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. 
So easy and yummy! We added spinach at the very end at it was so perfect!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
This is excellent! I made a few tweaks based on what I had at home but basically followed the recipe. I sliced a handful of mushrooms and sautéed to supplement leftover chicken kabobs. I didn’t have tomatoes so subbed 1 generous T of tomato paste.
Sounds wonderful! I’m glad you loved it!
Great Recipe!! Do you have a cajun recipe with rice or would this one be good with rice?
Hi Regina! Yes, this would work well served with rice as a side.
Hi Natasha! Thanks for sharing this recipe, my kids love it!
Quick question, do you find that it’s better to use freshly grated parmesan from a block or the grated from a container (not the pizza one, more like shreds)? I sometimes get that the cheese starts getting kinda stringy like while cooking when using the container grated.
Hi Jessika! I’m glad your family enjoyed the recipe. I’ve used both. Freshly grated seems to work best because often times pre-grated cheese has other additives that can effect how it melts.
Thank you for the response! I think I will try freshly grated.
Blessings.
Very good recipe! Loves the flavor. I took tomatoes and pureed them so I wouldn’t have any chuck (or my husband wouldn’t have ate it lol) I saved this recipe, it was soo good, and even wonderful the next. I’ll def be making this again. Chicken was great and tender! This blog always has wonderful recipes.
Hi Kristin! I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you for sharing.
I thought this dish was delicious and I did a few minor tweaks that worked well. I added sauteed bell peppers and onions, used Rotel diced tomatoes. The spice was perfect and the sauce was creamy and flavorful
Thanks for sharing, Robin! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Yhis was delicious and not hard to make. My only mistake was not getting a cajun spice that did not have a lot of taste. But it was still delicious.
Hi Jan! So glad you loved it!
Made this for dinner and my husband LOVED!!!! definitely one of our new favorite recipes. DELICIOUS!
Great to hear that your husband enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing.
Made this dish this week and it was so simple & very tasty!! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Jess!
Tried it yesterday, was great. Adding some chorizo to the dish to get even more flavour.
Yum! I bet that was so good! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I’ve used this recipe twice now and it is amazing!!! On par with my favorite restaurant Cajun chicken dishes. Definitely will remain a staple dinner for me.
Yay, awesome to hear that, Savannah! Thanks so much for sharing that with us, we appreciate your review.
Do you think I could out zucchini in this and it would be okay?
Sure. You can experiment with it and other veggies.
Does the carb count include and serving of pasta? I have gestational diabetes and I’m using a stuffed pasta to add more protein so I didn’t wanna over do the carbs. Thank you so much!
Yes, that the per serving nutritional facts include the pasta.
Thank you for posting this recipe. My wife, of 30+ years was an awesome cook. She passed a little more than a year ago. Among other things, I really miss her cooking: the warmth, comfort, and connection of dining together with friends and family. So easy to take for granted the pleasure, intimacy and bonding inherent in the sharing a meal until it’s suddenly gone. Over the past year I have grown weary of take-out, restaurants, fast food etc., while trying to learn to cook. It was a messy affair until I was referred to your site, “NatashasKitchen.com” via Pinterest. To my surprise and shock to my guest, this recipe was easy to follow and make and 2nd helpings were requested.
I’ve been told it would be easier for me to turn candy- corn into a vegetable then prepare a meal easy on the eyes and palate. Yet this dinner presented well and tasted great, earning me some kudo’s from the guest I shared it with.
I’m honored and grateful to have you coaching me in the kitchen now. Thank you Valentina for renewing my anticipation and pleasure of dining again. I again am looking forward to sharing a meal and socializing with some old and new friends I think, in part, you have changed my life. In closing, please forgive my overly-sentimentality, nostalgia and sadness. My intention was and is to say: Thank you.
I’m so sorry for the loss of your lovely wife, Bruce! She sounds like an incredible person. I’m so glad you’ve found some comfort in cooking and found a new favorite recipe on my blog! I hope you get to try more and more recipes soon!
Was absolutely delicious! I used crushed tomatoes instead of diced and didn’t use quite as much Cajun seasoning as my family are wimps when it comes to spice. Didn’t need the pasta water. Will make again!
Thanks for sharing, Susie. Happy to know that you enjoyed this recipe!
This was easy and delicious! May try it with shrimp the next time.
Sounds geat, Amy. We’re glad that you loved it!
My most fave dish ever. How do u think the sauce alone would freeze? I’m thinking of making a few batches for a family event next week and to save time I wanted to make the sauce ahead of time.
Hi Brittany! I’m so glad you love this. I have not tried freezing this dish or sauce, so I do not know how it would hold up once thawed. Let us know if you experiment with it.
It looks absolutely amazing. And would like to make it for my family. However, can we skip the Parmesan cheese? Or replace with something else? Looking forward to trying it!
Hi Laura! I have not tested this without cheese or another cheese to know how it would affect the texture. I assume it could work but you’d have to experiment with it.
Very good pairing of the pasta and the chicken. The flavors are balanced. Really creamy. Instead of diced tomatoes I put in a cup of chunky tomato sauce.
Sounds great, Stephanie! Thank you for sharing.
I am so happy that I tried this dish. It really was very good. I did watch the spice and had no trouble with the sauce. And we certainly enjoyed it!
That’s so great, Tish! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!