February marks a few fun events for the month – the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, and Fat Tuesday! We love to have a big meal on Fat Tuesday that has some sort of Cajun flavor and influence. This year, I think I’m gonna make a big batch of my Cajun chicken pasta. It’s filling, feeds a crowd, and is made relatively quickly. 

My kids have a rather sophisticated palate. They love creamy pasta. My husband and I love Cajun pasta, so I took the chance and made this One-Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta for dinner last year. I used my own Cajun seasoning spice blend, since I can control the spiciness level. By keeping it simple, my kids devoured this dinner. In fact, my 5-year-old even asked to try the “spicy” sausage (i.e., andouille sausage), and he loved it. He even asked for a second plate of dinner! Andouille sausage can be tricky to find sometimes in the grocery store. I have found a prepackaged brand near the hot dogs and other kielbasa sausages at Publix. Every now and sometimes, Earth Fare has fresh andouille sausage at the meat counter. You can even ask the meat counter to make it fresh (but give them a day or two to prepare the sausage). 

Pasta Freezing Tip: This recipe makes eight servings of pasta. If you’re only cooking for 2-4 people, you can freeze this meal and reheat it for a future dinner. To freeze the cooked creamy pasta, you’ll want the food to cool completely to room temperature. Then, spray a metal disposable cooking container with cooking spray. Add the pasta to the container, seal tight, and freeze! When you want to eat the dinner (in a few weeks on a busy night when you know you won’t have the energy to cook), simply thaw in the refrigerator the day before. Add it into a skillet with a half-cup of cream (if it’s a cream-based pasta) or quarter to a half-cup of water for a tomato-based pasta. You can also use a quarter-cup of water and a quarter-cup of cream if you don’t want to add additional calories to the creamy pasta. Heat until warm on medium heat with a lid on, then divide evenly among plates and enjoy. 

If you’re looking for a new one-pot easy dinner, I hope you’ll give this Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe a try. 

One-Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 8 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breast or the equivalent to 1 & 1/3 pounds
• 3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning divided
• 4 andouille sausage links cut in 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 1 medium onion diced
• 14.5 oz. can organic diced tomatoes
• 1 lb. penne pasta
• 32 oz. chicken stock unsalted
• 8 oz. Neufchâtel cheese (1/3 less fat than cream cheese)
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley minced

Instructions

1. Preheat a large skillet on medium heat. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning on top of the chicken breast, turn over, and sprinkle the remaining seasoning on the chicken breast. Add 1 tablespoon of grapeseed oil in the skillet, followed by the chicken breast. Cook for 5 minutes. While the chicken cooks, slice the andouille sausage into half-inch thick pieces. Remove the lid, turn the chicken breast, add in the andouille sausage, and cook for an additional 5 minutes with the lid on.
   
   
2. Remove the chicken and andouille sausage from the sauté pan. Add in the onion and salted butter. Cook for 2 minutes until the onion starts to become golden in color. Next, add in the canned tomatoes and the penne pasta. Mix well. Then, pour the container of chicken stock into the pan.
   
   
3. Next, place the burner on high heat and bring to a boil with the lid on. Set a timer for 12 minutes. Once the pasta has come to a boil, lower to medium heat. Stir at the halfway point.
   
   
4. While the pasta cooks, slice the chicken breast and set to the side.
   
   
5. Once the pasta is done cooking and most of the liquid has absorbed, turn the heat off. Add in the Neufchâtel cheese and sprinkle in the remaining 1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning. Mix until creamy and combined. Then, add in the chicken and andouille sausage as well as the freshly chopped parsley. Divide evenly among plates and enjoy.