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Cajun Chicken Spaghetti

Cajun chicken spaghetti with smoky Cajun cream sauce coats tender spaghetti, topped with blackened chicken and bell peppers. This one-pan pasta recipe simmers a spicy cream base, tosses the noodles until creamy, and finishes with parmesan and parsley for a deep-red look.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Cajun-American
Calories: 690

Ingredients
  

Chicken and pasta
  • 1.5 lb chicken breast sliced
  • 12 oz spaghetti
  • 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning divided
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1.5 cup heavy cream
  • 0.5 cup parmesan grated
  • salt to taste
  • fresh parsley for garnish
  • 2 tbsp butter

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook spaghetti
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente, about the package time range. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain, and set aside.
Blackened chicken
  1. Toss the chicken slices with 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning to coat evenly. Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat and sear the chicken for 4–5 minutes until blackened, then set aside.
Make Cajun cream sauce
  1. Melt butter in the same skillet and cook the onion and red bell pepper for 4 minutes. Add garlic and the remaining Cajun seasoning and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
  2. Pour in chicken broth and heavy cream and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened. Stir in parmesan until melted and smooth.
Toss and serve
  1. Add the drained spaghetti to the Cajun cream sauce and toss until the noodles are fully coated. Add reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce to a clingy texture.
  2. Top the spaghetti with the blackened chicken slices. Finish with fresh parsley and extra parmesan.

Notes

For the silkiest sauce, keep the simmer at a steady, gentle bubble while stirring in parmesan—heat too hard can break the cream. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of milk or broth to loosen the sauce. Freezing is not recommended because the cream sauce can separate after thawing. To make it lighter, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream (sauce will be slightly thinner, so simmer 1–2 minutes longer).