Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Ready in 30 minutes, Cajun Chicken Pasta combines pan-seared chicken, rotini, and a creamy garlic sauce made with Cajun seasoning, cream cheese, Parmesan, and chipotle peppers.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the Cajun Chicken Pasta
- 2 pounds chicken tenderloins cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning no-sodium-added blend
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces rotini pasta or any pasta of choice
For the Creamy Cajun Sauce
- 1 cup half-and-half or equal parts heavy cream and milk
- 1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth or pasta water
- 2 ounces full-fat cream cheese
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese optional for thickening the sauce
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning no-sodium-added blend
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water if you don’t have chicken broth.
- Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes and place them in a bowl. Add the salt, Cajun seasoning, minced garlic, paprika, and olive oil. Mix until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Pan-sear the chicken until fully cooked and golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and cover with foil.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet and sauté the onion until tender. Add the minced garlic, cream cheese, chicken broth, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, salt, half-and-half, and remaining sauce spices.
- Mix the sauce ingredients well and simmer over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Once the sauce thickens, add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss until coated. Add the cooked chicken and Parmesan cheese, then cook everything together over medium-low heat for another 2–3 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Garnish the Cajun chicken pasta with fresh parsley and chili peppers, then serve immediately.
Notes
- Use enough water when boiling the rotini so the pasta has room to move and cooks evenly.
- Stir the pasta as soon as you add it to the boiling water to prevent the pieces from sticking together.
- Add the drained pasta to the sauce promptly instead of letting it sit in the colander, where it can dry out and stick together.
- Avoid adding oil to the pasta water, as it can coat the pasta and make it harder for the creamy Cajun sauce to cling to it.
Nutrition
Calories: 756kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 65g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 192mg | Sodium: 1179mg | Potassium: 1319mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2676IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 240mg | Iron: 3mg