Name: Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts; 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp dried parsley; 1/2 tsp paprika; 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning; 1 tbsp oil; Salt, for the pasta water; 1 lb penne; 3 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 small onion, diced (or 1 large shallot, finely diced); 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 cups heavy cream, at room temperature; 1 tsp chicken bouillon; 1 tsp Cajun seasoning; 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more to finish; 1/2 cup reserved pasta water, as needed; Chopped fresh parsley, to finish

The Parmesan goes into this creamy Cajun chicken pasta only after the burner drops to low. That one move decides whether the sauce turns silky or grainy, so I turn the knob down before I reach for the cheese.

The chicken gets a dry rub of Cajun seasoning, onion and garlic powder, paprika and a little Old Bay. It sears golden, and the sauce builds right on the browned bits it leaves in the pan.

Two cups of heavy cream make the sauce, with no water or broth to thin it. Starchy pasta water does the loosening at the end.

A full pound of penne takes all of it.

Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: about 30 minutes · Total: about 45 minutes · Serves: 4 to 6

↓ Jump to the recipe

How do you keep creamy Cajun chicken pasta sauce from going grainy?

Pour room-temperature heavy cream in slowly over medium-low heat, then drop the burner to low before adding freshly grated Parmesan, and stir until smooth. Finish by tossing the pasta in the sauce over low heat with about 1/4 cup of pasta water, adding more until it looks silky.

The Method, in Plain English

Pounding the breasts to an even thickness, the first step in Ben Chelin’s method, lets the outside go golden in 3 to 4 minutes per side while the thinner end stays juicy.
The sauce starts in the same skillet the chicken seared in, so the browned bits melt into the butter and season the cream from the bottom up.
Ben Chelin and OneStopChop both ask for freshly grated Parmesan. Fresh cheese melts smoothly into cream, while pre-shredded cheese carries a coating that keeps it from blending in.

I check the chicken with a thermometer in the thickest part. It comes out of the pan at 165°F, the USDA safe minimum for poultry, and rests while the sauce comes together.

Why This One’s Worth Making

One skillet handles the chicken and the sauce, and one pot boils the pasta.
Dinner is on the table in about 45 minutes.
Two cups of cream for a pound of penne gives enough sauce to coat every tube.
The spice rub comes from jars that are probably already in your cabinet.

Ingredients for Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tbsp oil
Salt, for the pasta water
1 lb penne
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 small onion, diced (or 1 large shallot, finely diced)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups heavy cream, at room temperature
1 tsp chicken bouillon
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more to finish
1/2 cup reserved pasta water, as needed
Chopped fresh parsley, to finish

A Few Notes on the Ingredients

Cajun seasoning blends vary a lot in how much salt they carry, which is why there’s no salt measurement in the sauce. The rub follows Island Vibe Cooking’s list, so season the chicken with it, taste the sauce after the bouillon goes in, and only then decide on salt.

Grate the Parmesan yourself from a wedge. Pre-shredded cheese is coated so it won’t clump in the bag, and that same coating stops it from melting smoothly into cream.

Let the heavy cream sit out while you prep so it isn’t fridge-cold. Ben Chelin uses the cream at room temperature and pours it in slowly over medium-low heat.

For the base, a small onion or one large shallot both work. Dice it fine so it turns soft in the 5 minutes it gets.

Making Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta, Step by Step

Prep the chicken. Pound the breasts to an even thickness and pat them dry. Stir together the Cajun seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, paprika and Old Bay, and rub it over both sides until the chicken is evenly coated.
Boil the pasta. Cook the penne in well-salted water until just shy of al dente, when it still has a firm bite in the center. Scoop out at least 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining, then set the pasta aside.
Sear the chicken. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Lay in the chicken and sear 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden. Lower the heat if needed and cook until the thickest part reads 165°F.
Rest the chicken. Move the chicken to a cutting board while you make the sauce. Leave every browned bit behind in the skillet. The chicken is ready to slice once the sauce is done and its juices have settled back in.
Start the sauce. Lower the heat to medium and melt the butter in the same skillet, scraping up the browned bits. Cook the onion about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent, then the garlic about 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add the cream. Turn the heat to medium-low and pour in the cream slowly, stirring. Add the bouillon and 1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce looks smooth and a little thicker at the edges.
Melt in the Parmesan. Drop the heat to low before any cheese goes in. Add the Parmesan a handful at a time, stirring until the creamy Cajun chicken pasta sauce turns smooth with no strings or grainy bits.
Toss with the pasta. Add the penne and 1/4 cup of pasta water and toss over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add more pasta water a splash at a time, until the sauce looks silky and coats every piece.
Slice and serve. Slice the rested chicken and lay it over the pasta. Finish with more Parmesan and fresh parsley, and serve while the sauce still looks loose and glossy.

Tips

Taste before you salt. Cajun blends can carry a lot of salt, and the bouillon’s salty too.
If the sauce tightens up while you toss, reach for pasta water, not more cream. It loosens the sauce without making it heavier.
Don’t add the Parmesan over medium heat. Wait until the burner’s on low, or the cheese can clump into strings.
I’ll admit I go well past the extra Parmesan the recipe suggests at the table, and I haven’t found a reason to stop.
Pull the pasta while it still has a firm bite. It keeps cooking in the sauce, and penne that starts soft ends up mushy.

Storage and Make-Ahead

None of the recipes I compared says how to store, reheat or freeze this. So you won’t get a tested number from me.

What I do know is the food safety part. Cooked chicken and cream sauce go into the fridge within 2 hours, the USDA limit for perishable food at room temperature.

Cream sauces thicken a lot once they’re cold, so I only warm up what I’m about to serve. When I reheat it, I use low heat and stir in a splash of water until the sauce loosens again, rather than letting it bubble.

Fresh Parmesan on top brings it back to life.

Rounding Out the Meal

A green salad with a sharp vinaigrette, since the acid cuts through a rich cream sauce.
Roasted broccoli, which holds up next to the spice and soaks up any extra sauce.
Garlic bread for dragging through what’s left in the bowl.
Sliced cucumbers and tomatoes with a little salt, for something cold and crisp on the side.

Tools You’ll Need

A large skillet with room for both breasts at once, so they sear instead of steam.
A large pot for boiling a full pound of penne.
A meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan, for pounding the chicken even.
A rasp or box grater for grating Parmesan straight off the wedge.
An instant-read thermometer, to confirm the chicken reaches 165°F.

Common Questions

What pasta shape works for creamy Cajun chicken pasta? Penne is what this recipe uses, and the tubes hold sauce inside. Ben Chelin makes his with rigatoni, which works the same way.

Why did my Cajun pasta sauce turn grainy? Usually the cheese went in over too much heat, or it was pre-shredded. Keep the burner on low and grate the Parmesan fresh.

Can I add tomatoes or bell pepper? Island Vibe Cooking adds diced tomatoes and bell pepper, and OneStopChop adds tomato paste and lemon juice. This one keeps the cream sauce plain.

How many people does this serve? None of the three recipes this one is built on lists a yield. A pound of penne with two chicken breasts stretches to 4 to 6 plates, depending on appetites.

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