This One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is packed with flavor! It’s simultaneously spicy and savory, vibrant and creamy, but not too rich. Best of all, it’s simple to make and utterly satisfying, a perfect weeknight dinner option.
Not all one pot pastas are created equal, but this recipe for creamy Cajun chicken pasta is a cut above the rest.
This easy protein-packed pasta dish features cubes of tender chicken flavored with Cajun seasoning, red bell pepper strips, sliced onion and fire-roasted tomatoes. It gets extra umami-flavor by simmering in chicken broth and gets a hint of creaminess from adding cream cheese.
With just a bit of simple prep work, slicing a couple vegetables, opening a can or two, cubing up some chicken and tossing with seasoning, you’re ready to rock and roll!
Ingredient notes
- Chicken: Use either chicken breast or tenders and cube into bite-size pieces.
- Cajun Seasoning: I use Louisiana Fish Fry Cajun Seasoning, which I purchased in New Orleans. It’s a spicy and savory seasoning mixture which already contains salt. Only add more salt as needed once you taste the dish and assess what it needs. You can use another brand or make your own seasoning blend, but you may need to adjust how much you use.
- Red Bell Pepper: Place the pepper standing upright on your cutting board and cut straight down on each of four sides to get four wide strips of pepper (discard the stem/core). Then slice each of those strips crosswise (parallel to the short side of each strip) to get the perfect size strips for this recipe!
- Onion: Peel and cut the onion in half and then slice into half-moons. This will match closely to the size of your pepper strips.
- Fire-Roasted Tomatoes: This is a great way to add some smoky flavor to the dish with very little effort. You could use regular canned diced tomatoes if that’s all you have, but it will be missing a layer of flavor.
- Pasta: I use penne for this one pot Cajun chicken pasta recipe but you could try another short pasta shape. Please keep in mind that if using another shape, the cooking time and amount of broth required to cook the pasta all the way to al dente may vary.
- Cream Cheese: Either full fat or reduced fat cream cheese will work. It’s best if you let it soften at room temperature briefly before using, rather than adding cold cream cheese to the nearly finished dish.
How to make it
Season chicken pieces with Cajun seasoning and toss to coat evenly.
Heat olive oil and butter in a large deep skillet or saute pan over medium-high. Add the seasoned chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to get some color but not necessarily cooked all the way through, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Add sliced onion and red pepper to the skillet and saute for 4 minutes, or until they begin to soften and release their juices. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with the residual juices from the veggies.
Add fire-roasted diced tomatoes (with their juices) and chicken broth. Then stir in dry penne and additional Cajun seasoning until evenly combined. Cover and bring to a boil.
The pasta won't be completely submerged, but that's ok. You'll be stirring regularly.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer covered, stirring every few minutes, for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the penne is al dente and the liquid has thickened and reduced quite a bit. You should still have a layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan.
Add cream cheese and stir until it melts into the sauce and thickens it to coat the pasta.
Taste and adjust seasoning again if needed. Garnish Cajun chicken pasta with sliced scallions and serve immediately.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can gently reheat in the microwave, adding a splash or two of water as needed to loosen up the sauce a bit and make it creamy again.
You can easily cut this Cajun chicken pasta recipe by half or thirds to make less. The ingredient amounts divide up pretty easily! If you do reduce the recipe, use the rest of the canned tomatoes for another dish or just add the entire can. I’ve tested the recipe with both one and two cans of tomatoes and it was also tasty when I added more (just a bit more tomatoey).
Make sure you use a pan that is wide and deep enough. You want it wide enough to be able to sear the chicken pieces in a single layer, and also deep enough to cook the pasta (and everything else) in broth and not overflow.
Other recipes you may like
- Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
- Creamy Cajun Shrimp Étouffée
- One Pot French Onion Soup Pasta
- Creamy Rasta Pasta with Jerk Chicken
- Pasta alla Norcina (Creamy Pasta with Sausage)
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds (680 grams) boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders cut into bite-size cubes
- 1 ½ tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning or to your liking, divided (I use Louisiana Fish Fry Cajun Seasoning)
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion or 2 small onions sliced into ¼-inch-thick half moon slices
- 1 red bell pepper stemmed and seeded, sliced into ¼-inch-thick slices
- 1 (14.5-ounce / 411 gram) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 12 ounces (340 grams) uncooked penne pasta
- 2 ounces (56 grams) cream cheese cubed (reduced fat is fine)
- 3 scallions sliced
Instructions
- Season the chicken with 1 ½ tablespoons of Cajun seasoning (or 3 to 4 teaspoons if you want it a bit less spicy) and toss to coat evenly.
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large deep skillet or saute pan (about 6 quarts volume) over medium-high. Add the seasoned chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to get some color but not necessarily cooked all the way through, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the onion and pepper to the skillet and saute for 4 minutes until they begin to soften and release their juices. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the fire-roasted diced tomatoes (with their juices) and the chicken broth, and then stir in the dry penne and 1 teaspoon remaining Cajun seasoning until evenly combined. Cover and bring to a boil. Give the broth a quick taste and if it needs more seasoning, add some (the penne will absorb some of the salt as it cooks).
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer covered, stirring every few minutes, for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the penne is al dente and the liquid has thickened and reduced quite a bit.
- Add the cream cheese and stir until it melts into the sauce and thickens it. Taste and adjust seasoning again if needed. Garnish with sliced scallions and serve immediately.
Notes
- I use penne for this recipe but you could try another short pasta shape. Please keep in mind that if using another shape, the cooking time and amount of broth required to cook the pasta all the way to al dente may vary.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can gently reheat in the microwave, adding a splash or two of water as needed to loosen up the sauce a bit and make it creamy again.
- You can easily cut this Cajun chicken pasta recipe by half or thirds to make less. The ingredient amounts divide up pretty easily! If you do reduce the recipe, use the rest of the canned tomatoes for another dish or just add the entire can. I’ve tested the recipe with both one and two cans of tomatoes and it was also tasty when I added more (just a bit more tomatoey).
- Make sure you use a pan that is wide and deep enough. You want it wide enough to be able to sear the chicken pieces in a single layer, and also deep enough to cook the pasta (and everything else) in broth and not overflow.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
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