This Cajun chicken pasta is an easy 30-minute recipe that only uses a handful of ingredients. A simple one-pot pasta recipe that is creamy, smoky, and mildly spicy and always goes down well on a busy weeknight.
This chicken pasta is very customizable if you want to really turn up the spice or if you just want to add in extra vegetables. Either way, this recipe serves four but only uses 2 chicken breasts to really stretch your budget and keep dinners cheap and easy. This aubergine pasta alla norma is also a great easy pasta recipe and this lemon chicken pasta is also a must-try!
You'll also want to check out our collection of 30 chicken pasta recipes.
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⭐️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- You only need 9 simple ingredients.
- Ready in 30 minutes.
- It can be as spicy or as mild as you like.
- Add in extra veggies to stretch your budget even further.
🧾 Ingredients
- boneless skinless chicken breast- you can use chicken thighs in this recipe too, just be sure that they're boneless and skinless.
- penne- I prefer a short pasta with ridges so that the sauce really sticks, but you can use a longer pasta like spaghetti if that's what you have on hand.
- chopped tomatoes- using passata (sieved tomatoes) also works and results in a smoother sauce, but tinned diced or chopped tomatoes give great texture to the dish.
See recipe card for quantities.
📖 Substitutions & Variations
- Extra veggies - you can really stretch this chicken pasta recipe by adding in extra vegetables like sliced bell peppers and sweetcorn. Spinach is also a great addition to this Cajun sauce.
- Turkey - lean turkey breast is a great substitution for the chicken in this pasta dish. Pork loin also works too.
- Vegetarian - if you love the idea of a spicy pasta recipe but are vegetarian then use something like tofu or Quorn in place of the chicken.
For a gluten-free diet just use gluten-free pasta.
Seasoning a recipe
A note on seasoning- Every recipe will require salt. I do not specify the amount because the seasoning is very subjective to taste, tolerance, and diet. The best way to use salt is to start early in the cooking process and taste and layer as you cook and as the dish develops.
👩🏻🍳 Step By Step
1 & 2
- Chop the chicken into large cubes. I usually go for 2 bite-size chunks. Sprinkle the Cajun seasoning on the chicken and toss well to coat. Now, heat some oil in a large heavy skillet. It doesn't matter if you have a cast-iron pan or a stainless steel one. Both will work perfectly fine.
- Once the oil shimmers and is hot, add the chicken to the pan and brown on all sides. This should take about 5-6 minutes. It doesn't matter if the chicken is fully cooked yet because we'll finish cooking it on the sauce.
- Once the chicken is browned on all sides, remove to a plate or small bowl and set aside while you make the sauce.
3 & 4
- There will be brown bits clinging to the bottom of the pan from the chicken. Leave these in and add the onions and garlic to the pan with a small amount of water. *You can use the water from cooking the pasta. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits up and continue to soften the garlic and onions. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, this should take about 10 minutes.
- Add in the tinned tomatoes and the cream and stir in the remaining tablespoon of Cajun spice. Bring to a simmer and add the chicken back to the pan. Continue to simmer gently for another 5-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Juice the lemon and add some of the juice to taste. *This is important. You may not see the point, but it really does elevate the sauce.
5 & 6
- Toss the cooked pasta noodles into the sauce and toss with some chopped coriander (cilantro).
- If you're using dried pasta, you should cook it in boiling water according to the package instructions. If using fresh pasta, it can be added directly to the sauce and simmered for about 4 minutes until it's cooked through.
💡 Mildly spicy- If you're wanting to make this spicy pasta less spicy, then skip adding the last tablespoon of Cajun spice to the sauce.
🍯 Storage
- Keep this pasta in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in the microwave for about 2 minutes stirring every 30 seconds.
- This pasta is definitely not great for freezing.
💡 Top tip
For a more luxurious sauce use cream cheese instead of single cream. Use about 100g of cream cheese and melt it into the tomato sauce. Add a splash of milk or water to thin out the sauce until you have your desired consistency.
❓FAQ
You can definitely make this without cream, however, the cream really helps to balance out the spice and the acidity from the tomatoes. If making this Cajun sauce without cream, you'll probably need some extra salt. If you have a dairy intolerance you can use a non-dairy cream substitute.
Absolutely! This pasta recipe keeps really well in the fridge for up to 3 days. It's not suitable for freezing, though, so make sure you make it within the 3 day time span.
Easy Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta (30 Minutes)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) olive oil
- 3 tablespoons (3 tablespoons) Cajun spice, divided
- 300 g (⅔ lb) chicken breast or thighs, boneless, skinless
- 3 cloves (3 cloves) garlic, minced
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 400 g (13 ½ floz) tin chopped tomatoes
- 150-200 ml (5 floz) single cream
- juice of 1 lemon
- 300 g (⅔ lb) penne, or any pasta
- ½ (½) bunch of coriander, chopped
- 25 g (⅞ oz) parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Chop the chicken into 1-inch cubes and toss with 2 tablespoons of the Cajun spice. Heat the oil in a high-sided skillet. Once the oil is hot it will shimmer. Add the chicken to the oil and cook until the pieces are golden and cooked through. Remove to a plate while you make everything else.
- Add the garlic and onion to the pan and sauté gently until the garlic is fragrant and the onion is translucent. If needed add a splash of water to help scrape up any brown bits of chicken. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, and the remaining tablespoon of Cajun spice and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the cream and stir well. Add in half the lemon juice and taste. If you’d like a bit more brightness to the sauce add the remaining lemon juice.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and cook until the chicken is cooked through. Toss in the pasta and stir well to coat all the noodles. Mix in the coriander and serve with grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
- To make a more luxurious sauce you can substitute cream cheese for single cream. Use 100g low-fat or regular cream cheese and let it melt into the tomato sauce.
