Creamy Cajun Spaghetti With Chicken

Name: Creamy Cajun Spaghetti With Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 12 oz spaghetti; 1 lb. chicken breast, cut into small pieces or chicken thighs; 1 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil; 1 medium yellow onion, chopped; 1-2 cups bell peppers, chopped red, green or both!; 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced the best garlic chopper; 1 tbsp + 1 tsp Cajun Seasoning or Creole seasoning, See Note 1; 1 tsp garlic powder; 2 tsp smoked paprika, divided; 1 1/2 tbsp flour; 1/2 cup chicken broth or stock; 1 1/2 cups heavy cream; 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated; 1 tsp onion powder; red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese, green onions, black pepper to garnish (optional)

by Casey Rooney

4 servings

30 min

This Creamy Cajun Spaghetti is packed with flavor, spice and it’s super easy to make! Spaghetti, chicken, veggies, and lots of yummy spices are tossed in an addicting cream sauce that has just the right amount of spice! The best part is, it’s ready in about 30 minutes!

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links which means I may earn a small commission when you click on the links and make a purchase. I will never recommend a product that I don’t support 100%. You can read my full disclosure here.

Friends, you are going to love this creamy cajun pasta dish!!! It’s loaded with FLAVOR from all kinds of yummy spices, fresh garlic, and veggies and tossed in an addicting parmesan cream sauce!

Although it requires a little chopping (so worth it, I promise!), this cajun spaghetti still comes together super quickly! It’s a great recipe for busy weeknights, yet amazing enough to enjoy to company!

Serve it up with a simple salad and some garlic bread and you’re set!

Worried about this recipe being too spicy for the kiddos? Use creole seasoning instead–scroll down and read the FAQ section to find the difference between cajun and creole seasoning. OR you can try my Creamy Bacon Spaghetti or my Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel and Veleveeta!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

Loads of spices without being too SPICYYYY!
Easy to make, using simple ingredients.
Delicious and addicting cream sauce!
Perfect weeknight dinner, but also good enough to serve to company!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Creamy Cajun Spaghetti Recipe:

INGREDIENT NOTES

Cajun Seasoning: Any Cajun seasoning will do, just use your fave! I have used Rajin Cajun, McCormick, and tons of others! You can also use Creole Seasoning! This Creole Daddy from Shawty with the Seasonings is my fave.

Bell Pepper: Red bell pepper, green bell pepper, yellow…whatever you have on hand!

Spaghetti: Not shown, and honestly you can use whatever pasta shape your little heart desires!

HOW TO MAKE CREAMY CAJUN SPAGHETTI: STEP BY STEP

Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with the exact ingredients will be in the recipe card below!

Step 1: Toss chicken pieces with spices: Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, and garlic powder.

Step 2: Cook chicken 3-4 minutes until nicely browned.

Step 3: In the same skillet, cook red and green pepper, onion and lots of fresh garlic for 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the top and cook a minute more.

Step 4: Add heavy cream, chicken stock and Parmesan cheese. Cook, stirring often for 4-5 minutes until thickened. Then, add spices: smoked paprika, onion powder and more cajun seasoning.

Step 5: Add chicken back in, along with the spaghetti. Toss, toss, toss until pasta is well-coated and heated through.

⭐️ CONFIDENCE TIP ⭐️

When cooking the chicken, add chicken pieces to the pan, then leave them undisturbed (no stirring) for about 3 minutes. This will give you that nice browned, caramel color (AKA: FLAVORRRRR!)

STORAGE & REHEATING

Storage: This Cajun pasta is amazing the next day! Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days ( my favorite storage containers).
Reheating: Reheat in a pan over the stove or in the microwave. Add a splash of chicken broth or heavy cream to loosen up the sauce.
Freezing: Because of the veggies and heavy cream, I do not recommend freezing this dish.

ADDITIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

Here are few yummy additions you can try:

Protein: Adding shrimp, andouille sausage or smoked sausage are all AMAZING as additions to the chicken, or in place of the chicken. Italian sausage would also be delish, but less “cajun.”

Hot sauce: A few dashes of hot sauce to spice things up even more never hurt!

Here are a few substitutions you can make:

Creole Seasoning: If you like FLAVOR, but don’t love SPICY (hot-spicy), then substitute creole seasoning for the cajun seasoning. If you are a spicy food lover, cajun seasoning is the way to go! Creole seasoning is typically less spicy than cajun seasoning. See the difference between cajun spice and creole seasoning in the FAQ’s below.

Heavy Cream: Although I don’t recommend you sub out the heavy cream, if you MUST, here are some ideas: 16 Substitutes for Heavy Cream in Pasta.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What’s the difference between cajun seasoning and creole seasoning?

