Spicy Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

This creamy cajun chicken pasta is loaded with tender pieces of chicken tossed in a tomato cream sauce to give you a burst of flavor in every bite. Best of all, this spicy chicken pasta comes together quickly with just a few ingredients, making it the ultimate comfort meal for the weekdays.

The winner of all weeknight pasta recipes! 

Pasta is often my go-to choice for busy weeknights as they are quick and easy to make yet with the most satisfying results. Amongst the many pasta recipes I’ve shared so far, creamy chicken pasta has to be one of my all-time favorites. 

It combines everything I love and more in a single dish – juicy and tender pieces of chicken and rigatoni pasta coated in a spicy creamy cajun sauce, made to perfection with aromatic vegetables including garlic, onion, and bell peppers.

Best of all, this creamy chicken pasta is so simple to make as it uses cajun seasoning as a primary ingredient to add complex flavors to the dish with minimal effort. 

Cajun seasoning is one of my favorite ingredients in the kitchen as it brings together all the delicious flavor notes of savory, spicy, and zesty to elevate your dish to the next level, including this spicy chicken pasta.

For those of you who don’t have any cajun spice on hand, I have also shared an easy recipe for homemade cajun seasoning that can be whipped up in just 5 minutes using common spices from your pantry.

This cajun pasta recipe is incredibly easy to follow as we will be using cajun seasoning to season the chicken, which is cooked over medium heat to add to your pasta, as well as to be added as a topping. 

The rest of the cajun seasoning will then be used to season the pasta sauce, with an addition of tomato sauce and heavy cream to create the best creamy sauce to pair with your rigatoni pasta. No cream cheese or tomato paste required!

I prefer using rigatoni for this recipe as it does a wonderful job of soaking up all the delicious cream sauce, but please feel free to use any type of pasta that you prefer. 

What do I need to make creamy cajun chicken pasta?

This easy pasta recipe calls for only a handful of ingredients to make, which often makes it my go-to choice for dinner.

Here are all the ingredients you will need to make your own creamy cajun chicken pasta:

• Olive oil + butter: to marinate the chicken, as well as to sauté the aromatic vegetables.
• Pasta: of your choice. I used rigatoni as it does wonders in soaking up all the sauce, but any type of pasta including spaghetti or penne pasta will work for this recipe.
• Boneless skinless chicken breast: chicken thighs will work as well, but this chicken breast pasta recipe will yield such juicy, tender pieces of chicken that you won’t be able to tell the difference.
• Cajun seasoning: to spice up the dish. You can use store-bought seasoning, but I recommend using homemade cajun seasoning to get the best results.
  • Cajun seasoning is a mix of paprika, cayenne, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper, and can be used to spice up and add depth to any dish that you prefer. Stored in an airtight container, it will last up to an entire year! 
• Garlic, onion, and red bell pepper: for the aromatic vegetables.
• Tomato sauce, heavy cream, and pasta water: to make the cream sauce. If you don’t have any pasta water 
• Parmesan cheese: to add to the creaminess of the sauce. Using Parmigiano Reggiano will yield the best results.
• Red pepper flakes and parsley: optional garnish.

And there you have it, all the ingredients you will need to make the most delicious restaurant-quality pasta in the comfort of your home.

This recipe will yield 2 servings of pasta, but you can easily make a bigger portion by adjusting the serving size in the recipe card below. 

Can I adjust the recipe to my preference?

As many of you may agree, the best part about cooking at home is that you can cater the dish to your own taste by simply adjusting the ingredients.

Here are some ways you can customize this dish to your liking:

If you prefer the dish to be extra spicy, I recommend adding a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the sauce to increase the heat level, or simply adding more chilli flakes as garnish. 

To reduce the calories, you can use an equal amount of evaporated milk instead of heavy cream to make a low-fat version of the dish. Although it won’t be as creamy as using heavy cream, the results will be just as flavorful!

If you forget to reserve the pasta water, you can use chicken broth instead to add even more flavor to the sauce. 

If you don’t have any rigatoni on hand, you can use any pasta of your choice by cooking it 1 minute shy of al dente according to package directions and adding it to the sauce. 

Lastly, if you want to switch up the dish, you can do so by simply substituting or adding more vegetables to the mix such as spinach, mushroom, zucchini, green bell pepper, broccoli, or cauliflower.

Whichever way you decide to make it, this creamy cajun pasta is so unbelievably flavorful yet so simple to make, it is the perfect dish to add to your weekly rotation of dinner recipes.

Moreover, I made sure to include as much chicken to have it in every bite of your pasta and enough sauce to coat the whole dish in the delicious cajun cream sauce, I promise you’ll fall in love with the first bite!

As this creamy cajun pasta recipe is one of my favorite dishes of all time, I hope it brightens your week as it does mine. ツ

 As usual, please feel free to leave a comment below or message me on Instagram with any questions you may have. Happy cooking everyone!

Other easy dinner recipes you may like:

• 10-Minute Air Fryer Garlic Bread
• Garlic Shrimp Spaghetti
• The Best Spicy Chicken Sandwich
• Creamy Shrimp Rose Pasta
• Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (Garlic Pasta)