Bold creamy cajun chicken pasta (Print)

Tender chicken with cajun spice and creamy garlic sauce, served with sautéed peppers and pasta.

# Components:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb), sliced into strips
02 - 1 ½ tablespoons Cajun seasoning
03 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Pasta

04 - 12 oz penne or fettuccine pasta

→ Vegetables

05 - 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
06 - 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
07 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
08 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Sauce

09 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
10 - 1 cup heavy cream
11 - ¼ cup chicken broth
12 - ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
13 - Salt and black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish

14 - Fresh parsley, chopped
15 - Extra Parmesan cheese

# Directions:

01 - Boil pasta in salted water until al dente, then drain, reserving ¼ cup of pasta water.
02 - Combine chicken strips with Cajun seasoning until fully coated.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook chicken for 5 to 7 minutes until browned and cooked through, then remove and set aside.
04 - In the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat, add bell peppers, onion, and garlic, sauté 4 to 5 minutes until softened.
05 - Pour in heavy cream and chicken broth, stir to deglaze pan, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until sauce thickens slightly.
06 - Reduce heat to low, incorporate Parmesan cheese until melted and sauce becomes creamy, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
07 - Add pasta, chicken, and reserved pasta water back to skillet, toss to combine and heat through. Serve immediately garnished with parsley and additional Parmesan.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sauce comes together in minutes but tastes like you've been simmering it for hours.
  • Cajun seasoning does the heavy lifting, so you skip complicated spice blending.
  • It's flexible enough for weeknight dinners but impressive enough to serve when people are coming over.
02 -
  • If your sauce breaks or looks curdled, turn the heat way down and whisk in a splash of cold cream—it almost always comes back together.
  • Don't skip the pasta water; it's starch magic that helps the sauce cling instead of sliding off.
  • Temperature control is everything here—cream breaks at too high a heat, so medium and low are your friends.
03 -
  • Reserve your pasta water before draining—that starchy liquid is what transforms a sauce from sliding off to clinging perfectly.
  • Taste the sauce before adding the pasta; it's your last chance to adjust seasoning without overwhelming the whole dish.
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