A creamy cajun chicken with penne pasta that’s simple but packed with flavor! This is a flavorful, crowd-pleasing dinner option that can be on the table in less than 30 minutes!
Add this to your dinner rotation and let me know what you think! We love serving ours with a side of buttermilk cornbread!
I originally shared this cajun chicken pasta recipe over on Spend with Pennies!
Just in case anyone is preparing their grocery list for this week’s dinner menu, I thought I’d stop in really quickly today to share one of my recent favorite flavorful, easy dinner recipes: Cajun Chicken with Penne Pasta.
Packed with fresh veggies, a creamy cajun sauce, and perfectly seasoned chicken over a bed of penne pasta, this dinner has been a hit in our house since I first started making it a few months ago.
Since I’m usually baking and recipe testing all day, every day, I often tend to get a little lazy about making dinner. While I’ll sometimes experiment with new dinner options, I have a few staples and Zach and I eat them almost every week for dinner.
Our recent dinner rotation includes my best chili recipe, easy pulled chicken, and now this cajun chicken with penne pasta.
While I recommend penne pasta, you can substitute your personal preference when making this recipe. Make sure that you stick to just 8 oz (usually half a package) of your favorite shape. Linguine is always a popular choice with cajun chicken, but I like the way the penne noodles do a great job of holding a good bit of creamy cajun sauce in each bite.
Whole wheat or whole grain pastas are also great options for a little added nutritional value!
Enjoy!
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz (227 g) penne pasta* cooked according to package instructions and drained
- 3 Tablespoons butter divided
- 1 ½ lbs (680 g) boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1" pieces
- 4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning divided
- ½ teaspoon salt divided
- ½ teaspoon pepper divided
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 1 red pepper sliced
- 1 green pepper sliced
- 1 ½ cups (355 ml) heavy cream
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅓ cup fresh parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Place 2 Tablespoons of butter in a large pan over medium-high heat until melted.3 Tablespoons butter
- Meanwhile, combine 3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a Ziploc bag. Add chopped chicken, zip closed, and shake until chicken is coated.4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 1 ½ lbs (680 g) boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1" pieces
- Transfer chicken to heated pan and cook until chicken is browned and just cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Add remaining Tablespoon of butter to pan and allow it to melt.
- Add peppers and onion and cook until beginning to soften (about 3-5 minutes).½ yellow onion, 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper
- Add heavy cream, smoked paprika, basil, garlic powder, and remaining cajun seasoning and ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, cooking until sauce is thickened.1 ½ cups (355 ml) heavy cream, ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon dried basil, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Add parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Return cooked chicken and add cooked pasta, stir well and serve.⅓ cup fresh parmesan cheese, 8 oz (227 g) penne pasta*
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Brittany
I was a little nervous to make this because I thought it would be spicy, and my husband is a pretty plain Jane guy…. We both LOVED it!! It had a great flavor with just enough spice to give it a little heat. Definitely will be making this again! 🙂
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Sherry
Tried this tonight, it was easy, and flavorful. This a recipe you could get creative with, we added fresh tomatoes. Next time I would like to add garlic button mushrooms. The garlic knots were a delicious side. Awesome.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Sherry! 🙂
Kayla
So yummy!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Kayla! Thanks so much for your review. 😊
Billi
Delicious! Thank You! My very picky family loved this recipe. When adding the “remaining Cajun Seasoning”, I added 1 tablespoon by accident. It was probably more spicy than it was intended, but it was so yummy. Thank you again for the recipe!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Rachael Meek
Do you use a cast iron or regular pan? Thanks! 🙂
Sam
Hi Rachael! Either will work here. 🙂
Lauren
Absolutely delicious!! Everything savory and amazing and good. Best meal I’ve had recently. 10/10!
Sugar Spun Run
Yeah! I am so glad that you loved it, Lauren! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Dalene Rosas
Absolutely love this recipe, my husband requested it the very next week after trying it! I used a capricci pasta and a NON GMO small batch Cajun seasoning by URBAN ACCENTS called Cajun Street it has very little salt compared to other Cajun seasonings and a very unique blend of spices, I used a two tsp sprinkled on chicken and same to sauce. I also added sliced celery with the onion n peppers and sliced Andouille sausage browned along with 1/4″ strips of chicken breast. We love this recipe and it is actually very good cold straight from the frig for a late night snack, we get two generous meals for two! Thank you so much ❤️❤️ I have shared this recipe with all my friends! It is soooo good!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that your family has enjoyed the recipe, Dalene! 🙂
Dalene
I actually used 2 Tbsp instead of tsp both in chicken and sauce, just noticed the typo!