Creamy Cajun Spaghetti with Chicken
This Creamy Cajun Spaghetti is packed with flavor, spice and it's super easy to make! Spaghetti, chicken, veggies, and lots of yummy spices are tossed in an addicting cream sauce that has just the right amount of spice! The best part is, it's ready in about 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 12 oz spaghetti
- 1 lb. chicken breast, cut into small pieces or chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1-2 cups bell peppers, chopped red, green or both!
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced the best garlic chopper
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp Cajun Seasoning or Creole seasoning, See Note 1
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika, divided
- 1 1/2 tbsp flour
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tsp onion powder
- red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese, green onions, black pepper to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta to al dente according to package directions.
- In a small bowl, toss chicken with 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add seasoned chicken and cook 3-4 minutes. Remove cooked chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- Add a little more olive oil to the pan if needed. Add onion and bell peppers to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of flour over the cooked veggies. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add heavy cream, chicken stock and Parmesan cheese. Simmer over medium heat, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes until sauce is thickened and coats the back of a spoon. If sauce clumps at all, simply use a whisk to break up the clumps.
- Season the sauce with remaining 1 tsp cajun seasoning, 1 tsp smoked paprika and 1 tsp onion powder. Taste, and add salt and more seasoning if necessary. Remember the cajun seasoning will have salt already in it, so make sure you taste to see if additional salt is needed!
- Add the chicken to the sauce, along with the spaghetti and toss, toss, toss until pasta is completely coated in the sauce and everything is heated through. Garnish with more cajun seasoning, green onions, fresh ground pepper and red pepper flakes, if you like!
Notes
Note 1: Cajun seasoning tends to be spicier while creole seasoning has more flavorful SPICES, but isn't really all that SPICY. Both are delicious and can be used interchangeably in this recipe. I recently found these Shawty with the Spices Seasonings online and their Creole seasoning is fantastic! Tony's is also my other go-to and can be found in most grocery stores.
Nutrition information is only an estimate. Info is based on the Very Well Fit Nutrition Calculator.
Nutrition
Calories: 662kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 43gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 154mgSodium: 471mgPotassium: 732mgFiber: 3.6gSugar: 5.4gVitamin D: 23µgCalcium: 304mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!