Chili’s Cajun Chicken Pasta Copycat Recipe
Enjoy this easy dinner recipe for Chili’s Cajun Chicken Pasta!
This is a great copycat recipe for Chili’s Cajun Chicken Pasta. And definitely one of our favorite pasta recipes! If you get the pasta, chicken, and sauce all cooking at the same time, you can whip up this delicious meal in around 30 minutes.
My husband really likes the Cajun Chicken Pasta at Chili’s, so this is an exciting copycat recipe for him. And it does not disappoint! Every time I serve Cajun chicken pasta, he proclaims that it is one of his favorite homemade dinners.
If the chicken breasts are thick, I definitely recommend pounding them down to about 1-inch thickness. It helps the chicken to cook more quickly and evenly. Stick them in a large bag, pound them down, then add the Cajun seasoning.
Note that some brands of Cajun seasoning may be spicier than others. Feel free to add less seasoning or whatever works best for you in that regard.
As far as the pasta goes, I like to be able to just dump the whole box in a large pot of boiling water. That’s why I have a range for pasta amount in the recipe. I often use a box of penne that is 14.5 ounces, but weight may vary with brand and variety.
The yield and number of servings will also vary depending on the amount of pasta you use.
Stir the cooked pasta and sauce together. Top the pasta with a few slices of Cajun chicken. Sprinkle fresh diced tomato and chopped green onions over the top. Finish it off with shredded Parmesan cheese. Love the fresh tomato on there!
Delicious and inexpensive! I will definitely be making this Cajun chicken pasta again!
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Chili's Cajun Chicken Pasta Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 to 14.5 ounces penne pasta
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts about 2 breasts
- 4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups milk
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ½ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Topping:
- 2 tomatoes diced
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 4 green onions sliced
Instructions
- Cook penne pasta according to directions on the box. Drain pasta and set aside.
- Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towel, then place in a large resealable plastic bag. If the meat is thick, pound it down to about 1-inch thickness. Add the Cajun seasoning to the bag, seal bag, and shake thoroughly until chicken is evenly coated.
- In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add chicken to skillet, turning occasionally until cooked through.
- In a separate skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Evenly sprinkle on the flour and whisk together. Keep whisking for another 5 minutes or so.
- Slowly whisk in the milk, about 1 cup at a time. Add the cream cheese. Cook, whisking often, until it is uniform and reaches your desired consistency, about 5-10 minutes. (It will thicken a bit more when removed from heat.)
- Stir in the lemon pepper, salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Pour cream sauce over cooked noodles or just add the pasta to the skillet with the sauce.
- Slice chicken breasts into strips. Serve pasta on serving plates, top with chicken breast strips, and sprinkle on diced tomatoes, green onions, and Parmesan cheese.
Let me just start of by saying, I can’t express how GREAT this recipe is. It taste exactly (even better than I remembered) like chilis Cajun chicken pasta. My husband and I are definitely adding this to our weekly or biweekly routine. SO GOOD.
Thank you for your comment! My husband was just saying the other day how he wants to make this again soon. 😉 I’m glad you like it!
My family loved it! My daughter would is pregnant, loves Chilis shrimp pasta. So do I. This was simple to make and taste great! Thanks for sharing this recipe. 👍
Wonderful! Thank you for your comment, Terrie. Glad your family loved it!
Cant wait to try this recipe tomorrow however, they dont know heavy cream or parmesean cheese for the alfredo sauce?
Correct. This particular sauce recipe doesn’t call for heavy cream or Parmesan. Hope it turns out awesome for you!