You can't go wrong with a one-pot meal. Less dishes are always a win in my book. One-Pot pastas not only are easier clean up, but the pasta gets cooked right with everything else so it gets infused with the flavor. One-Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is slightly spicy but the creaminess from the cream cheese is the perfect pairing to the cajun spice.
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Ingredients You'll Need for this One-Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta:
- Cajun Seasoning - see more about this below! You can also use the seasoning for this One-Pot Cajun Rice with Sausage or Blackstone Cajun Shrimp.
- Chicken Breasts
- Olive Oil
- Onion - yellow or white
- ½ box of short pasta - such as penne, farfalle, or rotini
- Can of Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes - you can substitute regular diced tomatoes as well
- Cream Cheese
- Sliced Green Onions
- Can of Chicken Broth
The chicken breasts are cubed and tossed in the seasoning. Then the first step is to brown the chicken in a large deep skillet. A dutch oven would also work! The chicken does not need to be cooked through at this stage, but browning on the sides helps give lots of flavor.
Then the onion is added to soften for a few minutes before adding the pasta, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook!
Once the pasta is cooked and has absorbed the liquid, stir in the cream cheese. This is what makes this dish nice and creamy with little effort! Sprinkle with sliced green onions and enjoy!
What is Cajun seasoning?
Cajun cooking originated in New Orleans and is a blend of many cultures. Seasoning blends vary blend to blend but they all have similarities. Cajun seasoning blends focus on spices, but often contain the herb oregano. The heat in the blend comes from cayenne pepper. Creole Seasoning is similar to Cajun, but it does not have the same spice level. If you don't love spice, then go ahead and substitute a creole blend in this recipe! This Instant Pot Creole Chicken and Sausage recipe also uses the seasoning.
How can I make my own Cajun seasoning blend?
Cajun seasoning is a very simple blend to make on your own. In fact, that's what I usually do! I mix up a batch and keep it in a small mason jar so I always have some available. Here is a cajun spice mix recipe - feel free to adjust the spice ratio to your preference. The spices you'll need:
- Garlic Powder
- Salt
- Paprika
- Black Pepper
- Onion Powder
- Cayenne Pepper
- Dried Oregano
- Dried Thyme
Other One-Pot Pasta Recipes:
- One-Pot Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
- Instant Pot Penne Bolognese
- One-Pot Spicy Sausage Pasta
- One-Pot Lighter Beef Stroganoff
- One-Pot Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
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One-Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
One-Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta uses pantry staples to make a complete dinner with less cleanup! Spicy cajun seasoning can be made with what's in your pantry and the spice level is customizable.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Mains, Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts, cut into chunks
- 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium-large yellow onion, diced
- 8 ounces short pasta, such as rotini or penne
- 1 15oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 15oz can chicken broth
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Toss chicken breast cubes with cajun seasoning.
- Heat a large deep skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat with the olive oil. When hot, add the chicken to brown on all sides. The chicken does not need to be cooked through at this time.
- Add the onion and sauté for about 3 minutes until soft. Add the pasta, diced tomatoes, and broth. Scrape any bits off the bottom and stir everything together. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low to bring it to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes until the pasta is cooked. Stir every couple of minutes to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.
- Once pasta is cooked, stir in the cream cheese and top with the sliced green onions.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Cajun Seasoning - You can buy a blend or make your own using this recipe. Creole seasoning can be substituted, but it will be less spicy. If you don't like spice, you can use less of the cajun seasoning, make your own blend with less cayenne pepper, or use Creole seasoning.
Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes - Regular diced tomatoes can be substituted.
Leftovers - Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ of recipe
- Calories: 576
- Sugar: 9.6 g
- Sodium: 4512.1 mg
- Fat: 20.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 57.7 g
- Fiber: 5.8 g
- Protein: 35.7 g
- Cholesterol: 113.5 mg
Katie says
I love one pot pasta recipes and I really liked the cajun flavor