It’s been a while since I’ve made a one-pot pasta! But this weekend I got a craving for a creamy, smoky, spicy, easy one pot dish, so I set to work! This One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is incredibly easy to make, so it’s perfect for weeknight dinners. Here are some different kinds (spicy, not spicy, creamy, not creamy), so make sure you keep reading!:)
A lot of us keep chicken and pasta in our fridges and pantries. When you mix the two, you can make a simple, tasty meal that the whole family will love. There are a lot of great ways to cook chicken pasta, from the classic chicken Alfredo to new favorites like Cajun chicken pasta.
If you’re looking for easy chicken pasta recipes, you’ve come to the right place! In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through the steps for making chicken pasta, as well as provide helpful tips and recipe ideas. Let’s get cooking!
Step 1: Choose Your Pasta
When making chicken pasta, the first decision is which type of pasta to use. Here are some top options:
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Fettuccine or linguine These long, flat pastas work well with creamy or olive oil-based sauces The strands nicely grab the sauce
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Penne or rotini Short tubular or twisty pastas are great in chicken pasta bakes or skillet dishes The chunks of chicken and sauce get trapped in the nooks of the pasta
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Farfalle: The bow tie or butterfly shape also catches bits of chicken and sauce. It’s a fun pasta for kids.
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Simple spaghetti is always a good choice, and it goes well with lighter tomato-based chicken sauces.
The possibilities don’t end there. Test out different small shapes like orecchiette, cavatappi, orzo, and more. Consider swapping in protein-packed lentil or chickpea pasta as well.
Step 2: Cook the Pasta
It’s time to cook the pasta after you choose its shape. First, boil a big pot of water with a little salt in it. Add the dry pasta and give it a stir. Follow the directions on the package to cook the pasta until it’s al dente, which means it’s soft but still a little firm in the middle.
In a colander, drain the cooked pasta. Save about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water; this can help sauces get thicker. To stop cooking the pasta, run cool water over it. Set aside until ready to finish the dish.
Tip: Undercook the pasta slightly when making baked chicken pasta dishes, as it will continue to cook when baked.
Step 3: Cook the Chicken
While the pasta cooks, it’s time to start cooking the chicken. Here are some easy methods:
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Pan-fry: Cut chicken breasts into cubes or thin strips. Cook over medium heat in olive oil or butter until browned and cooked through.
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Bake: Season chicken breasts or thighs with spices or sauce and bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes until no longer pink inside.
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Poach: Simmer chicken pieces or boneless breasts in broth, wine, or seasoned water until fully cooked. Shred for pastas like chicken cacciatore.
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Grill: Get nice char marks on chicken seasoned with Italian flavors. Slice or chop grilled chicken to add to pasta.
Make extra chicken so you can use leftovers for meals like chicken pasta salad or soups. Store cooked chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Step 4: Make the Sauce
No chicken pasta is complete without a flavorful sauce – it brings the whole dish together! Consider these easy homemade sauce options:
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Creamy: Make an Alfredo sauce by simmering heavy cream, Parmesan, garlic, and spices. Melt in butter for extra richness.
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Cheesy: Toss chicken with melted mozzarella, cheddar, or Monterey Jack for cheesy sensation.
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Olive oil-based: Sauté garlic in olive oil. Toss with chicken, pasta, basil, tomatoes, and Parmesan.
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Tomato-based: Cook onions, garlic, and chicken in tomato sauce or diced tomatoes. Season with Italian herbs.
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Pesto: Blend basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil. Toss with hot pasta and chicken.
Get creative and try unique flavors like lemon-caper sauce, cajun-style cream sauce, or vodka sauce spiked with chili flakes. The possibilities are endless!
Step 5: Combine the Pasta, Chicken, and Sauce
Now for the best part – putting it all together! If the sauce is thin, add it to the hot drained pasta first and let it absorb for 1-2 minutes. Then add the cooked chicken and any additional seasonings or ingredients, if desired.
For thicker sauces, mix the hot pasta and chicken together first before adding the sauce. Toss everything to coat evenly. Add a splash of the starchy pasta water if the sauce seems dry.
Serve chicken pasta dishes right away for the best texture and flavor. Garnish with parsley, shredded cheese, or red pepper flakes. Enjoy your homemade chicken pasta!
Tips for Making Perfect Chicken Pasta
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Cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions for baked dishes so it doesn’t overcook.
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Don’t rinse pasta after draining or the sauce won’t cling properly.
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Use tongs or a pasta fork to combine pasta and sauce to avoid breaking noodles.
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Reheat leftover chicken pasta with a splash of milk or cream to thin out.
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Cook chicken fully to 165°F internal temperature to ensure it’s safe to eat.
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Balance rich, creamy sauces with a bright, acidic component like lemon juice or tomato.
Simple Chicken Pasta Recipes
Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Sauté garlic in butter. Whisk in heavy cream and Parmesan. Toss creamy sauce with fettuccine, chicken, broccoli, and extra Parmesan.
Skillet Chicken Carbonara
Cook bacon and chicken. Toss with hot spaghetti, eggs whisked with Parmesan, parsley, and pepper.
Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake
Mix cooked chicken with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and penne. Top with more cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake until hot and bubbly.
Pesto Chicken Pasta
Toss hot farfalle with prepared pesto sauce, roasted red peppers, cooked chicken, and pine nuts. Finish with Parmesan.
