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.
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Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Trying this recipe out this week, sounds delicious! Curious if you could make this in a crock pot?
Look forward to hearing from you!
Hi Jennifer, I haven’t tested this in a crock pot/ slow cooker to advise.
Came out great! I added some shiitake mushrooms and spinach just to increase some healthy vegetables in the recipe. Used a rotisserie chicken to save additional time. Reserving pasta water was key! Thanks😊
Sounds great, glad you enjoyed it with the additional ingredients!
I love adding some sun dried tomatoes to this recipe and some scallions! This is so delicious!!!
Sounds perfect, Nikki! Thanks a lot for the review and good feedback.
Very excited to make this. I realize nothing beats fresh, but wondering if you have ever made extra and put in freezer for later date and if quality dropped greatly after being put in freezer.
Hi Cindy, I haven’t tried freezing this recipe to comment on the result. I worry the pasta will turn to mush once defrosted. If you happen to test out a batch, I’d love to know how that works out!
I have made this twice, tweaking it a little by adding old bay to the cajun spice. I must say it has been consistently good!! Thanks!!!
I’m so glad you loved it, Lele! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I made this tonight and it’s delicious! I made it a little spicier and used canned diced tomatoes. Love it! My new favorite
I’m so glad you found a favorite on my blog, Janice! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
This looks amazing and I cannot wait to make it. Can you leave out the tomatoes?
Hi Kyle, we love it with tomatoes, but I bet it could work. Here’s what one of our readers wrote: “The only thing I changed was I didn’t add the tomatoes (this time) and added 1 cup of frozen peas instead! Will definitely be making again!”
This was amazing/delish! The only thing I changed was I didn’t add the tomatoes (this time) and added 1 cup of frozen peas instead! Will definitely be making again!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Catherine! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for your lovely review!
I haven’t made this yet but I’m excited to try! Could I use my Dutch oven to add the final recip for mixing the noodles in with the cheese and cream? I’m going to stick with regular skillet for cooking the chicken. Should I also use Italian parsley or regular?
Thanks!
Hi Kassidy, I haven’t tried it that way. If you happen to test it, please let me know how you like that!
Delicious, we loved this recipe! Definitely will be making again!
Hi Brooke! I’m glad you loved this recipe! Thank you for the excellent review!
I love this recipe. I grill chicken breasts or chicken tenders then slice adding to pan near the end. It has better texture, flavor as well as presentation.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Leslie! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
This is so delicious!! One of the best things we’ve ever made! I made my own Cajun seasoning (check google) and it came out amazing.
Great to hear that, Cristina! Thanks for sharing that with us.
I’m going to be making this recipe this week for my family!! Is there another spice I could use instead of Cajun for the kids?!
Sounds like a good plan, Erica. You can make your own Cajun seasoning at home, it is a simple blend of paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, crushed red pepper, thyme and oregano. Feel free to omit any seasoning that your kids will not like.
This just became one of our favorite dinner recipes! Super easy. I accidentally cut my chicken breasts before searing them but they still turned out really good! I also used spaghetti as my pasta. I used extra spicy Cajun seasoning as well and I highly recommend it.
Hi Rose, so glad you loved it and it has become your new favorite! Thank you so much for sharing that with us.
Hi, if I’m using an entire biz of pasta (16 oz), should I double everything for the sauce or no?
Hi Oscar, I recommend clicking “Jump to recipe” at the top of the post, it will take you to our printable recipe where you’ll have the option to change the number of servings. Hover over the number of servings highlighted in red and slide it to how many servings you would like to make based on the amount of pasta you have to adjust the rest of the ingredients. I hope that helps!
Another way to use Cajun spices. I recently discovered it and loved the variety of recipe. I didn’t have whip cream so opted for heavy cream (15%) and just added milk. Family loved it. Our only complaint could be we expected it to be more spicy but that’s on us to add more heat to it next time !
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Stefanie!
Delicious! Family enjoyed this dish, I will keep this one and make again. It is very easy, thank you.
You’re welcome, Debra. Great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!
So so delicious. We loved it. The flavours were awesome went so well together. My son has requested it every day
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kathy!
The recipe calls for linguine but the picture looks like it’s fettuccine
So what? Looks like linguine to me. Focus on the delicious recipe, not the pasta…smh
Hi Natasha,
I made this meal and it turned out delicious, but very salty for us. Any advise how I can still save it?
Thank you in advance!!
Hi Alisha, I’m so happy you enjoyed that! Ensure you are using unsalted butter. Also, if you may want to reduce the salt in the pasta water to your liking.