After I made this amazing Italian Chicken Pasta recipe, I wanted to try a different combination of spices and also add sausage to the dish. Cajun Chicken Pasta with Sausage just seemed like a natural choice.
Smoked sausage and chicken combination is sooo good here!
A FEW THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN MAKING CAJUN CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE PASTA
Brown whole chicken breasts without cutting them first to ensure nice color on the chicken.
It’s easier and less messy to slice chicken when it’s cooked rathe than raw. Once browned, remove it from pan and slice into strips.
Next, sausage is browned in the same pan. Sausage should be sliced before cooking and it I recommend to slice it thinly.
Remove cooked sausage from the pan as well. When I removed it, I put it next to my chicken on the same plate.
After the sausage is cooked, add sliced mushrooms and brown for about 5 more minutes. Once cooked, mushrooms should be removed from the pan to make room for sauce.
HOW TO MAKE CREAMY CAJUN SAUCE:
Simply add chicken broth, heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce and bring to a slight simmer. Add all your seasoning: Cajun (or Creole) seasoning, Paprika and Garlic powder.
Heavy cream can be substituted with half and half to lighten up the Cajun sauce.
And finally add grated Parmesan cheese to thicken the sauce. Taste the creamy Cajun sauce and add salt to your liking.
Lastly, add cooked pasta into the sauce and stir well to coat pasta with the cream sauce. Taste it at this point and adjust any seasoning (salt and Cajun seasoning).
Once pasta is mixed in with the sauce, add back sliced chicken, sausage chunks and mushrooms. Reheat the dish on low heat.
This amazing and delicious pasta dish is done! Enjoy this Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta with a glass of wine!
WHAT GOES WELL WITH CAJUN CHICKEN PASTA?
It’s perfectly delicious to eat this creamy Cajun Chicken recipe without anything on the side, it’s a great stand alone meal. However, you might also enjoy it with Tomato and Pomegranate Arugula Salad, Warm Quinoa and Brussels Sprout Salad or Cranberry Walnut and Spinach Salad in Honey Mustard Vinaigrette.
How about Buttery Mashed Potato Pie – use this Cajun chicken sauce leftovers on top of the mashed potatoes!
CAN I MAKE CAJUN CHICKEN PASTA IN ADVANCE?
Prepare everything except for the pasta, and then to cook the pasta fresh when you are ready to serve and add it to your other ingredients after re-heating them.
Keep your Cajun Chicken Pasta refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to enjoy.
- 3 Tbsp butter (divided)
- 1 lb. chicken breasts
- 6 oz. smoked sausage (sliced into 1/4 inch pieces)
- 8 oz. baby Bella mushrooms (sliced)
- Cajun seasoning to taste
- Italian seasoning to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
- sea salt (to taste)
- 8 oz. penne pasta
- Boil pasta in salty water according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Generously season chicken with salt, pepper, Cajun and Italian seasonings. Do not slice it yet – you will be cooking it whole. Slice sausage into 1/4 inch circles and slice mushrooms.
- In a large skillet, add 1 tbsp butter and melt it over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add whole chicken breasts and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side until browned for a total of 8-10 minutes. Remove chicken onto a plate and slice into strips.
- Add sliced sausage pieces and brown them on medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side until darker in color around the edges. Remove from the skillet onto a plate.
- Deglaze the pan with a splash of water and add 2nd tbsp of butter and sliced mushrooms into the skillet (add more butter as well, if needed). Saute until your mushrooms should look nice and moist, and dark. Once cooked, remove them from the pan as well.
- To make the sauce, add remaining 1 tbsp butter to the pan, allow it to melt and then cook garlic in it until slightly browned – only for a couple of minutes. Next add chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce and heavy cream and bring to a light simmer. Add Cajun seasoning, paprika and garlic powder and mix into the sauce.
- Add Parmesan cheese and whisk to blend for 2-3 minutes to thicken the sauce. Taste the sauce and add salt to taste.
- Add cooked pasta into the sauce and mix in well. Next add the chicken, sausage and mushrooms back into the pan and allow them to reheat for 2-3 minutes. Close the lid to help the heat stay in. Serve immediately!