- If using fresh pasta cook the noodles in the sauce for 4 minutes. For dried pasta cook separately according to the package instructions.
Lisianthus00
Really tasty. Made this on a weekday w/ 30 mins to spare & an 18-year-old daughter who just got in from soccer practice and is not into pasta. She loved it! 3 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning seemed a lot but was needed in the end for the flavor POP. Excellent recipe. Will make it again.
Deborah Rainford
So happy it was such a hit! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and a review. It's so appreciated! 🙂
Shauna
This has become a weekly event in our house and my kids love it! Thank you so much!
Tyler Sheppard
this was one of the best dished I have ever made and me and my wife loved it and the kids liked it and they usually don't eat pasta
Deborah Rainford
Amazing! So happy everyone loved it! 🙂
Derek lee
This was absolutely incredible! My family loved it. My family thinks I'm a terrible cook, but I made this and they were all so surprised at how awesome it was. A great recipe! Thanks.
Deborah Rainford
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment. Happy that the family loved it too!
Martin
Absolutely loved this pasta recipe. My kids loved it too! Thanks.
Deborah Rainford
So happy that it's a hit with everyone! And thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating. It's so very appreciated! 🙂
Tasha
Absolutely love this recipe! My family adores it and it's so easy (and cheap) to make! Thank you for creating amazing recipes week after week. It's very appreciated!
Deborah Rainford
Thanks so much, Tasha! Your comment has absolutely made my day! 🙂
Sandra
Love this recipe and so does my family. I'm having some friends round can it be made the day before?
Deborah Rainford
Hi Sandra. So happy it's been a hit in your house! It can be made the day before but with some modifications to get you the best result. It may seem a little bit more of a hassle, but I'll walk you through it step by step so that when you have guests over all you have to do is reheat and toss it together. Boil the pasta as per the package instructions, drain it and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and let it cool before placing it in a container in the fridge. Cook the chicken and make the sauce as per the instructions in the recipe. So brown the chicken, make the sauce and add the chicken back in but keep the pasta separate, otherwise, it will absorb all the sauce. Let the sauce cool with the chicken in it, then place in another container in the fridge. When reheating it, place the sauce in a medium to large saucepan (large enough to add the pasta) and let it heat up over low-medium heat slowly. The reason we're doing it slowly is so that the sauce doesn't split as it's reheated and microwaving always does strange things to the texture of chicken. The sauce will have thickened in the fridge so add a splash of water to it as it heats up. Once the sauce and chicken are hot all the way through toss in the pasta and let it warm through and serve. I know that seems like a lengthy explanation, but I just want to make sure you get the best results. Let me know how it goes, and if you have any other questions, just let me know. 🙂
Kayleigh
Love this recipe. Changed the cream for low fat soft cheese and works great. A firm favourite in our house
Deborah Rainford
Oh! Love the idea of the soft cheese in place of the cream! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating. It's much appreciated! 🙂
Chris
Loved this. What would be helpful, especially in these times, is if you could include the total cost / per serving at the time you made it. It would really help those who need to budget.
Also the newsletter link doesnt work 🙁
Deborah Rainford
Thanks so much, Chris! Yes. The costings are coming this week. It's taken a little while to set up properly, but they are coming. I'll add your email to the list and you can unsubscribe at any time. And I'll take a look at the link not working. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating! It's so appreciated! 🙂
Christina
Is it possible to substitute the cream for yoghurt…? If so do I still need the lemon juice? Thanks.
Deborah Rainford
Hi Christina. You absolutely can. It'll have to be full-fat yoghurt so that the sauce doesn't split. You may not need lemon juice because of the acidity of the yoghurt, but that's a personal preference. Start without and add it if you feel it needs it. 🙂
Steve
Simple and addictive. Made it several times. I use Greek yoghurt instead of cream
Deborah Rainford
So happy you liked it! And thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating. It's so appreciated! 🙂
Julie
We have just made this and have all really enjoyed it. Can you just advice me on storage of leftovers please? We are doing your 13 September meal plan and we are off to an excellent start with this meal. Thank you so much for taking the time to devise these and share them.
Deborah Thompson
Amazing! I'm so happy that the meal plans are coming in handy. For leftovers of the pasta, in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days is great. When reheating you may need to add in a splash of water to thin out the sauce a little. It will thicken quite a bit as it sits in the fridge. I wouldn't freeze this, just because the noodles will go a little mushy once reheated after they've been frozen. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a rating and letting me know that the meal plans are helpful. It's so appreciated!
Mandy cobley
Loved this recipe, simply delicious- all the family loved it !!
Deborah Thompson
Amazing! Love hearing this. 🙂
Valerie
Simply Delicious, I also added a small amount of Chorizo 👌
Deborah Rainford
Amazing idea with the chorizo! Love it! 🙂
JustinJ
What happens to the lemon?
Deborah Thompson
Oops. Thanks for catching that! It gets stirred into the sauce at the end just to brighten the flavour and cut the spice.
Sharon
Do you cook the pasta in the same pan as the chicken and sauce or cook it separately and add it at the end?
Deborah Thompson
If you use fresh pasta noodles (they're in the fridge section near the cheese in Aldi) toss them right into sauce and they cook in 4 minutes. If you're going to use dried pasta cook them separately and toss with the sauce. Updated the recipe to reflect that. Thank you!
kirsty weir
This looks so fab
am gonna try and attempt to make it
Deborah Thompson
It's such a great simple recipe. You'll nail it! Let me know how it goes!
Kirsty
Cooked this a couple times and it's fab but
When does the lemon go in?
Deborah Rainford
Thanks so much! Sorry about that. It's written in the post but I forgot to add it to the recipe card. It goes in when you add the cream. The recipe has been updated, so if you print it out, it will be accurate! 🙂