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You’ll be so amazed by how easily this dish comes together to make a healthy One-Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta dish that you can enjoy any night of the week!
Okay, who grew up eating at Chili’s Grill and Bar? Well, let’s just say I grew up eating there a little too much. One of my most favorite carb-loading orders was Chili’s Cajun Chicken Pasta. It was the creamiest, cheesiest pasta dish topped with cajun-crusted chicken and a giant slice of Texas-style garlic toast — so dang good.
When I want to have a bit of childhood nostalgia, but avoid the stomach ache that would now come along with that meal, I’ve love turning to my One-Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta. This lightened-up recipe is an oh-so-easy one-pot pasta dish with no loads of butter or heavy cream here. There is a little dairy (you can use non-dairy milk if you are dairy intolerant), but all in all, we are using just real ingredients. You won’t even believe how delicious this pasta is!
Ingredients:
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Paprika
- Cayenne
- Dried Thyme
- Dried Rosemary
- Dried Oregano
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- White Onion
- Garlic
- Gluten-Free Penne Pasta: I use Jovial Brown Rice Pasta
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- Milk
- Lemon Juice
- Roma Tomato
- Green Onions
- Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Step-by-Step:
Step One: Make the Spice Mixture
In a small bowl, combine the paprika, cayenne, thyme, rosemary, oregano and 1 tsp kosher salt. Stir until well combined and set aside.
Step Two: Pound the Chicken
Place chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with parchment or saran wrap. Using a meat mallet or the bottom of a skillet, pound chicken until it is a uniform 1/4 inch thickness.
Step Three: Season the Chicken
Season both of the chicken breasts all over with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Now, take about 1 teaspoon of the prepared spice mixture and evenly sprinkle on both sides of the chicken breasts (reserving the remaining mixture for later).
Step Four: Sear the Chicken
Heat oil in a large skillet with sides (I use a 3 qt. Saucier) over medium-high heat. When hot, but not smoking, sear the chicken until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes a side. Transfer cooked chicken to a cutting board and let rest while you make the pasta.
Step Five: Saute the Garlic
Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and garlic to the same skillet and saute, stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes. (If your skillet is dry, add an extra tsp of oil.)
Step Six: Cook the Pasta
Add the pasta, broth and milk. Season with salt and the remaining seasoning blend. Bring the contents in the pot to a gentle simmering (you don’t want it to be boiling). Cook, simmering and stirring often until pasta is al dente and liquid is absorbed and creamy, 12 to 15 minutes.
Step Seven: Finish and Serve
Finish with lemon juice and taste, adjust salt and pepper, as desired. Serve in a bowl and top with sliced chicken, Roma tomatoes, green onion, and shredded parmesan, if using. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQ:
Yes! You could use unsweetened almond milk and omit the parmesan if you would like this to be dairy-free.
If you use gluten-free pasta, yes! You can use regular penne if preferred though.
I hope you love this One-Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta as much as I do!
craving More One-Pot Pastas? try these!
One-Pan Italian Sausage and Orzo
One-Pot Italian Shells and Cheese
One-Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2.5 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (1/2 tsp is spicy. If you want mild, go for 1/4 tsp. If you are serving kids omit the cayenne).
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 ounces gluten-free penne pasta (I use Jovial Brown Rice Pasta)
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups milk (sub almond milk for dairy-free option)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
- 1 roma tomato, seeds scooped out and diced fine
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced, green parts only
- 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the paprika, cayenne, thyme, rosemary, oregano and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir until well combined and set aside.
- Place chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with parchment or saran wrap. Using a meat mallet or the bottom of a skillet, pound chicken until it is a uniform 1/4 inch thickness.
- Season both of the chicken breasts all over with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Now, take about 1 teaspoon of the prepared spice mixture and evenly sprinkle on both sides of the chicken breasts (reserving the remaining mixture for later).
- Heat oil in a large skillet with sides (I use a 3 qt. Saucier) over medium-high heat. When hot, but not smoking, sear the chicken until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes a side. Transfer cooked chicken to a cutting board and let rest while you make the pasta.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and garlic to the same skillet and saute, stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes. If your skillet is dry, add an extra teaspoon of oil.
- Add the pasta, broth, and milk. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and the remaining seasoning blend. Bring the contents in the pot to a gentle simmering (you don't want it to be boiling). Cook, simmering and stirring often until pasta is al dente and liquid is absorbed and creamy, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Finish with lemon juice and taste, adjust salt and pepper, as desired. Serve in a bowl and top with sliced chicken, Roma tomatoes, green onion, and shredded parmesan, if using.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The whole family loves this one!
My family LOVED this recipe. Will definitely put this on my regular rotation!!
Hi! Can I sub shrimp here instead of chicken? Just less cook time then a chicken would be?
yes it’s great with Chicken!!
Made this for dinner tonight and substituted kielbasa sausage for chicken!! So good!!
I’m pregnant and I’ve been craving pasta. This satisfied my craving! Super creamy and so flavorful!
This recipe was great! We love spicy food and this hit the spot. Definitely make it again.
Made this last night and we loved it! I used chicken tenderloins (no pounding necessary!), and since I can’t do dairy I used a mix of plain oat milk and unsweetened almond milk. Love that it is one-pot, too!
Do you think just plain oat would be ok? We have a nut allergy and a dairy allergy! 😂 makes dinners fun!
Hi! I think it should work just fine as long as you find the Oat Milk brand that you buy doesn’t taste too sweet!
Have you used the Jovial grain free pasta? Any idea if it would hold up in this recipe?
yes it works great here!!
I love this dinner! It tastes amazing even without dairy. Plus, I only have to wash a few dishes!!
I am so happy you love it!!! It’s one of my personal favorites, too!
This was absolutely delicious! Made it with almond milk and regular penne and it was extremely creamy and perfect. As always, Alex has created another flawless recipe.