Cajun Chicken Pasta
from kristineskitchenblog.comThis Cajun Chicken Pasta is creamy, spicy, and packed with flavor and veggies. It's an easy one pot meal that's perfect for a weeknight!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 496kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 medium yellow onion thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced into 1½-inch long pieces
- 1 yellow bell pepper thinly sliced into 1½-inch long pieces
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons Cajun seasoning or see note below for individual spice amounts
- 1 ¾ cups low sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cup water
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 ounces (brick-style) cream cheese
- 2 cups loosely packed chopped fresh spinach
Instructions
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven pot (you will need a lid to cover the pot later), heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat.
- Once the butter is melted, add the chicken to the pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the chicken, then add the onion and bell peppers to the pan. Cook, stirring often, until the chicken is lightly browned and the veggies start to soften, about 6 minutes.
- Add the garlic and Cajun seasoning and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Pour in the chicken broth and water. Stir, and scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in the pasta and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to a medium simmer and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked to al dente, about 15-18 minutes. Almost all of the liquid should be absorbed by the pasta.
- Once the pasta is cooked, uncover the pan and turn the heat down to low. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, cream cheese and chopped spinach. Stir until the cream cheese melts and then remove from the heat. Serve.
Video
Notes
- Instead of the 1 1/2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning, you can use: 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
- If you are using store-bought Cajun seasoning and it doesn't contain salt, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt along with the seasoning.
- I tested this recipe with whole wheat penne and it took 21 minutes for the pasta to cook. The pasta didn’t absorb as much of the cooking liquid, so the finished dish was a bit saucier.
Nutrition
Calories: 496kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 381mg | Potassium: 1001mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3874IU | Vitamin C: 101mg | Calcium: 180mg | Iron: 3mg
