Rustic bowl of penne pasta with blackened chicken, bell peppers, and herbs, served on a wooden dining table with a glass of red wine and a bottle in the background.
easy

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

One-skillet spice bomb: seasoned chicken chunks swim in fire-roasted tomato cream sauce over tender penne. Smoky heat bites, cream smooths it. Ready in 40 minutes, feeds four cheap.

(0)
15m prep + 25m cook
4 servings
United States, Louisiana

What You'll Need

  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 475ml chicken broth
  • 225g penne pasta
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 450g chicken breast
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 425g fire roasted diced tomato
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 57g cream cheese
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 3 green onion

Let's Get Cooking

  1. 1

    Mix the paprika, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Cube the chicken into small pieces and toss in the seasoning until coated evenly.

    ~15m

    Let the seasoned chicken sit for 5 minutes for better flavor adhesion.

  2. 2

    Heat olive oil and butter in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side until the outside is browned.

    ~6m

    Wait for the butter to foam before adding the chicken.

  3. 3

    Finely dice the yellow onion and add it to the skillet. Sauté for 2 minutes until the onion softens and lifts the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

    ~3m

    The onions should look glossy and smell sweet.

  4. 4

    Add the penne, fire-roasted tomatoes with their juices, and chicken broth to the skillet. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil.

    ~3m

    Ensure the pasta is submerged in the liquid.

  5. 5

    Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Stir every 2 minutes to prevent sticking as the pasta absorbs the liquid.

    ~10m

    The sauce is ready when it is thick enough to cling to the pasta.

  6. 6

    Stir in the cream cheese chunks until melted and the sauce is smooth. Thinly slice the green onions and scatter them over the top before serving.

    ~3m

    The sauce should turn a pale orange color.

Goes Great With

Farfalle

great

Bowties easily scoop up the velvety cream and fire-roasted tomatoes without the ingredients slipping off.

Rigatoni

great

Wide ridges hold the glossy sauce and browned chicken bits for even spice distribution across the dish.

Penne

perfect

The short tubes trap the thick spicy cream sauce inside, ensuring every bite is loaded with chicken and tomato chunks.

Fusilli

good

Tight spirals cling well to the smoky seasoning and melted cheese for a consistent heat in every mouthful.

The Story Behind the Sauce

This dish pulls from Louisiana bayou one-pots, where Acadians in the 1760s boiled fowl with swamp herbs. Modern versions reached home kitchens as a reliable, budget-friendly meal. Chicken cubes brown fast for crusty edges, then simmer into a sauce that thickens as the pasta absorbs the broth. The final stir melts cream cheese for a silkiness that coats each bite. The flavor hits with smoky paprika and a sharp cayenne kick, cut by sweet fire-roasted tomatoes. Sautéed onions add depth while green onions provide a fresh crunch at the finish. The chicken remains juicy and the pasta stays firm enough to hold the heavy sauce. Because it is cooked in one pot, the browned bits from the chicken flavor every element of the dish.