull the chicken off before adding the broth and pasta and let it rest while the pasta cooks, it avoids overcooking the chicken and making it tough. Thanks for a great one-pot meal!
This was awesome! Great for lunches. I added a sliced green bell pepper in with the onion, and some fresh spinach at the end because I needed to use it up.
Recipe-wise, I think it would be worth noting if you use ground thyme or whole dried thyme leaves – in the video it looks like whole leaves? I think a lot of people only know/use ground thyme, which would make 1 tsp way too overwhelming. I used 1 tsp whole leaves, which tasted like the right amount to me.
Thank you. Was wondering the same thing. Will use the whole leaves :)
Made this tonight for the first time and it was absolutely delicious. I used wholemeal penne, and extra light cream cheese. I also added roasted red peppers at the time time I added the onions. Finished the dish with a grating of Parmesan cheese! Definitely recommend and will be making again.
This sounds dumb probably but do you pre cook the penne? Or could it in the skillet with everything?
It cooks right in the skillet with everything else. :)
Instead of cream cheese can you use whipping creme
Yes, it will just be slightly less tangy, but probably still awesome.
After a too-high simmer for 10 min, it was saucy (not liquidy-y) but pasta was not cooked through, so I added 1/2c broth and continued cooking. I suspect at a low simmer, pasta would cook without running out of liquid but would need closer to 15 min to become saucy. Notably, we like our pasta well-done (not al dente).
I would do 1/2tsp thyme and 1/2 and 1/2 smoked and regular paprika next time, but that’s a matter of personal taste.
Fantastic, easy dish that the whole family loved – even dad who hates cream cheese and mom would who would’ve said it was too spicy had she known there was cayenne!
I am planning on making this tonight and just realized it says 1/2 lb of penne. If I wanted to increase that to 1 lb of penne should I double the broth to 4 cups? Or would that be too much? Any other recommendations to accommodate 1 lb of penne?
That should work, in theory, but I can’t say for certain without testing it.
Hello! I just made it a few minutes ago and what you described works just fine, same cook time and everything. I also doubled the cream cheese and spice mixture, but didn’t double the tomatoes/chicken (though I imagine that would have been great if I had it on hand).
We added a can of black beans. I like the other suggestions I’ve seen for adding more veggies, too! My daughter (as usual) was not moved by the chicken, but did OK with the rest of it, which some nights is good enough!