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This creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta will become your new favorite high protein dish. Made in under 30 minutes with simple ingredients, this low calorie healthy recipe is perfect for quick weeknight dinners and meal prepping.
If you’re looking for more protein-packed pasta dishes, you should also try my cottage cheese Alfredo, my Tuscan chicken pasta and my high protein mac and cheese. But only after this extra creamy, smoky and spicy chicken cajun noodles recipe.
Healthy cajun chicken pasta
This easy cajun chicken pasta serves the perfect macro-friendly lunch or dinner. One serving provides over 35 grams of protein for just 405 calories, and you can easily adapt it for both muscle building and weight loss diets.
The best part? It’s so rich, creamy and packed with smoky flavors that you won’t ever guess it is also good for the diet. My recipe swaps cream cheese or heavy cream for whipped cottage cheese and uses whole grain pasta instead of white noodles. To make the dish as flavorful as possible, chicken breast is seasoned with a simple homemade cajun spice mix. That’s it, in under 30 minutes you’ll get a restaurant-style meal for you or your family, and your weekly meal prep.
Ingredients
Here’s an overview of the ingredients, along with more tips and details. You can find precise quantities both in grams and US measurements in the recipe card at the end.
- Pasta. I recommend short pasta such as penne, ziti, rigatoni or fusilli. Spaghetti, fettuccine and linguine are also great, especially if making cajun chicken Alfredo. Use whole-grain or gluten-free noodles, if necessary.
- Chicken breast. Start with boneless and skinless chicken breast, preferably from free range chickens. It must be uncooked, so leftover or rotisserie chicken is not suitable.
- Vegetables. This simply recipe uses red bell pepper and red onion, but you can easily include diced tomatoes, fire roasted tomatoes, fresh spinach or broccoli.
- Milk. Use semi-skimmed or skimmed dairy milk, or replace with unsweetened plant based milk if necessary. Unsweetened soy milk is a great option, low calorie and high protein.
- Blended cottage cheese. Whipped cottage cheese is my secret ingredient. It offers a low fat, low calorie alternative to cream cheese while adding a savory flavor and more protein. Replace with 5% Greek yogurt or light cream cheese (such as Philadelphia), if desired.
- Homemade cajun seasoning. No need to buy cajun spice mix, you are going to make it at home with smoked paprika, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper.
How to make cajun chicken pasta
- Step 1 – Mix spices. In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the homemade cajun seasoning. Set aside for later while preparing the pasta.
- Step 2 – Cook pasta. Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente (slightly firm). Drain and set aside, drizzling with olive oil to prevent sticking. Reserve some of the pasta water for later.
- Step 3 – Season chicken. Cut chicken breast into cubes and place in a bowl. Season with ½ of the homemade cajun seasoning.
- Step 4 – Cook chicken. Heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. When hot, add seasoned chicken and cook through on both sides, until tender. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and transfer to a bowl. Set aside for later.
- Step 5 – Sauté veggies. In the same pan where you cooked the chicken, add sliced onion and sliced red bell pepper. Sauté for 1 – 2 minutes.
- Step 6 – Prep sauce. Add to the sautéd vegetables the milk, the pasta water and the remaining cajun seasoning. Give it a stir, then cover with a lid. Simmer on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Step 6 – Assemble. Remove the lid and add to the skillet cooked chicken, cooked pasta, blended cottage cheese (or cream cheese) and the remaining olive oil. Stir to combine and remove from the heat. Before serving, adjust with more salt, pepper and cayenne pepper if necessary.
Recipe variations
- Higher protein. You can add more protein by combining cajun chicken and pasta with shrimp, sausage, diced ham or lean bacon. For the highest protein chicken pasta, use chickpea pasta or edamame pasta.
- Low carb. Replace regular pasta with low carb noodles such as chickpea pasta, edamame pasta, red lentil penne or zucchini noodles. This makes it also suitable for gluten-free diets.
- Dairy-free. Substitute cottage cheese with nondairy cream cheese and use unsweetened soy milk for the sauce.
- One pot. To make one pot chicken cajun pasta, cook the noodles in the same skillet with the vegetables. Once the chicken is ready, remove it from the pan and then add onion, bell pepper and dry pasta. Cover the ingredients with low sodium vegetable broth and milk, then cook until the pasta is ready. Stir in chicken, blended cottage cheese, seasonings and enjoy.
