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
- Stuffed Shells
- Baked Ziti
- Homemade Gnocchi
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Chicken Orzo Bake
- Bolognese Pasta – ValentinasCorner
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is such a simple and quick recipe, perfect for weeknight dinners. Juicy chicken breast tossed with tender pasta in a creamy cajun garlic sauce, ready in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Servings: 6 servings
- 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.
Notes
*Avoid using cast iron or copper pans anytime you are making a creamy sauce with an acidic product like tomato or it will react and make the sauce grainy.
*If you are using a cajun seasoning that has a high salt content, start with half of the seasoning and add more to taste.
Nutrition Per Serving
480kcal Calories34g Carbs18g Protein31g Fat
Nutrition Facts
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Amount per Serving
Calories
480
% Daily Value*
Fat
31
g
48
%
Saturated Fat
18
g
113
%
Trans Fat
0.2
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
8
g
Cholesterol
109
mg
36
%
Sodium
214
mg
9
%
Potassium
413
mg
12
%
Carbohydrates
34
g
11
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
4
g
4
%
Protein
18
g
36
%
Vitamin A
2368
IU
47
%
Vitamin C
6
mg
7
%
Calcium
142
mg
14
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Filed Under
Hi! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and writer. Here you’ll find delicious, reliable recipes made with simple ingredients, plus easy step-by-step photos and videos to help you cook confidently at home. 
Made this recipe tonight for the fam. I had to wing a Cajun season, I thought I had some in the pantry. It was really flavorful. I sliced the chicken in half lengthwise then sauted. Adding the pasta water was perfect. Definitely liked the creaminess. Paired with ceaser salad .. Delightful.
That’s wonderful, Marie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I made this for my boys this weekend (they like spicy) so I used extra cajun seasoning on the chicken, and added some sliced andoullie (hot Ragin Cajun)- they absolutely loved it. Bookmarking this recipe!!
That is the best when the family loves what we moms make. That’s so great!
First time making this but I often use your creamy shrimp pasta recipe that is amazing, I think in part due to the wine ingredient. Would this work with the chicken as well? Thanks!
Hi T, if you’re referring to my Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta, yes, it will work well to sub chicken. Here’s what one of my readers wrote: “Yummy quick and easy recipe, added chicken to the recipe and turned out delicious! Thank you” I hope this helps.
I made this using chick pea spaghetti and added mushrooms and red pepper flakes. It was delicious!😋
So glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve made this so many times for dinner. Now I want to make the entire meal (main, salad, and dressing) for a ladies lunch. Would rigatoni work well with this or do you suggest the penne or ziti? This dish is the best!
Hi Doris, we prefer it with linguine or penne. But other pasta like rigatoni or ziti may work if that’s your preference. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
The Caesar dressing was delicious. I used rigatoni and it overpowered the dish. The rigatoni soaked up all the sauce. I would use a smaller pasta. But I love this dish!
Hi Doris! Thank you for sharing. I’m glad you loved the recipe.
I just made this tonight for the first time. It was absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe exactly except I used about 1/2 tablespoon less of cajun seasoning as my crew is sensitive to spice. I used the McCormick Cajun seasoning. This was delicious! Next time will add a little fresh spinach at the end and my try sundried tomatoes instead of fresh. So so good!
Thanks a lot for sharing that with us, so good to hear that you liked the result! That sounds like a good plan too, I’m sure that will. be a great addition to the recipe.
I made this once already and making it again 🙂 Just changed two things I used fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies and I added one teaspoon of cayenne pepper. It was amazing.
Thank you for sharing. Mike! So glad you loved it.
Hi, I’m making this tonight and wondering if I could use a can of fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies?
Hi Courtney, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
This turned out amazing! I felt like I was eating something from a super fancy Italian restaurant.
I’m so glad you loved it, Emilie! Thank you for sharing.
Question before making….your recipe says diced tomatoes but it doesn’t further specify if these are fresh or canned tomatoes. Please clarify in the recipe. Thanks. Also could I bake instead of sautéing the chicken. Would it affect the outcome?
Hi Nanci, we used fresh tomatoes. We have a photo in the recipe post of the fresh tomatoes, also. I haven’t tried baking this recipe, but it may work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe I hope that helps.
I made this last night for dinner and it was a hit! So good and really simple to make. Better than restaurant Cajun pasta. I love your tips along the way, too. Thank you I’ll definitely make this dish again.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Debbie!
Enjoyed the recipe but is the amount of cajun seasoning correct? If so, you may want to inform other to TASTE before they blindly follow this recipe. I’m a rule follower to a tee and this was so unbelievably salty–I had to kill it with tons of cream and lemon juice to make it remotely edible not to mention cutting off the chicken seared edges because of the saltiness.
Hi Dawn, there are some brands that can be considerably saltier but I really love your suggestion and thank you so much for sharing that! I added some notes to the recipe card.
I followed the recipe to a T and mine was simply delicious. I always taste along the way and I had to add a pinch more salt.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Debbie!
I’m so happy at the end you mentioned not using cast iron, because I definitely was going to! I will use my ceramic non stick, I never knew that and I’ve been perfecting my cooking skills for 25 years haha
So glad it was helpful, Wendy! 🙂
You have my uneducated taste buds curious… why not a cast iron pan???
Hi Casie, I recommend not using cast iron to avoid a grainy sauce.
Sooooo incredibly good!! Added spinach and broccoli and a can of diced tomatoes (drained a bit) bc I didn’t have fresh tomatoes. Huge hit with the kids.
Hi Deena! That’s wonderful to hear.
100% delicious!! Just made for dinner and O.M.G. it was perfect! I added fajita seasoning and cayenne just cause.
That’s so great, Gena! I’m so happy you loved it!
We made this last night and it was so good!!! After I went to bed my son told me he ate 2 more bowls while doing homework.
The next day he ate 2 more bolws of it for lunch.
Making a second one tonight with shimp. I can’t get enough, simply mouth watering!!!
Hi Sally! That’s great. So glad it was enjoyed.
Would fresh spinach cook well in the sauce? I would love to add it for the extra nutrients, but only if it will not affect the flavor too much.
Hi Lindsey, while I haven’t tried that, several of my readers reported great results using spinach! If you experiment, I hope you love it!
Natasha, this recipe is so DELICIOUS!!!! Thank you so much for sharing. It is definitely a must to add to the regular menu. 😊😉🤗
Wonderful, Bernadetta! I’m so glad you found a new one for your meal rotation. 🙂
Made this today but used a can of rotel instead of plain diced tomatoes. Very good and I will definitely be making this again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Dawn!
I almost used Rotel but since I had diced tomatoes I used those. I’ll try the Rotel next time:)
This was awesome Natasha! I used half and half cuz that is what I had. Also added a few bottled roasted red peppers that I had. So simple! Your sight is one of my favorites. Thank you!
Hi Marian! I’m so glad you loved it. Thank you for sharing.