One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

A bowl of creamy Cajun chicken pasta topped with sliced scallions.

5 from 2 votes

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.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cajun, New Orleans

Servings: servings

Calories: 467kcal

Author: Victoria

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.
Louisiana Fish Fry Cajun Seasoning is 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. If your Cajun seasoning is completely salt-free, add salt when seasoning the chicken and also salt the broth.
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.
If the pasta isn't cooked through once most of the liquid has absorbed add a bit more broth or even hot water and continue cooking until it's done. Having a hot water kettle nearby and at the ready is helpful in case you need it.
Wanna pack in more veggies? Stir in about 1 ¼ cups thawed frozen broccoli florets (pick out the smaller ones or cut the bigger florets in half) and about ¾ cup thawed frozen peas once the pasta is just about cooked through, a couple minutes before adding the cream cheese. You can also reduce the chicken to about 1 to 1 ¼ pounds if you're bumping up the veggies.
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