Cajun chicken pasta, with chicken breasts, healthy veggies in a creamy, mildly spicy sauce in this “lightened up” version of a famous restaurant dish!
I recently celebrated a birthday, and one of the first things I did with a gift card I received was to purchase a new cookbook for my collection.
The first recipe I made from that cookbook was this delicious “lightened-up” recipe for Cajun Chicken Pasta. We LOVED it, so I want to share it with you today!
The original version is a popular restaurant item in a famous restaurant, but in this version, it has been lightened up, and prepared as written, will be under 400 calories per 1½ cup serving!
It’s absolutely delicious! Look at all those fresh colorful veggies that are in this Cajun chicken pasta! Here’s how to make it:
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Prep The Veggies First!
The best tip I can give you is to prep them before beginning! If you have all ingredients ready to go, you can prepare the dish while the pasta cooks and it should be ready in about the same amount of time!
TIP: To save time, you can also bring a large pot of salted water to a boil right at the start (for the pasta). The water can be heating up while you prepare the vegetables.
Blend The Sauce Thickening Ingredients
Combine milk, cream cheese and flour in a blender. Mix until well blended. This is called a “slurry” that will be used later to thicken the Cajun sauce. Set it aside.
Cook The Pasta
Cook the pasta in the boiling water according to package directions. Drain and set the pasta aside once it is done. Prepare the chicken and sauce while the pasta is cooking.
Cook The Chicken
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the chicken. Season all the chicken pieces with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, and salt.
Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium-high. When hot, add chicken (may need to work in batches depending on size of skillet).
Cook the chicken about 3 minutes (till golden brown on bottom), then flip and cook the other side about 3 minutes. When done, remove the chicken to a plate and set aside for later.
Cook The Veggies
Add olive oil to the skillet (same one you cooked the chicken in). Turn heat down to medium. Add the bell pepper and onion slices. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the veggies are tender, add the mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add minced garlic, and cook for an additional minute, stirring often.
Add the rest of the garlic powder, remaining salt and pepper. Stir to blend, and continue cooking.
Add The Milk “Slurry”
Turn heat on the skillet down to medium-low. Pour in the “slurry” (milk/cream cheese/flour mixture) and a cup of chicken broth.
Stir well, to blend everything together. Cook for a couple minutes, stirring often, until the sauce has begun to thicken.
Time To Finish This Dish!
Transfer the chicken pieces back into the skillet. Add salt and the rest of the Cajun seasoning. Stir and cook until the chicken is heated through (1-2 minutes).
Once mixed and the chicken is heated through, add cooked, drained pasta and gently stir to coat the pasta and chicken with Cajun sauce.
Congratulations are in order, because you just made some delicious Cajun Chicken Pasta! Now it only needs to be heated through before serving.
Serve The Cajun Chicken Pasta
Once everything is heated through, the Cajun Chicken Pasta is ready to serve! Transfer portions into individual serving bowls (they hold that yummy sauce well).
Garnish each serving with sliced green onions on top and serve this chicken and pasta dish while hot!
We absolutely loved this Cajun chicken pasta meal because it has so much flavor! I’m confident you and those you love will really enjoy this hearty dish.
I also recommend Gina Homolka’s cookbook “The Skinnytaste Cookbook” for anyone looking to cut some calories out of their meals! It is a wonderful cookbook with some delicious recipes!
Be kind out there, people! It’s such a small thing… but your kindness really can have a huge impact on others!
Thanks for stopping by, and I invite you to come back again soon for more family friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day.
Looking For More PASTA Recipes?
You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have lots of delicious pasta recipes, including:
- JB’s Homemade Lasagna
- Easy Fettucine Alfredo
- Butternut Squash Ravioli with Browned Butter Sage Sauce
- Easy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
- Easy Tomato Basil Pasta
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Recipe Source: The Skinnytaste Cookbook” by Gina Homolka, Published 2014, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, pages 187-187.
↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Cajun chicken pasta, with penne, chicken breast strips, and healthy veggies in a creamy, mildly spicy sauce are featured in this "lightened up" copycat version of a famous restaurant's dish!
- 1/3 cup fat-free milk
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour (Gluten-free, use sweet rice flour)
- 3 Tablespoons light cream cheese
- 8 ounces penne pasta or linguine (Gluten-free, use brown rice pasta-check label)
- Salt
- 1 pound boneless , skinless chicken breast, sliced into thin strips
- 1¼ teaspoons Cajun seasoning (divided)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (divided)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Non-stick cooking spray
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium red bell pepper , seeds removed, cut in thin slices
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper , seeds removed, cut in thin slices
- 1/2 medium red onion , thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 8 ounces button mushrooms , sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes , chopped
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 medium scallions (green onions), chopped
- First... prep veggies, gather ingredients, and heat large pot of salted water to boiling.
- Combine milk, cream cheese and flour in a blender. Mix until well blended. Set aside.
- Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Drain; set aside. Prepare chicken/sauce while pasta cooks.
- Season chicken pieces with 1 tsp.Cajun seasoning, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray; heat to medium-high. When hot, add chicken. Cook chicken about 3 minutes (till golden brown on bottom), turn, cook other side about 3 minutes. When done, remove chicken to a plate. Set aside.
- Add olive oil to skillet. Turn heat down to medium. Add bell pepper and onion. Cook about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once veggies are tender, add mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook 2-3 minutes, then add minced garlic, and cook for an additional minute, stirring often. Add the rest of the garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper. Stir to blend.
- Turn heat down to medium-low. Pour in the "slurry" (milk/cream cheese/flour mixture) and a cup of chicken broth. Stir well. Cook for a couple minutes, stirring, until sauce has started to thicken.
- Add chicken back into skillet. Add 1/8 teaspoon salt and the rest of the Cajun seasoning (1/4 tsp). Stir and cook until chicken is heated through (1-2 minutes). Once mixed, add cooked pasta to skillet, and gently toss, to coat pasta and chicken with sauce. When heated through, it's ready! Garnish each serving with sliced green onions... and serve hot!
Here’s one more to pin to your Pinterest boards!
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.my family loved it.will be sharing this recipe with my friends.they will like it.