Cajun Chicken Pasta

This Cajun Chicken Pasta is a winner, winner with its creamy, delicious Cajun sauce and bites of pasta and juicy chicken. It’s the perfect 30 minute dish!

It’s that time of year again! Ben’s birthday and my chance to step out of my comfort zone to try new recipes! My youngest son never wants traditional dinners for his birthday and in fact, we have had some unique requests.

This year he decided on Cajun Chicken Pasta. In the beginning, when we first started negotiations for his dinner, I didn’t think I would like this dish. I’m not a lover of hot food but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it wasn’t that spicy and I loved this dish!

It’s delicious like your favorite creamy alfredo sauce but it’s kicked up a notch with Cajun chicken topped with fresh tomato bites and covered with Parmesan cheese.

The flavor combination is magical, and it’s done in 30 minutes. What!/?! Nothing that tastes this good should be this easy!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoon cajun seasoning ( we used slap ya mama cajun seasoning)
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream, or more, to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS:

In a gallon size Ziploc bag, add chicken, 1 tablespoon olive oil and Cajun seasoning, shaking to coat thoroughly.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a grill pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Gradually whisk in heavy cream and lemon zest. Cook, whisking constantly until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more heavy cream as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Stir in pasta and gently toss to combine.
Serve immediately with chicken, garnished with tomatoes and parsley, if desired.