The best description I have heard to answer this question is: Do you want something spicy or something seasoned?

Cajun seasoning tends to be spicier than Creole seasoning. It’s typically a blend of spices such as cayenne pepper, red pepper, garlic powder, paprika, salt, black pepper, and oregano.

Creole seasoning, on the other hand, tends to have more herbs vs. spicy spices! It’s a blend of paprika, oregano, bay leaves, dried thyme, dried basil, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt/pepper.

Both are delicious and can be used interchangeably in this recipe. I recently found these Shawty with the Spices Seasonings online and their Creole seasoning is fantastic! Tony’s is also my other go-to and can be found in most grocery stores.

Can I substitute heavy cream in this pasta dish?

Although I don’t recommend you substitute the heavy cream if you MUST, here are 16 Substitutes for Heavy Cream in Pasta.

What do I serve with this cajun pasta dish?

Keep it simple! A nice green salad like this simple arugula salad or this Caesar salad, along with some garlic bread is all you need!

GET MY FREE 7-DAY MEAL PLAN

In a dinner rut? I’ve got a Free Meal Plan with 7 of my most delicious, easy recipes! Sign up for my email list and I’ll send it over now along with weekly dinner recipes!

TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE

Check out all of my kitchen essentials in my Amazon store!

The Best Garlic Chopper: I hardly go a day without using this thing!

Oversized Skillet I’m Obsessed With: Perfect for pasta dishes like this–plenty of room for tossing!

Kitchen Tongs: I like these because they don’t scratch the bottom of your pan.

Rate this recipe! I love your feedback!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Please SUBSCRIBE HERE and follow me on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK and PINTEREST!

TRY THESE PASTA DISHES NEXT…

Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel and Velveeta

Creamy Spaghetti with Bacon

Tuna Mac and Cheese

Creamy Cajun Spaghetti With Chicken

You can do it! Saved to your recipes

Recipe details

Yield 4 servings
Time spent: Prep time: 15 Minutes Cook time: 15 Minutes Total time: 30 min

Show Nutrition Info

Per serving

% Daily value

Ingredients

12 oz spaghetti
1 lb. chicken breast, cut into small pieces or chicken thighs
1 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1-2 cups bell peppers, chopped red, green or both!
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced the best garlic chopper
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Cajun Seasoning or Creole seasoning, See Note 1
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp smoked paprika, divided
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp onion powder
red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese, green onions, black pepper to garnish (optional)

Instructions

In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta to al dente according to package directions.
In a small bowl, toss chicken with 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add seasoned chicken and cook 3-4 minutes. Remove cooked chicken from the skillet and set aside.
Add a little more olive oil to the pan if needed. Add onion and bell peppers to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of flour over the cooked veggies. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
Add heavy cream, chicken stock and Parmesan cheese. Simmer over medium heat, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes until sauce is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. If sauce clumps at all, simply use a whisk to break up the clumps.
Season the sauce with remaining 1 tsp cajun seasoning, 1 tsp smoked paprika and 1 tsp onion powder. Taste, and add salt and more seasoning if necessary. Remember the cajun seasoning will have salt already in it, so make sure you taste to see if additional salt is needed!
Add the chicken to the sauce, along with the spaghetti and toss, toss, toss until pasta is completely coated in the sauce and everything is heated through. Garnish with more cajun seasoning, green onions, fresh ground pepper and red pepper flakes, if you like!

Tips

Note 1: Cajun seasoning tends to be spicier while creole seasoning has more flavorful SPICES, but isn’t really all that SPICY. Both are delicious and can be used interchangeably in this recipe. I recently found these Shawty with the Spices Seasonings online and their Creole seasoning is fantastic! Tony’s is also my other go-to and can be found in most grocery stores.
Nutrition information is only an estimate. Info is based on the Very Well Fit Nutrition Calculator.

Comments

Pj Redden on Jul 21, 2022

Excellent

Like Reply
Sandy on Jul 25, 2022

I used the Creole seasoning for this, just to be cautious. It was delicious and everyone loved it. Thanks for sharing.

Like Reply

Top stories

Creamy Cajun Spaghetti With Chicken

Creamy Cajun Spaghetti With Chicken

Recipe details

Ingredients

Instructions

Tips

Comments

Share your thoughts, or ask a question!

Popular Recipe Book

The Top 10 Quick Dinner Recipes of 2020

More

Top stories

Creamy Cajun Spaghetti With Chicken

Creamy Cajun Spaghetti With Chicken

Recipe details

Ingredients

Instructions

Tips

Popular Recipe Book

More Recipes