This Cajun blackened chicken pasta recipe is easy, quick, and ready in 25 minutes. If you like Alfredo, you'll love this blackened chicken and pasta made with penne because it is creamy, rich, flavorful, delicious, and perfect for a weeknight or weekend meal.
If you’re looking for a recipe that’s as delicious as it is nutritious, this is it! It will be the star of the show on your dinner table, and there’s always room for tasty side dishes like pan fried carrots, roasted vegetables, caesar salad, or garlic bread.
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Why This Blackened Chicken Pasta Recipe Works
Quick & Easy- This cajun blackened chicken pasta recipe is made in simple steps and ready in under 30 minutes.
Few Ingredients- The ingredient list is few and easily accessible you probably have them all in your pantry.
Versatile - This recipe for blackened chicken pasta is versatile and can be adjusted to suit your taste. You can adjust the pepper, add veggies, and substitute some of the ingredients.
Flavorful - If you’re a fan of fettuccine alfredo, you’ll love this creamy blackened chicken pasta. It combines heavy cream, onion, garlic, parmesan and of course chicken for a mouthwatering pasta meal.
Budget-friendly- You get fine dining quality in the comfort of your home without the heavy price tag. This cajun pasta with blackened chicken is an inexpensive dish that will feed more for less.
Related pasta recipes - Spicy pasta, Curry chicken pasta
Ingredients
Here is a list of what you will need to make blackened chicken pasta:
Chicken breasts- I used boneless skinless chicken breasts.
Pasta - I have used penne for this recipe but you can use another type like rigatoni, fettuccine, or spaghetti.
Blackening seasoning - Use store-bought or simply make yours at home. Here is my homemade blackening seasoning recipe.
Onion- Brown, white, or yellow onion works fine.
Garlic - fresh is best, but you can use pre-minced if necessary.
Heavy cream- This can be substituted for single cream or coconut milk.
Parmesan
Olive oil
Salt - This is to bring out the taste.
Pepper- Black pepper or cayenne works fine. Adjust to how spicy you want the food.
Parsley
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Blackened Chicken Pasta- Step By Step Instructions
Here's a step by step instructions on how to make it:
Step 1- Pat the chicken breasts dry and season with half of the blackened seasoning on both sides.
Step 2- Place a large skillet on medium-high heat, add olive oil, and let it heat up before adding the chicken. Blacken chicken breasts on both sides and cook until completely cooked through, about 4 minutes per side depending on the thickness. once cooked, transfer them to a plate and let them rest for 5 minutes before slicing or cutting as desired
Step 3- Place the skillet used to cook the chicken back on low heat, add the chopped onions, and saute until the onions are translucent. Add in garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
Step 4- Add the tomato paste, the rest of the blackened seasoning, and salt. Stir and fry for 1-2 minutes.
Step 5- While the sauce is cooking, boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve a ¼ cup of pasta water, drain, and set pasta aside.
Step 6- Add heavy cream and parmesan to the skillet. Cook until the cheese has melted and a saucy consistency begins to form.
Step 7- Add the pasta water and the boiled pasta to the sauce.
Step 8- Stir till the pasta and blackened sauce are well combined then add the blackened chicken back to the pot.
9: Garnish with parsley (optional)
Take off the heat. Serve and enjoy.
Variations/Substitutions
- Add veggies- You can add veggies like carrots, peas, spinach, or any quick-cooking vegetables. Add this just before adding heavy cream.
- Heavy Cream can be substituted for cream cheese. Just add pasta water for a creamy, silky sauce.
- Gluten-free pasta can be used in place of the regular one.
- Lemon juice- Squeeze in some lemon juice to intensify the flavor. yum!
Serving Suggestion
It is a main meal that is filling and can be paired with sides like the below recommended:
Veggies- Pan fried vegetables, Sauteed frozen peas, boiled broccoli, pan fried carrots, Instant pot carrots.
Bread- Garlic bread, quick bread, bread rolls, soft bread
Salad- Cucumber tomato salad, tomato salad, coleslaw, kale salad.
Expert Tips
- You can slice the chicken breast into cutlets or pound it into thinner pieces to reduce the cooking time of the chicken.
- Let the pan be heated before adding chicken to get a nice char and blackened chicken!
- Let the chicken rest for a few minutes after pan-frying before cutting it.
- Don't wash the skillet after cooking the chicken. Scrape the brown bits with the onions and into the sauce.
- Don’t overcook the pasta as it will continue cooking when added to the sauce. Cook Aldente according to the package instructions.
- Feel free to add additional seasonings to suit your taste!
- Add pasta water to thin the sauce if need be.
Recipe FAQS
Absolutely! You can air fry or oven bake the chicken if you prefer. Make sure you season it generously with the blackening seasoning first and cook on high heat to get the char on the outer.
This recipe serves 4. Cook it for the family or make it just for yourself and store leftovers to eat during the week.
This takes about 8-10 minutes (4-5 minutes on each side). Cook it until the internal temperature is at least 165F.
Storage and Reheating
To store leftover creamy blackened chicken pasta, transfer it to an airtight container, label it, and store it in the fridge for up to three days. You can also freeze it if you don't plan on eating it within 3 days. Just pack in a freezer-safe airtight container, and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To reheat the pasta, splash a little bit of water or milk on it and microwave it on high settings for 2-3 minutes or until it's heated through.
More Chicken Pasta Recipes
Check out these other chicken pasta recipes we love:
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Recipe
Blackened Chicken Pasta Recipe
Equipment
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 300 g Boneless chicken breast
- 350 g Pasta penne, rigatoni, linguine, fettucine, or any of your choice.
- 1.5 tablespoon Blackening seasoning
- 250 ml Heavy cream
- 1 small Onion chopped
- 3-4 cloves Garlic minced
- ¼ cup Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon Tomato puree/ paste
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Pat the chicken breasts dry and season with half of the blackened seasoning on both sides.
- Place a large skillet on medium-high heat, add olive oil, and let it heat up before adding the chicken. Blacken chicken breasts on both sides and cook until completely cooked through, about 4 minutes per side depending on the thickness. once cooked, transfer them to a plate and let them rest for 5 minutes before slicing or cutting as desired.
- Place the skillet used to cook the chicken back on low heat, add the chopped onions, and saute until the onions are translucent. Add in garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato paste, the rest of the blackened seasoning, and salt. Stir and fry for 1-2 minutes.
- While the sauce is cooking, boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve a ¼ cup of pasta water, drain, and set pasta aside.
- Add heavy cream and parmesan to the skillet. Cook until the cheese has melted and a saucy consistency begins to form.
- Add the pasta water and the boiled pasta to the sauce.
- Stir till the pasta and blackened sauce are well combined then add the blackened chicken back to the pot.
- Garnish with parsley (optional)
- Take off heat and Serve.
Notes
- You can slice the chicken breast into cutlets or pound into thinner pieces to reduce the cooking time of the chicken.
- Let the pan be heated before adding chicken to get a nice char and blackened chicken!
- Let the chicken rest for a few minutes after pan-frying before cutting it.
- Don't wash the skillet after cooking the chicken. Scrape the brown bits with the onions and into the sauce.
- Don’t overcook the pasta as it will continue cooking when added to the sauce. Cook Aldente according to the package instructions.
- Feel free to add additional seasonings to suit your taste!
- Add pasta water to thin the sauce if need be.
Nutrition
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