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.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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. 
Used what we had on hand, Costco rotisserie, Tony C seasoning, half/half, garlic, tomatoes etc. Added tbl of sour cream and everything else as called for. seasoned the chicken, fried in sauce pan per your instructions. Made it for 3 people. Everyone enjoyed it. Now in our repertoire. Good receipe to eperiment with!
Thanks for sharing that with us, good to know that you were able to make this work using the ingredients that you have on hand.
Thanks so much for your comment, I had wondered how a Sams cooked chicken would work..trying this TONIGHT! And thank you Natasha for this great recipe..
This is super easy and SOOO delish! Don’t sleep on this one! Make it ASAP!
So glad you enjoyed it, Tonda! Thank you 🙂
Made this tonight ! Delicious! Thanks for the recipe Natasha !
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
My kids all loved it! We will definitely make it again! Delicious.
That’s wonderful! I’m happy it was enjoyed.
Would love to make this, it sounds so good!! But I only have chicken tenderloins, would that work in place of the chicken breasts?
Hi Mandi! That would be fine. Chicken tenderloins cook faster than chicken breast so you’ll just have to watch the time.
I have a picky eater.. if I omit the diced tomatoes, will it affect the outcome of the recipe?
Hi Kim, we prefer it with the tomatoes and always recommend making the recipe as written first, but I get making adjustments picky eaters! I hope you all still love it without the tomatoes!
very interested in making this! Has anyone used rotel for the diced tomatoes? Also, any tips on how to reduce the amount of saturated fat?
Hi Abbey, that will work. While I have tried that myself, one of our readers responded with great feedback about using Rotel tomatoes. here’s what they said: “Wow! I made this tonight and it was delicious!! I used Rotel tomatoes and had some extra spinach that I added. I made my own Cajun seasoning and the amount of heat was perfect. This dish will definitely be added to my rotation” I hope this helps!
Can this recipe be frozen? I was hoping to make it ahead of time and freeze it.
Hi Lynda, I have not tried that. We prefer this dish fresh, But I bet you can prepare the recipe ahead in stages and then rehat it all before putting it together.
Pensez-vous qu’il est possible d’utiliser de la crème de table 15% en remplacement de la crème à fouetter?
Hi Christine, it will be less creamy and may struggle to thicken as a full-fat heavy whipping cream, but that should still work! I hope you love this recipe!
Thank you so much for this recipe! Another good yet easy recipe. Just made it for dinner tonight and everyone loved it
You’re very welcome. So glad it was enjoyed.
Hi – If I made own Cajun Spice, how much of each ingredient would you recommend? Also, can I use rotisserie chicken in this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Sara! Rotisserie chicken works great. I would use the seasonings to your taste preference. Sorry, I do not have an amount.
This is absolutely delicious! I did taper down the cajun coz of toddlers but we all loved it!
Thank you for sharing, Rhi! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe.
WOW! So goood!!!! I made it with zoodles instead of pasta. Perfection!!!! Even my kids liked it and that is saying something! Keeper recipe!
Happy to hear that, Jill! Thanks a lot for your good comments and feedback.
I’m so happy that I came across your website and YouTube channel! I made this tonight. My husband and I absolutely loved it. We also have left overs for lunch tomorrow! I have saved many of your other recipes and I can’t wait to try them. Your videos are awesome. Thanks so much! 🙂
Thank you for the review. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
I made enough for 2 as directed. Since I am just one it made one very tasty meal that yearned for mushrooms that I didn’t have. The next day blanched some summer squash that it coming out my ears and adjusted the seasonings. That turned it into 3 meals! That’s good food on the cheap. Next time I’ll buy mushrooms for sure. Maybe onions, too. The 5 stars is because this recipe is totally versatile.
I’m so glad you loved it, Liz! That’s so great!
I liked this recipe very much. It was just right not to Spicy and not too salty. I was skeptic about using the 2Tbsp of Cajun Seasoning because it’s usually leads to it being salty, but this was perfect. I also liked using the diced tomatoes for added color.
So glad you followed the recipe as recommended, thank you for the great review!
This recipe is sooo delicious! My husband gobbled it up and asked for seconds! I did cut up the chicken breasts into small pieces while raw and marinated in cajun spice for 2 hours. The meat came out tender and juicy!
Hi Maria, great to hear that your husband enjoyed this recipe. Thanks a lot for sharing that with us, I hope your family will enjoy all the other recipes that you will try from my website.
This recipe is delicious. My youngest is super picky with what he eats but he loves this dish! We now eat it once a week!
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
Hi! I plan on making this tonight. I love cajun flavor and would love to make it as is but some family members do not care for cajun flavor. Instead of cajun seasoning do you think I could add garlic salt, seasoning salt or pink himalayan salt to this recipe? Thanks in advance!
Hi Celina, I haven’t tried those substitutions, so I can’t speak to that. Substitutions may hinder the recipe outcome. I always suggest making a recipe as written the first time around and then adjusting to your liking. For reference, these are the ingredients in cajun seasoning: Salt, Red Pepper, Black Pepper, and Garlic. I hope that helps!
Delicious dinner, my fiancé and I enjoyed every bit of it. Definitely will make again and would suggest to anyone
That’s really nice of you. We appreciate that you will be sharing my blog with others and I hope they love the recipes too!