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Creamy Chicken and Sausage Cajun Pasta

This Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta features cajun-style blackened chicken and penne pasta, and a creamy cajun, tomato pasta sauce! A delicious and comforting dinner ready in 30 minutes. 

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 440 kcal
Course: Main Course , Lunch , Dinner
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 8 oz andouille sausages optional, sliced
  • 2 green bell peppers thinly sliced
  • ½ medium yellow onion thinly sliced
  • 3 ½ tbsp homemade cajun seasoning you may need more if you're using a store-bought cajun spice mix that's less spicy
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped (double the amount if you like garlic flavor)
  • ½ cup crushed tomatoes
  • ½ cup half and half or ¼ cup milk and ¼ cup single cream
  • OR
  • ¼ cup Greek yogurt + ¼ cup water/milk
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Parmesan cheese to serve
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 8 oz uncooked penne pasta (or 4 servings)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Prep the vegetables and meat. Cut the green peppers and onions into slices, and slice the sausage (if using). Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks (on a separate cutting board to avoid cross contamination). Set aside. 
  2. Place a large pot of water with salt, over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta and set the timer for 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, but reserve 1 - 2 cups of the pasta water.
  3. While, the pasta is cooking, place another large non-stick pan or pot over medium-high heat and drizzle some oil.
  4. When the pan is hot, add the chicken, generous ¼ tsp salt, 1 tbsp cajun seasoning and mix well. Increase heat to high, and cook the chicken for 5 minutes, until it shows good caramelization (about 5 - 6 minutes, depends on the heat of your pan). Place the chicken in a separate bowl and set aside until needed.
  5. Optional step - add more oil, and then add the sliced andouille sausages and fry until they start to show some good caramelization as well (about 5 minutes). Set aside. 
  6. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper, rest of the cajun seasoning, generous pinch of salt, and 1 tsp brown sugar to the same pan. Saute until the onion softens.
  7. Add the crushed tomatoes, blackened chicken and sausages, milk/cream mix, and stir to combine. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Add some of the pasta water if the mix is too thick, and stir to combine. Bring the pasta sauce to a simmer. 
  8. Mix in the cooked pasta and toss to combine. If you'd like more pasta sauce, you can add up to another cup of milk or pasta water. Let the pasta simmer in the sauce for about a minute or two.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
  9. Serve with extra black pepper on top (optional), and freshly grated parmesan. Enjoy! 

Notes

  • See here for more rice and pasta recipes you may love.  
  • If you'd like to, you can use chicken thighs instead of breast meat for this recipe as well.
  • Feel free to leave out the sausages, OR you can use chorizo for this recipe too. 
  • You can also use beef or pork instead, to make cajun beef pasta or cajun pork pasta. 
  • Or use shrimp to make creamy cajun shrimp pasta. 
  • To make this pasta more nutritious, add other vegetables like zucchini, broccoli, corn etc. as well.
  • Substitute the milk/cream with coconut milk or almond milk. 
  • And instead of parmesan cheese, you can add a little nutritional yeast. 
  • Substitute regular penne pasta with your favorite gluten free penne pasta.
  • Mushrooms! I love making cajun mushroom pasta when making this dish vegetarian.
  • Use a plant based milk instead of cream (coconut or almond milk).
  • Use vegan cheese or nutritional yeast instead of parmesan cheese.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1portion Calories 440kcal (22%) Carbohydrates 10g (3%) Protein 39g (78%) Fat 27g (42%) Saturated Fat 7g (35%) Polyunsaturated Fat 5g Monounsaturated Fat 12g Trans Fat 0.2g Cholesterol 133mg (44%) Sodium 662mg (28%) Potassium 923mg (26%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 6g (12%) Vitamin A 377IU (8%) Vitamin C 54mg (60%) Calcium 71mg (7%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 440

% Daily Value*

Serving 1portion
Calories 440kcal 22%
Carbohydrates 10g 3%
Protein 39g 78%
Fat 27g 42%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Polyunsaturated Fat 5g 29%
Monounsaturated Fat 12g 60%
Trans Fat 0.2g 10%
Cholesterol 133mg 44%
Sodium 662mg 28%
Potassium 923mg 20%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 6g 12%
Vitamin A 377IU 8%
Vitamin C 54mg 60%
Calcium 71mg 7%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.