Cajun Chicken Pasta

Cajun chicken pasta is a restaurant favorite—warm, creamy, spicy, and always comforting. But it's also exceptionally easy to make this dish at home. In just about 30 minutes, you'll sauté chicken cutlets, boil pasta, and cook up a creamy, slightly spicy sauce that's so good you'll want to lick the plate.

Learn how to make Cajun chicken pasta. This dish is very creamy, a little spicy from the Cajun seasoning, and chock-full of chicken.

Ingredients for Cajun Chicken Pasta

We rely on Cajun or Creole seasoning for most of the spice, but to round it out, a creamy sauce is made with whipping cream and cheese and fortified with soft peppers and onions. Here's what you'll need to make this favorite weeknight dinner:

• Skinless, boneless chicken breasts: You can skip a step and buy chicken cutlets, but we've included instructions for making thinner cutlets that will cook evenly and quickly.
• Cajun or Creole seasoning: These seasoning mixtures provide a bit of heat and lots of flavor, and they're all wrapped up in one great product. Use your favorite.
• Olive oil: For searing the chicken.
• Uncooked fettuccine: We prefer the thicker noodles of fettuccine for lapping up all the creamy sauce, but you could also use linguine. Spaghetti might be too thin.
• Onion: Provides a savory base of flavor.
• Orange or yellow bell pepper: Along with the onions, it quickly adds deep flavor and silky body to the sauce.
• Garlic cloves: For additional savory flavor.
• Diced tomatoes: Canned tomatoes are tender and tangy, the perfect and fast way to finish out this dish.
• Heavy whipping cream: Lends richness and makes the sauce extra creamy.
• Grated Pecorino Romano cheese: Helps to thicken up the sauce and add savory, salty notes.

How To Make Cajun Chicken Pasta

Cajun chicken pasta is great for weeknights because it's ready in about 30 minutes from start to finish. Here are a few key steps for this dish; the full recipe is further below.

• Step 1. Cook the chicken: Slice chicken breasts into thinner cutlets, season, then sauté until cooked through. Set the chicken aside while you finish the rest of the dish.
• Step 2. Cook vegetables: Don't bother wiping the skillet clean. You'll use some of the leftover Cajun seasoning on the pan to season the sauce. Cook onions and bell peppers until tender. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant. Add the tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon or other surface-safe utensil to scrape the bottom of the pan. That will bring up some of the delicious browned flavor from the chicken and seasoning.
• Step 3. Finish the dish: To the sautéed vegetables and tomatoes, add the cooked pasta, cream, and cheese. Stir to coat the pasta well, and top with sliced chicken.

Can You Freeze Cajun Chicken Pasta?

Yes, Cajun chicken pasta is a great make-ahead dinner idea. You can complete the dish, then let it cool before storing it in an airtight container and freezing for two to three months. Thaw the dish in the fridge overnight.

When you're ready to reheat, you may need to stir the dish as it warms to make sure the sauce doesn't split. Add a splash of heavy whipping cream if the pasta has absorbed a lot of the sauce and made it a bit too dry. If the heat has died out while frozen, add a sprinkle more of the seasoning.

Our Tips for the Best Cajun Chicken Pasta

This 30-minute pasta dinner couldn't be much easier, but we have a few additional tips to make it even better:

• Chicken check: If you don’t pound the chicken into an even, thin layer, it will cook unevenly and take forever to do so.
• Make ahead: The sauce is best when served fresh, but you can get ahead by slicing the onion and bell peppers up to a day in advance. You can also cook and store the pasta. Once it's added to the sauce it will warm up and turn flexible again.
• Season change: We used Tony’s Creole seasoning when making this recipe. Depending on the seasoning blend you choose, you might need to add a little salt.