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This Cajun Chicken Pasta is a one pot pasta recipe, loaded with seasoned chicken, tender veggies, and penne in a Cajun cream sauce. Ready in 30 minutes!
Busy night, pasta to the rescue.
If it’s a busy night, you’ll probably find me reaching for a box of pasta. Such a go to in my house, and probably in most houses, to be honest!
This Cajun Chicken Pasta amps up the standard/boring pasta recipe into something with big flavors and a creamy sauce – because a creamy sauce is a must, if you ask me.
Big fan of easy clean up, so I do this chicken and spinach pasta in one pot and it cooks in about 30 minutes. Total weeknight type of dinner that doesn’t feel like you compromised. In fact, I’d order this one at a restaurant and be perfectly happy paying $15 a serving!
Goes great with a big green salad on the side, especially if you take the extra 5 minutes to whip up my homemade Italian dressing. And, as always, my house favorite creamy onion garlic bread goes with basically all things pasta.
3 Reasons You’ll Love This One:
🍝 One pot, minimal cleanup. Everything cooks in a single skillet, even the pasta. Less time at the sink means more time doing literally anything else.
⏱️ On the table in 30 minutes. Seasoned chicken, tender veggies, and penne all come together fast, so this one earns a regular spot in the weeknight rotation.
🌶️ Creamy sauce, just enough kick. The Cajun seasoning brings the flavor and the cream cheese smooths it all out. You control the heat, so it works for spice lovers and picky eaters alike.
Ingredient Notes:
Chicken – We prefer breasts, but chicken thighs would also work well.
Penne Pasta – Any small shape of pasta would work well here. Penne is always in my pantry, but I also like bow-tie pasta here.
Veggies – You’ll be adding in some freshly diced onion and bell pepper that’ll get cooked up in the Cajun seasoning. Also going in is a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes and finally, some fresh baby spinach and minced garlic.
Cajun Seasoning – We love Tony Chachere’s. It’s our favorite Cajun seasoning and we use it in all our Cajun recipes! If you have a preferred brand, feel free to use it.
Chicken Broth – The pasta will get cooked up in the broth with the chicken and veggies for lots of flavor. It’ll go in with some half & half to make up the base of the creamy sauce.
Cream Cheese – This is going to add all that wonderfully rich and creamy, cheesy flavor to the Cajun chicken pasta sauce!
Step by Step:
Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with the Cajun seasoning.
Brown the chicken, onions, peppers, and garlic in a deep skillet.
Add the pasta, broth, half and half, and canned tomatoes to the skillet and bring it to a boil. Cook the pasta at a simmer for about 10 minutes.
Stir in the cream cheese and add the spinach right on top. Cover and let the spinach wilt for about 5 minutes. Stir together and serve!
Helpful Tip!
Swaps & Substitutions
- Any small shape of pasta will work well, such as bowties, macaroni, or ziti.
- Andouille sausage makes a great addition! Brown it up with the chicken.
- Spinach doesn’t add a whole lot of flavor, so it’s an easy veggie to get my kids to eat. Add in as much or as little as you’d like. The flavor really won’t change much.
- The spice on this one is easily customized by using more or less Cajun seasoning. As is, it has a little kick but the cream helps keep it tolerable for most.
Storage & Freezing:
Fridge: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
Reheat: Warm in the microwave, stirring halfway through so it heats evenly. A splash of broth or half and half loosens the sauce back up if it thickened in the fridge.
Freezer: Cream-based pasta sauces can separate or turn grainy after freezing, so this one is best enjoyed fresh or from the fridge.
More Cajun Recipes:
- Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Cajun Chicken Alfredo
- Cajun Ranch Chicken Soup
- Slow Cooker Cajun Sausage & Bean Soup
- Air Fryer Smoked Sausage with Vegetables
- Fried Green Tomatoes with Cajun Remoulade
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning divided
- 1 medium sweet onion diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 14.5 ounces canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes drained
- 3/4 cups half and half
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 6 ounces fresh baby spinach rinsed and dried
Instructions
- Chop the chicken into 1 inch pieces.
- Heat a 12 inch skillet over medium heat and add the butter to melt. Stir to coat the pan.
- Add the chicken to the skillet and sprinkle with half of the Cajun seasoning. Cook, stirring often, until the chicken is browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion and pepper to the pan and sprinkle with the remaining seasoning. Cook 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the penne, chicken broth, canned tomatoes, and half and half. Stir well to combine.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover the pot.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender.
- Remove the lid and stir in the cream cheese to melt.
- Stir in the spinach. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes to wilt spinach.
- Stir well before serving.
Erica B says
I didn’t follow the recipe at all—I think the only like ingredients were butter, chicken broth, half and half, and cream cheese—but I used the method and liquid:pasta ratio to make a quick lunch with some Italian sausage and chopped vegetables that needed to be used. I LOVED being able to cook the pasta in the same pan as the rest of the dish! It worked really well, even using Banza chickpea ziti which just needed a few minutes less cooking time than wheat pasta. I definitely want to follow the actual recipe in the future, and I want to try so many other dishes with this technique. Thanks, Karly!
Karly says
Sounds like a delicious lunch! Thanks for sharing!