Cajun Chicken Pasta is full of chicken, andouille sausage, peppers, onions, and garlic all in a creamy and rich Parmesan sauce. You can make this New Orleans-style dish a little or a lot spicy and it is super tasty.
Type Of Pasta To Use
I love penne pasta for this recipe but any pasta shape will work including rigatoni, cavatappi, or linguine.
Type Of Chicken To Use
I typically use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, but boneless skinless chicken thighs can be used instead. They have a higher fat content and will stay juicier and have a little more flavor. Whichever type of chicken you use, cut it into bite-sized pieces and be careful not to overcook it.
Andouille Sausage
The andouille sausage gives this dish a lot of its flavor. A good andouille sausage has a fair amount of spice in it. There are many different brands and they vary quite a bit in flavor. You should be able to find several at a well-stocked grocery store. Kielbasa sausage can be substituted for it but it doesn’t have the spice that andouille has. You can add a little extra cayenne pepper to compensate.
Type of Seasoning
You can use either Cajun or Creole seasoning for this recipe. They are very similar and I use them interchangeably. My favorite is Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning. It does have a high amount of salt so you have to be careful with how much you add. It does come in a low-sodium version if you need to watch your salt intake.
How Spicy Is This Dish?
You can make this pasta a little or a lot spicy. To cut back on the spiciness, use kielbasa sausage instead of andouille and just add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Or you can use andouille sausage, but leave the cayenne out. To make it extra spicy, serve with hot sauce.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
- Creamy Tortellini with Shrimp
- Creamy Cajun Sausage Pasta
- Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Alfredo with Sausage
- Cajun Pastalaya
- Instant Pot Creamy Cajun Pasta
- Cheesy Garlic Shrimp Alfredo
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Penne pasta
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch dice
- 4 teaspoons cajun or creole seasoning, divided
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook penne according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water before draining. Drain and set aside.
- Sprinkle the chicken with the black pepper and half the Cajun or creole seasoning.
- Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add chicken. Cook until browned and cooked through.Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
- Add Andouille sausage, onion, and red bell pepper and cook until sausage is browned and onion and bell pepper is softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add diced tomatoes and cream cheese and stir it in until it is melted.Add half-and-half and remaining Cajun seasoning and bring to a simmer.
- Stir Parmesan cheese in and return chicken to skillet.Stir in the penne.
- If sauce is too thick, add a little of the reserved pasta water.Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
