Are you looking for a budget-friendly and quick cajun chicken pasta recipe to ease your dinner hassle? After all, it can be challenging to cook daily within the budget you have set. Well, you don’t need to worry because we have the perfect cajun pasta recipe for your needs.
Our Cajun pasta is creamy, flavorful, and an easy recipe to make. Whenever you don’t have time on a weekday, you can make this dish in no time. So, here is your complete guide on how to make Cajun chicken pasta.
Ingredients for Cajun Chicken Pasta
We have divided the ingredients into two parts. The first part is for the Cajun seasoning, and the second part is for the pasta you will make. Then, you have to mix the seasoning and pasta to create a delicious meal:
Cajun Seasoning
- One teaspoon of oregano
- Onion powder (½ teaspoon)
- One teaspoon of thyme
- ¼ teaspoon of black pepper
- Garlic powder (½ teaspoon)
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Pasta Recipe
- Half a pound of uncooked penne pasta
- One pound of skinless and boneless chicken breast pieces
- One tablespoon of butter
- One tablespoon of olive oil
- Fifteen ounces of fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- One diced yellow onion
- Two ounces of cream cheese
- Two cups of chicken broth
- Three sliced green onions
All of these ingredients will cost you less than $10, which is why it is the perfect budget-friendly recipe to make.
How to Make creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl for the Cajun seasoning.
2. Cut the chicken into cubes of ½ or ¾ inches.
3. Toss the chicken cubes inside a bowl, and then put the Cajun seasoning on top of the chicken. Stir the chicken to evenly coat the seasoning throughout.
4. Take a deep and large skillet. Add the butter and olive oil to it while heating it on medium-high.
5. Once the butter has melted and gets a little foamy, you must add the chicken to the skillet and cook it for a few minutes on both sides. Keep in mind that you don’t need to cook the chicken completely right now.
6. Add the onion to the skillet and sauté it for two minutes until it begins to get soft. Let the moisture from the onion dissolve the brown bits from the skillet’s bottom.
7. Add the tomatoes, pasta, and chicken broth inside the skillet.
8. Keep stirring it all together until everything is combined evenly.
9. Cover the skillet with the lid, and let the broth come to a boil.
10. Once the broth starts boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the recipe simmer for at least ten minutes.
11. Be sure to stir the pasta after every few minutes until the pasta is cooked and the sauce is thick.
12. Start adding the cream cheese inside the skillet in pieces.
13. Stir the cream cheese until it melts in the sauce.
14. The pasta is now ready, top it with the green onions and enjoy the delicious recipe.
Cajun Pasta Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions about the Cajun pasta recipe that will help you adjust this dish to your liking or make it even better.
If you want more from this recipe, you can add a few ingredients to take it to the next level. For example, you can add some bacon bits to the pasta, or you can add Parmesan cheese at the end to make it even creamier. Besides that, if you don’t want to use chicken, then we recommend using prawns.
That is because prawns and Cajun seasoning go really well together, which is why you will have an excellent flavor. In the same way, you can mix and match different ingredients to come up with the flavors you like.
Not everyone likes the heavy feeling of cream cheese, which is why you might want to switch it up. If that is the case, then we recommend that you use half-and-half or heavy cream. If you are using half-and-half, then you can use ½ cup.
On the other hand, if you choose heavy cream, you can go for ¼ cup. You can also skip the cream altogether. However, we find that the creaminess adds to the flavor and balances the dish in the best way possible.
Keep in mind that this Cajun pasta recipe is spicy, and it might not suit every palate. However, you can adjust the spiciness in the dish with ease. For example, you can adjust the cayenne pepper amount by cutting it in half.
On the other hand, if you can’t tolerate spicy food at all, then we would recommend skipping adding the cayenne pepper to the dish. The pasta will still remain flavorful but without all the spice.
How Long Does It Take To Make This Cajun Chicken Pasta Recipe?
The best part about this dish is that you can make it in no time, no matter how busy you are. That is because it will take you a total of thirty minutes to create this dish. It takes ten minutes to prepare the ingredients and twenty minutes to cook everything.
Besides that, our recipe also serves four people. So, it is the ideal dish to cook for the family on a busy weekday when you don’t have enough time to do something extensive.
Print Perfect Cajun Pasta Recipe
Cajun pasta is creamy, flavorful, and an easy recipe to make.
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
Cajun Seasoning
- One teaspoon of oregano
- Onion powder (½ teaspoon)
- One teaspoon of thyme
- ¼ teaspoon of black pepper
- Garlic powder (½ teaspoon)
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Pasta Recipe
- Half a pound of uncooked penne pasta
- One pound of skinless and boneless chicken breast pieces
- One tablespoon of butter
- One tablespoon of olive oil
- Fifteen ounces of fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- One diced yellow onion
- Two ounces of cream cheese
- Two cups of chicken broth
- Three sliced green onions
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl for the Cajun seasoning.
- Cut the chicken into cubes of ½ or ¾ inches.
- Toss the chicken cubes inside a bowl, and then put the Cajun seasoning on top of the chicken. Stir the chicken to evenly coat the seasoning throughout.
-
Take a deep and large skillet. Add the butter and olive oil to it while heating it on medium-high.
-
Once the butter has melted and gets a little foamy, you must add the chicken to the skillet and cook it for a few minutes on both sides. Keep in mind that you don’t need to cook the chicken completely right now.
- Add the onion to the skillet and sauté it for two minutes until it begins to get soft. Let the moisture from the onion dissolve the brown bits from the skillet’s bottom.
- Add the tomatoes, pasta, and chicken broth inside the skillet.
-
Keep stirring it all together until everything is combined evenly.
-
Cover the skillet with the lid, and let the broth come to a boil.
-
Once the broth starts boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the recipe simmer for at least ten minutes.
-
Be sure to stir the pasta after every few minutes until the pasta is cooked and the sauce is thick.
-
Start adding the cream cheese inside the skillet in pieces.
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Stir the cream cheese until it melts in the sauce.
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The pasta is now ready, top it with the green onions and enjoy the delicious recipe.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Nutrition
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 214 mg
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 109 mg
Final Thoughts
That was the complete Cajun pasta recipe for you to follow and make any time of the night or day. Be sure to follow the guidelines and customize the dish according to what you want.
Once you do, you will have the perfect meal for yourself and your family. If you want a larger or lower serving size, you can customize the ingredients accordingly for the perfect amount of pasta.
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