Homemade Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is such a simple and quick recipe, perfect for weeknight dinners. Juicy chicken breast tossed in tender pasta in a creamy cajun garlic sauce.
All you need is a slice of Focaccia Bread to soak up the creamy sauce, plus a simple Caesar Salad for a memorable pasta night.
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Copycat Cajun Chicken Pasta Recipe
We love recreating our favorite recipes and this copycat recipe for Chili’s Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe is going to become a family favorite!
Creamy pasta with pieces of tender and juicy cajun flavored chicken in the most delicious homemade cajun sauce. You will love all the flavors from the dish and it comes together in under 30 minutes so it’s perfect for busy weeknights. I’m excited to add this to our long lineup of 30-minute meals.
Ingredients
- Pasta – For this recipe, we used linguine pasta but you can use any type of pasta: angel hair, linguine, fettuccine, elbow, macaroni, penne, bow tie pasta will all work great.
- Chicken – We used chicken breasts but chicken thighs will work as well.
- Cajun Seasoning– You can use your favorite store-bought cajun seasoning. You’ll also need salt and pepper.
- Garlic– Freshly minced or finely chopped garlic will give the best flavor, but you can substitute with 1 tsp dried garlic, or add it to taste.
- Butter – for sauteing garlic and adds flavor to the sauce.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – Makes the sauce rich and creamy.
- Parmesan – Grated parmesan cheese or shredded parmesan will work great.
How to Make Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Cook Pasta – boil in a pot of salted water until al dente, according to the package instructions.
- Prepare Chicken – Using a meat mallet or the bottom of a saucepan, pound the chicken breasts into an even thickness and season both sides with cajun seasoning. Saute the chicken in a skillet with oil until fully cooked then slice into strips.
- Make the Sauce – In a deep skillet, saute the garlic in butter 30-60 seconds or until fragrant. Add the diced tomatoes and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the cream, remaining cajun seasoning, and parmesan cheese and bring to a simmer.
- Combine – Add the pasta and sliced chicken to the sauce and toss to combine.
- Serve – Top with parmesan and parsley to serve.
Pro Tip: You can adjust the spiciness in the pasta by adding more or less of the Cajun seasoning.
Variations and Add-Ins
- Vegetables – you can add cooked broccoli or asparagus to the pasta when tossing everything together.
- Vegetarian pasta – leave out the chicken or substitute chicken with mushrooms.
- Substitute the chicken – try sliced sausage or kielbasa instead of chicken. You can also make it a seafood pasta like our Cajun Shrimp Pasta.
- Lighter pasta – try using half and half or light cream to cut the calories, but keep in mind the sauce will be thinner.
This restaurant copycat Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe is sure to please. If you love comforting pasta dishes, check out the list below for more dinner inspiration.
More Pasta Recipes
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz linguine pasta
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp cajun seasoning, divided, (or added to taste depending on the brand you use*)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2/3 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped, to serve
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 Tbsp salt. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water then drain, cover, and keep warm.
- Beat the chicken breasts so that they are even in thickness and season all over with 1½ Tbsp cajun seasoning.
- In a large non-reactive skillet*, heat 2 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and sear on both sides. Turn heat down to low and saute until cooked through and 165˚F on a thermometer. Transfer to a cutting board, slice into thin strips, and cover to keep warm.
- In the same skillet over medium heat, saute the butter and garlic for 30-60 seconds or until the garlic is fragrant. Add the diced tomatoes and saute another 2 minutes.
- Add in the heavy whipping cream, add remaining cajun seasoning to taste, and parmesan cheese, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste if needed.
- Add the sliced chicken and cooked pasta to the sauce and toss until combined and pasta and chicken are warmed through. Add warm reserved pasta water if desired to thin the sauce. Serve with freshly grated parmesan and chopped parsley.
Delicious recipe. If you want to give it another flavor profile, add a diced red bell pepper the same time you do the tomatoes. One of my favorite dishes to make, one of the few I actually get a craving for.
I quadrupled this recipe for a large group and made it in a large stock pot. I noticed on the stovetop the bottom layer of the noodles stuck when I kept it on warm for awhile. Once I am finished cooking, can I instead transfer it to a large crockpot on warm for a couple of hours? Should I grease the crockpot so the noodles don’t stick?
Hi Sally. I think it would work well to keep this dish warm in a crockpot. You may spray it to be safe.
I’m struggling with lack of energy from my Long Covid, but this recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen looked so good that I made it using cheats – Frozen Grilled Chicken, Buitoni Alfredo Sauce and Buitoni Linguini. I am really trying to make one-pot meals while I’m recovering, so I added frozen onions, peas and carrots and some black olives, as well as a can of Rotel and Tony Chacherre’s More Spice Creole Seasoning because I love spicy food! This is OUTSTANDING!!! I will probably get 6-8 meals with my lack of appetite! I can’t wait until I am well and can follow the original recipe!
Hi Mary! That’s great. I’m so glad you loved the recipe. I hope you recover soon!
Haven’t made this yet but giving it five stars anyways because it looks good and I have a question – could this still come out okay if I use cream cheese? I love cream cheese in pasta and don’t have any heavy whipping cream, only cream cheese. I’d think that it would still work good (potentially be even better because I absolutely love cream cheese) but I’m worried to try it and it gets messed up 😩
Hi Ryleigh! Without testing it, I can’t advise. Generally, cream cheese melts well and works well with pasta but it is thicker and won’t have the same consistency of heavy cream. I’m sorry I can’t be more help. Let us know how it turns out if you experiment.
Tried this for the first time tonight and I’m so glad that I did. My cooking skills are pretty limited, but this was easy to follow and a hit with the whole family. We like spice so I used a can of rotel in place of the tomato. I think all add some fresh spinach and mushrooms next time. Thanks for the easy and delicious dinner.
You’re so welcome! Thank you for sharing that with us. Keep up the excellent work!
Love, love, love this. I mix together my own Cajun seasoning from a recipe on the internet. Use penne and cut the chicken into cubes first. Season the chicken and cook on medium. Instant entry into weekly lineup. Necessitates a few more minutes on the treadmill, but so worth it.
I made this for dinner tonight as written. Both my husband and I loved it!!
OH THIS WAS AMAZING. I’m the worst cook ever but I made this and it came out perfect, I made it a little too spicy so now I know next time! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
I grill the chicken breasts but other than that, I follow the recipe exact. DELICIOUS!!!
Sounds good! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This is delicious! Followed recipe exactly except cut everything in half. I used Tony Chachere’s Bold Creole Seasoning because I didn’t want the cream to eliminate all the heat, and seasoned the breasts generously on both sides. Perfect meal for 2. Thank you for this!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you loved it, Nancy! & thank you for your awesome review.
So in loveeeeeee with this recipe!!!! About to make it again 😋
Huge hit in my house! I used canned fire roasted diced tomatoes and it was great! Can not wait to make again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
So I made this recipe with a few changes. I thought I had Cajun seasoning, but I mistook that for creole seasoning. Oops, but it turned out pretty tasty regardless. I also seasoned my chicken with flour and the creole seasoning, it made it a bit more crispy.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Kristen! I so glad it was still tasty.
First time commentator but have been following this blog for a long time.
This is legit one of the recipes I cook often. Instructions are clear and it tastes SO GOOD.
Natasha always has the best recipes.
Thank you for your kind words, Mary. It means a lot to me!
This was amazing! Definitely adding this to our rotation. 🙂
That’s great, Jackie! I’m glad you found one to repeat!