Chicken Cacciatore Pasta
Sauté onion, peppers, mushrooms, and chicken. Simmer in tomato sauce. Serve over rigatoni. Sprinkle with fresh basil.
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
Make cheesy sauce with milk, cheddar, and cream cheese. Fold in cooked chicken, hot sauce, and crumbled blue cheese. Top baked mac and cheese with ranch dressing.
Chicken Pad Thai
Marinate chicken in Pad Thai sauce. Stir fry with rice noodles, bean sprouts, peanuts, and green onion. Top with lime and cilantro.
Cooking Chicken Pasta on a Budget
Chicken and pasta are budget-friendly ingredients on their own. Here are some extra tips for cutting costs when making chicken pasta:
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Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of pricier breasts.
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Buy family-sized packages of pasta and chicken when they are on sale.
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Make your own sauce from pantry staples like canned tomatoes, cream, and Parmesan.
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Swap in frozen vegetables like spinach or broccoli to bulk up pasta dishes.
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Stretch leftover chicken by using small amounts in pasta salads or soups.
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Cook once, eat twice. Double recipes and use half for another meal.
Getting Creative with Leftover Chicken Pasta
Put leftover chicken pasta to good use with these ingenious recipes:
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Chicken pasta salad – Toss cold pasta and chicken with mayo, lemon juice, celery, peppers and seasonal vegetables.
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Pasta frittata – Combine pasta, chicken, cheese, and vegetables. Bake with whisked eggs for an easy breakfast.
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Pasta soup – Simmer chicken pasta with broth, tomatoes, greens, and beans.
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Pasta casserole – Mix leftover components and transfer to a baking dish. Top with cheese and bake.
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Pasta stuffed peppers – Fill bell peppers with chicken pasta and top with tomato sauce and cheese.
With endless possibilities for tasty chicken and pasta pairings, you could enjoy a different chicken pasta dish every week and never get bored! This versatile staple meal is easy to customize to satisfy any pasta craving.
What is Cajun Chicken Pasta?
This tasty pasta dish is one of my favorite easy weeknight meals. Everything happens in one pan, and there’s so little to clean up afterward. It’s a tasty one-pot Cajun chicken pasta dish that I make with soft chicken cubes, tomatoes, lots of spicy (and savory!) spices, and cream cheese. It’s super simple to make, costs less than $10 total, and feeds the whole family!.
Ingredients for One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Here’s what you’ll need to make creamy Cajun chicken pasta:
- Spices: This dish tastes savory and spicy thanks to the smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt that are used.
- To keep the chicken from burning while it cooks, use olive oil. Butter makes the dish rich and flavorful. You can use all oil if you prefer. If you want to save some money, you can use vegetable or canola oil instead of olive oil.
- Bird: Chicken breasts that don’t have any bones or skin on them are my favorite lean protein for this dish. You can also use chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Onion: The yellow onion gives the dish a sweet and earthy taste.
- Penne Pasta: Cooks perfectly right in the pan. Any short pasta shape will work, but skip longer noodles.
- Sliced tomatoes roasted over an open flame add a smoky and sour taste to the dish.
- Chicken Broth: Helps create a rich and flavorful sauce. To save money, you can also mix chicken bouillon with water.
- Cream Cheese: Makes this dish rich and creamy.
- Adding green onions to a dish gives it a fresh look and color.
This is a one pot meal, so you could totally end it right there and be completely satisfied. But I like to add a salad or some bread to round it off. My classic Caesar salad really plays up the creaminess of this dish. Or try some homestyle cornbread for a little sweetness to balance out the heat!.
- Adjust the Heat: This pasta is spicy. But you can change how hot it is by changing how much cayenne pepper is in the Cajun seasoning. It can be cut in half for a little extra heat, or if you can’t handle any heat at all, leave out the cayenne. That makes me kind of sad, but I completely understand. Sometimes your body and brain don’t want the same thing. :).
- It can be creamy or not. If you can’t handle cream cheese, you can use a little heavy cream or half-and-half instead. About 1/4 cup of heavy cream or 1/2 cup of half-and-half would work for me. OR, you can leave it out if you don’t want it creamy. This pasta was already very tasty before I added the cream cheese, but the creaminess really brings out the best in the heat and acidity.
- Make it Extra: If you really want to take this pasta to the next level, add some cooked bacon or a final sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. That extra umami flavor will really make this Cajun Chicken Pasta stand out! You could also add shrimp instead of or along with the chicken.
15 Minute Easy CREAMY CHICKEN PASTA Recipe by Always Yummy!
FAQ
Do I cook chicken before adding to pasta?
Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water. Get this going before you start cooking the chicken and you can add the dried pasta right around the same time you start cooking the chicken breast.
Can you cook raw chicken and uncooked pasta together?
There’s no need to boil the pasta in advance or to pre-cook the chicken or veggies. Instead, all of the ingredients mingle, share seasonings, and simmer together in one dish in the oven. You’ll also appreciate that this chicken and pasta casserole is family-friendly and incredibly versatile.
How long to heat chicken pasta in the oven?
To reheat, cover the top with kitchen foil and bake for 40–45 minutes at 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
How long to boil chicken for pasta?
MethodPlace the chicken in a single layer in the bottom of a pan: It’s ok if the pieces overlap a little. Cover with an inch of water: Add the salt and any seasonings you’d like to use. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat: . Cover and simmer for 8 to 15 minutes: . Cool briefly, then shred or slice: