This Cajun pasta recipe has to be hands down one of my favorite pasta recipes! The flavors of this creamy Cajun pasta are bold, spicy and delicious and it is so simple to make. Made with chicken, red and green bell peppers and the most delicious cajun pasta sauce that pulls it all together. Make this cajun pasta tonight for an incredible easy meal or entertain with it and have a delicious dinner that is effortless to pull off.
About This Creamy Cajun Pasta Recipe
I love Cajun recipes and if you have tried my chicken and sausage gumbo or my sausage jambalaya, you know how much I love the spices in this style of cooking.
My family and I call the creamy cajun sauce in this spicy chicken pasta, liquid gold because it is that good and the cream that is added at the end picks up the little bits of caramelization from the pan turning the sauce a beautiful creamy gold color.
I like to use my homemade cajun seasoning (recipe below) for the spices in this Cajun pasta but you could also use store bought Cajun seasoning if you prefer.
While this is technically not authentic cajun food, it is definitely a tasty and decadent twist on it. This spicy chicken pasta is also very easy to make and the fact that is has only a few ingredients makes this an ideal weeknight dish.
The inspiration for this creamy cajun pasta came from my time working at the Cheesecake Factory years ago while in college. It was a dish that I loved then and still do now!
Ingredients needed
There are not too many ingredients that you will need for this spicy cajun pasta recipe since most of the ingredients are items most people already have in their pantry.
- Boneless skinless chicken breast
- Red and Green peppers
- Onion
- Tomato
- Garlic
- Cajun spice (in the recipe below)
- Heavy whipping cream
- Linguine ( I love using a spinach and regular linguine combo for the color!). If you do not have linguine, penne, ziti or bow tie pasta all work great.
About the Ingredients:
For me, the only ingredient that I need to think about buying to make this Cajun chicken pasta (that is beyond what I normally purchase at the grocery store) is the heavy whipping cream. You do not need too much of it but it 100 percent makes this dish.
If you have leftover whipping cream, go ahead and make something special for dessert another night with it. I love making whipped cream frosting for my cakes like my Almond Vanilla Cake.
Trust me, everyone will love you for making this pasta and a bonus cake too!
Now the steps to making this creamy cajun pasta recipe are also very simple. I like to use one pan for the chicken and vegetables portion of this recipe.
How to Make Cajun Pasta
- Prep ingredients and cook chicken: The first thing you want to do when making this Cajun pasta is prepare all of your veggies and chicken. Here you will grab your chicken pieces and add those to the nice hot pan. Add half of your cajun spices and let the chicken cook mostly through and get nice and browned on the outside.
- Cook veggies: The next step is to cook your vegetables. You will add the second half of your cajun spices at this point. Just keep cooking the vegetables until they are just beginning to soften and the spices are nice and aromatic.
- Mix it all together: Once your vegetables are done, you will slide your chicken back into the pan with the vegetables and cook for a few more minutes letting both of their flavors marry together and let the chicken finish cooking.
While that happens, you will bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your linguine until al dente. Drain and set aside and add a little olive oil to prevent it from sticking.
- Making the cajun pasta sauce: The very last step in making this Cajun pasta is to add your heavy whipping cream to the chicken and vegetables. Bring to a simmer and simmer for just a couple of minutes. Taste for seasoning at this point.
Once thee cajun pasta sauce is ready, add your pasta to it and toss it all together. That is it!
This cajun pasta is fancy enough to serve to guests without all of the work of slaving over a stove for hours. The spice factor is at about a medium on this dish but you can add or take away on the amount of cayenne pepper to suit your taste.
What to serve with cajun chicken pasta
Here are some of our favorite things to pair with this cajun pasta recipe:
If you like this spicy chicken pasta recipe, here are some more dishes you may like
- Korean Sesame Noodles
- Easy Sausage Jambalaya
- Sausage and Chicken Gumbo
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Southwest Chicken Bowl
- Chicken Tarragon
- Pan Fried Gnocchi with kale and Parmesan Cream
- Brussels Sprouts Pasta
- Spaghetti with Zucchini
Creamy Cajun Pasta
Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half length wise then cut into about 1 inch strips
- 1 green pepper thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper thinly sliced
- 1 Spanish onion sliced thinly
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 large tomato quartered optional
- ¾ cup of heavy cream
- 1 lb of fettuccine
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Cajun spice
- 2 tablespoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for your fettuccine.
- While you are waiting for your water to boil, pre-heat a large saute pan over medium heat with your olive oil.
- Cut your chicken into 1 inch strips.
- Add half of your cajun seasoning to your diced chicken making sure to coat both sides. Now add your chicken to the saute pan and cook until browned on all sides, about 5-8 minutes
- While the chicken is cooking slice up all of your vegetables and mince your garlic and put aside.
- When your chicken is done cooking, remove it from the pan and put in on a plate and cover with aluminum foil.
- Keep your saute pan on the stove and add your peppers, onions and garlic and a pinch of salt and saute until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Now add the other half of your cajun spice to the vegetables and cook for 1 minute.
- When the vegetables are done cooking, add your chicken back into the pan with the vegetables and turn heat down to medium low.
- Add your tomato wedges to the pan and mix it all together.
- Now add your cream and mix it all together.
- Cover and simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors come together .
- At this point, your pasta water should be boiling. Add your fettuccine to the pot of boiling water and cook according to the manufacturers instructions for al dente.
- When ready, strain pasta and add it to your saute pan with the chicken and vegetables and toss well to coat all of the pasta.
- Turn your heat off now and continue to toss your pasta in the cream mixture for a couple minutes so it picks up the flavors of the sauce.
- Now taste your sauce for seasoning. Here you can add a little more salt, cayenne pepper or paprika to suit your taste.
- To assemble: Add some pasta, chicken and vegetables to a bowl and spoon over some of the cream sauce on top.
- Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
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Sarah says
This was so good. I used spinach fettuccine and it was the perfect compliment to the creamy cajun sauce.
Fran says
Yum! I will remaking this one again. So easy and so much flavor