This Cajun chicken pasta takes me back to the 90’s. I feel like there used to be some variation of it on the menu of every casual dining restaurant, but I haven’t had anything like it in years!

The inspiration for this recipe comes from Amy at Fearless Homemaker, who I was paired up with for this month’s Secret Recipe Club. Her photos of this dish looked so amazing that I simply had to make it right away!

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I did end up making some changes though. The original recipe is meant to be cooked in a crock pot. I was planning to do that as well, but then I noticed it only cooks for 4 hours. Since I had been planning to let it cook all day while I was at work, that wasn’t really going to work for me. I cooked mine on the stovetop instead, letting it simmer for about a half hour so all of the flavors could mingle. The original recipe also had a creamier sauce with plain yogurt mixed in. Since my sauce was so hot from the stove, I knew my yogurt would break and curdle so I left it out (actually, I tried tempering it but, as expected, it did in fact seize up on me). With less dairy to balance things out the sauce was pretty spicy, but we liked it a lot. If you’re not a big fan of heat, omit the cayenne pepper and one of the jalapenos.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Name: Cajun Chicken Pasta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces; 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning; 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 onion, sliced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 2 red bell peppers, sliced; 2 jalapeno peppers, sliced; 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes; 14 oz can diced fire-roasted tomatoes; 1/2 cup chicken broth; 1 cup milk; 2 teaspoons cornstarch; 1 pound whole wheat pasta, cooked

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 red bell peppers, sliced
2 jalapeno peppers, sliced
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
14 oz can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pound whole wheat pasta, cooked

Instructions

Place chicken in a large bowl. Add seasonings and toss to coat.
Heat oil in a dutch oven or other large pot set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Cook until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes per side. dd the onion and garlic and cook until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and cook another 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to medium and cook 30 minutes.
Whisk together the milk and cornstarch. Stir into the sauce and simmer 10 minutes.
Serve sauce over pasta.

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Comments

Michelle @ Taste As You Go says
08/22 at 10:22 am

Oh, my! This looks like a perfect fall dish. Can’t wait to try it!

Casey says
07/29 at 8:41 pm

Looks so yummy! Great pictures!!

Janie says
07/29 at 5:17 pm

It sounds mega delicious 🙂 YUM! Happy Reveal Day!

@KarenBurnsBooth says
07/29 at 12:55 pm

What a BRILLIANT recipe Lauren and with my favourite seasonings, Cajun! Karen

Melissa says
07/29 at 12:10 pm

This looks amazing! It looks like a dish that would quickly become a family favorite! Great pick this month 🙂

SallyBR says
07/29 at 11:56 am

I heard that if you add a little bit of cornstarch to yogurt it won’t break, even if you use non-fat. I haven’t tested that yet, but I do have a chicken curry recipe from Fine Cooking that uses this method

at any rate, your recipe seems perfect, I love spicy food when it’s hot outside!

Enjoy your Monday Reveal Day!

Rebekah Rose Hills says
07/29 at 10:55 am

Yumm – looks like that pasta and chicken dish packs a lot of flavor! Great pick!!

moniqueR83 says
07/29 at 9:30 am

looks amazing! I’ve had that issue with yogurt in sauces- sometimes things happen because they were meant to be. This looks great. I had the most gorgeous jalepenos in my CSA last week too. but I stuffed them cheese and it was a wrap after that LOL.

amy donovan says
07/29 at 8:30 am

I like your twists on this dish to make it a stovetop meal instead of a crockpot meal. It is pretty spicy, but I love that about it. =) Your pics look fab! Amy @ Fearless Homemaker

Cajun Chicken Pasta (Secret Recipe Club)

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Ingredients

Instructions

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