Fast, straightforward, and filled with taste, my creamy cajun hen pasta makes a fantastic weeknight dinner that’s prepared in lower than half-hour! Be at liberty to swap the hen for shrimp or add your favourite veggies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Whereas it is a creamy cajun hen pasta, it’s not too wealthy. It’s consolation meals for certain, however it’s not heavy! We wish to eat it year-round.
- Feeds the entire household in simply half-hour! This is only one of my many fast and simple weeknight dinners.
- Tons of taste from a mix of spices and fragrant garlic, onions, and bell peppers.
- Protein packed and filling with the choice so as to add extra veggies for those who’d like (spinach, mushrooms, or tomatoes could be my recommendations!).
Made with recent veggies, a creamy, spiced sauce, and completely seasoned hen over a mattress of penne, this cajun hen pasta has been a success in our home since I first began making it just a few years in the past (it’s certainly one of my Fall favorites alongside my chili recipe).
This dish has all of it; tons of taste, sufficient protein to maintain you full, and a creamy sauce that retains you going again for extra. Oh, and it’s prepared in simply half an hour! Attempt serving it with a aspect of my buttermilk cornbread for a full, satisfying meal.
Elements
You’ll see fairly just a few spices, plus some veggies, protein, and naturally, pasta.
- Pasta. Whereas I like to recommend penne, you possibly can substitute your private choice when making this recipe. Linguine is at all times a preferred selection (I exploit that in my cajun shrimp pasta!), however I like the way in which the penne holds the creamy sauce in every chew. Complete wheat or entire grain pastas are additionally nice choices for a little bit added dietary worth! Just remember to stick to only 8 oz (normally half a package deal) of your favourite form.
- Hen breast. When you might prepare dinner the breasts entire, slicing up the hen into bite-sized items earlier than seasoning permits every bit to be totally coated within the seasoning. When you don’t really feel like doing this, you possibly can at all times simply season and prepare dinner the breasts entire and serve them over the completed dish, like I do with my hen alfredo, however I feel a little bit effort at first is well worth the payoff.
- Spices. Together with cajun seasoning (I like “Slap Ya Mama” model!), garlic powder, black pepper, basil, and smoked paprika. Word that we’ll use solely 3 teaspoons of the cajun seasoning for the hen; the remaining will go within the sauce.
- Bell peppers. Actually any coloration will work. I used purple and inexperienced in my outdated photographs for this recipe, however at this time I’m utilizing purple and orange. Simply be certain to slice them into skinny strips.
- Cream. Heavy cream, whipping cream, or double cream will work.
SAM’S TIP: Grate your personal cheese! Pre-grated cheeses (just like the inexperienced plastic can everyone knows of) comprise anti-caking brokers that finally stop them from melting easily into your sauce.
Bear in mind, that is simply an outline of the substances I used and why. For the total recipe please scroll all the way down to the underside of the put up!
Tips on how to Make It
- Season and sear the hen in two tablespoons of butter, then take away to a plate and put aside.
- Sauté the peppers and onions within the remaining tablespoon of butter till softened.
- Stir within the cream and spices and produce to a boil, then scale back to a simmer. Let prepare dinner till thickened, then add the cheese, hen, and pasta.
- Serve with extra parmesan cheese and chopped parsley if desired. Take pleasure in!
SAM’S TIP: If you’d like extra veggies, toss in some canned diced tomatoes or make this creamy cajun hen pasta with spinach! You may stir in a handful if you add the cream. It should wilt into the sauce, and actually, you gained’t actually discover you’re consuming it!
Steadily Requested Questions
Positive! Simply understand that the noodles will doubtless take up the sauce because it sits, so it gained’t be fairly as creamy when reheated. You may at all times save a number of the pasta water and drizzle that in as you might be reheating to assist loosen the sauce!
Be sure to retailer your pasta in an hermetic container within the fridge and revel in inside just a few days.
You may, or you possibly can make my cajun shrimp pasta as an alternative. You can even add smoked andouille sausage–that’s a traditional cajun ingredient too!
This cajun pasta would make a scrumptious mardi gras meal, particularly with a slice of king cake for dessert!
Take pleasure in!
Let’s bake collectively! Subscribe to my e-newsletter to be notified of all the latest recipes, and discover my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
Creamy Cajun Hen Pasta
Want a flavorful weeknight dinner? My creamy cajun hen pasta is easy, filled with taste, and prepared in lower than half-hour! Be at liberty to swap the hen for shrimp or add your favourite veggies.
Servings: 6 servings
Energy: 568kcal
Stop your display from going darkish
Directions
-
Start cooking pasta in response to package deal directions.
-
In a big ziploc bag, toss collectively 3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add chopped hen, zip closed, and shake till hen is coated. Put aside.
4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 1 ½ lbs (680 g) boneless skinless hen breast reduce into 1″ items
-
In a big pan over medium warmth, soften 2 Tablespoons of butter.
-
Switch hen to heated pan and prepare dinner till hen is browned and simply cooked by (prepare dinner in batches if wanted). Take away to a plate and put aside.
-
Add remaining Tablespoon of butter to pan and prepare dinner till melted.
-
Add peppers and onion and prepare dinner, stirring steadily till starting to melt (about 3-5 minutes).
½ yellow onion, 2 bell peppers
-
Add heavy cream, smoked paprika, basil, garlic powder, remaining cajun seasoning and ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Carry to a boil after which scale back to a simmer, cooking till sauce is thickened.
1 ½ cups (355 ml) heavy cream, ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon dried basil, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
-
Return cooked hen to the pan. Add parmesan cheese and heat cooked, drained pasta and stir till cheese is melted. Serve heat, topped with recent parsley if desired.
⅓ cup recent parmesan cheese, 8 oz (227 g) penne pasta*
Notes
*Pasta
Whereas I notably get pleasure from this recipe served with penne, you possibly can after all substitute your favourite kind of pasta. Linguine is one other fashionable possibility!
Seasoning
I actually just like the “Slap ya Mama” model cajun seasoning.
Storing
Retailer within the fridge in an hermetic container for as much as 3 days. Pasta won’t be as creamy when reheated.
Vitamin
Serving: 1serving | Energy: 568kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 33g | Fats: 33g | Saturated Fats: 19g | Trans Fats: 1g | Ldl cholesterol: 174mg | Sodium: 488mg | Potassium: 689mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2608IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 2mg
Dietary data is predicated on third-party calculations and needs to be thought-about an estimate solely. Precise dietary content material will differ primarily based upon manufacturers used, measuring strategies, cooking technique, portion sizes, and extra.
I initially shared this cajun hen pasta recipe in 2019 over on Spend with Pennies!