- Extra spicy. When making the seasoning, be generous with cayenne pepper. I recommend ¼ teaspoon, but you can easily add up to ⅓ or ½ teaspoon.
Additionally, you can also tweak this recipe to make it higher or lower in calories. If you are trying to build muscle, either have two pasta servings or use more high calorie foods such as olive oil. If your goal is to lose weight, consider reducing serving sizes or choose nonfat milk and cottage cheese.
Chef tips
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Drain and rinse the noodles when they are still slightly hard, the pasta will cook further and get softer once stirred into the creamy cajun chicken.
- Adjust the spiciness level to your likings. If you prefer a milder flavor use less cayenne pepper, or add more for a spicier dish.
- Include more vegetables. Feel free to sauté bell pepper and onion with other veggies such as diced tomatoes, baby spinach, broccolini or cauliflower.
- Make it cheesy. Stir in the sauce 3 – 4 tablespoons of your favorite cheese, such as low-fat shredded cheddar, shredded mozzarella, or grated Parmesan cheese.
Meal prep and storage
Once cool, place leftovers in an airtight food container or in individual meal prep lunch boxes and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for 1 – 2 minutes or in a hot skillet with little olive oil.
Freezing creamy pasta dishes is not recommended, as dairy does not hold well. But if you are meal prepping ahead of time or have extra leftovers, you can freeze them in an airtight container for as long as 3 months. To reheat, allow to thaw overnight and then microwave or re-warm in a skillet.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on how much cayenne pepper you add and the strength of the paprika you use. Cajun pasta dishes can range from mild to spicy, so adjust the heat level to your preferences.
This dish pairs with a variety of sides. For a healthier meal, serve it with spinach salad, cucumber tomatoes salad, air fryer Brussels sprouts, or a spicy Mexican street corn salad. For added protein, serve alongside baked chicken wings or air fryer chicken tenders. And don’t forget to soak up the smoky sauce with protein bread or oat bread.
More high protein pasta dishes
- Tuscan chicken pasta
- Salmon pasta
- Cottage cheese Alfredo
- Tuna pasta salad
- Chicken spinach pasta
- Protein mac and cheese
- Pesto chicken pasta
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken pasta
- ½ lb (225 g) penne pasta, uncooked
- 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb (450 g) chicken breast, boneless and skinless
- 1 ½ medium red bell pepper, sliced
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup (120 ml) semi-skimmed milk, replace with unsweetened milk of choice
- 3 tbsp pasta water
- ⅓ cup (80 g) blended cottage cheese, replace with cream cheese or 5% Greek yogurt
Cajun seasoning
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp oregano
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ⅓ tsp kosher salt, or more to taste
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, or more for spicier pasta
- cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Prepare cajun seasoning
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the homemade cajun seasoning. Set aside for later.
Make chicken pasta
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente (slightly firm). Drain and set aside, drizzling with olive oil to prevent sticking. Reserve some of the pasta water for later.
- Cut chicken breast into cubes and place in a bowl. Season with ½ of the homemade cajun seasoning.
- Heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. When hot, add seasoned chicken and cook through on both sides, until tender.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and transfer to a bowl. Set aside for later.
- In the same pan where you cooked the chicken, add sliced onion and sliced red bell pepper. Sauté for 1 – 2 minutes.
- Add to the sautéd vegetables the milk, the pasta water and the remaining cajun seasoning. Give it a stir and then cover with a lid. Simmer on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid and add to the skillet cooked chicken, cooked pasta, blended cottage cheese (or cream cheese) and the remaining olive oil. Stir to combine, then remove it from the heat. Adjust with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper if necessary.
- Serve warm or store for later.
Notes
Common substitutions
- Pasta – Substitute with garbanzo bean noodles, lentil pasta or edamame pasta for a higher protein dish with no gluten.
- Milk – Use nondairy milk alternatives, such as unsweetened soy milk or unsweetened and unflavored almond milk.
- Blended cottage cheese – Replace with low fat cream cheese, 5% Greek yogurt or nondairy cream cheese.
