Bring bold southern flavor to your table with this Crispy Cajun Chicken and Pasta. Crispy spice-encrusted chicken pairs perfectly with a creamy, spicy pasta in this restaurant quality dinner that’s easy to make at home.
For another favorite Cajun inspired recipe, try this Cajun Sausage Pasta.
My husband is a red meat kind of guy. Specifically steak. If I want to make him a special dinner, it’s going to be steak.
And while he never complains about what I make, I really wasn’t prepared for how much he loved this Crispy Cajun Chicken and Pasta. He said multiple times that this is the best thing that I have made. Which I thought was a pretty big deal.
But I do have to agree – this is pretty darn tasty. It’s a restaurant quality dish for a fraction of the cost, so it’s great for date night at home. Or for when you want to make your significant other really happy.
Ingredients
- Chicken: You need 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Try to make sure they are close to the same size for even cooking. I like to use breasts that are between 10 and 12 ounces each.
- Buttermilk: This is for coating the chicken before it gets coated in breadcrumbs. So it kind of acts as a glue.
- Hot Sauce: Use whatever hot sauce you’d like. I used tabasco, but I think Franks red hot would be great, as well.
- Cajun Seasoning: I like to use my homemade Cajun seasoning. By making the mix yourself, you can control how spicy it is. If you are using a store bought mix, you may need to add more or less, depending on how potent it is.
- Breadcrumbs: I prefer using panko breadcrumbs, because I like the texture. You can also use regular breadcrumbs if that is what you prefer.
- Oil: You will need a neutral oil that is good for frying. You could use vegetable or canola oil, but I prefer avocado oil.
- Pasta: A short cut pasta will work best. I found this fun spiral shape, but you can use any shape you’d like.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter.
- Vegetables: You will need diced onion, as well as diced bell pepper. I prefer red bell pepper, but you could sub in another color. You will also need garlic.
- Flour: The flour just helps to thicken up the sauce. I use all-purpose flour.
- Cream: This is heavy whipping cream.
- Milk: I also thin down the sauce and cut though some of the richness with milk. I use 2% milk.
How to Make Crispy Cajun Chicken and Pasta
STEP 1: Take each of the chicken breasts and cut them in half horizontally. This will give you 4 servings.
STEP 2: Take each piece of chicken and pound it to an even thickness. I like to place a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken, then use a mallet to pound it.
STEP 3: Combine your wet ingredients in a shallow dish, and your dry ingredients in a second dish. Take each piece of chicken and dip it in the wet ingredients.
STEP 4: Then dip the chicken in the dry ingredients. You want to make sure the chicken is fully coated.
STEP 5: Heat the oil in a skillet and, working with 2 pieces of chicken at a time, cook until browned, then flip and cook until the chicken is cooked through.
STEP 6: Once the chicken is done, remove the oil from the skillet. Melt the butter, then sauté the onions and peppers until soft. Then stir in the garlic.
STEP 7: Add the flour and spice mix and cook for a minute, then mix in the cream and milk. Cook this all together until the sauce is thickened.
STEP 8: Add your cooked pasta into the sauce. To serve, add one fourth of the pasta to each plate, then top with a sliced chicken breast.
Tips and Tricks
This is best served right away, to keep the chicken crispy, but the leftovers are actually pretty decent. You don’t have the crispiness in the chicken, but the flavors are still great.
It’s easy to adjust the spice level by using more or less Cajun seasoning. And don’t forget, some store bought blends have a lot more heat than others.
You can also forgo the pasta and serve the chicken over a salad or as a sandwich.
More Crispy Chicken Dinners
Bruschetta Chicken
Pretzel Crusted Chicken
Crunchy Mayo Chicken
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Crispy Cajun Chicken and Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (10-12 oz each)
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoon hot sauce
- 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning divided
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup neutral oil (I used avocado oil)
- 8 oz short cut pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 small red bell pepper diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to the lowest temperature it will go. (This will just be for keeping the chicken warm once it is cooked.)
- Take each of the chicken breasts and cut them in half horizontally, forming 4 total pieces of chicken. Use a meat mallet to pound them to an even thickness.2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- In a shallow dish, whisk together the buttermilk, hot sauce, and 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning.1/2 cup buttermilk, 2 tablespoon hot sauce, 1.01 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
- In another shallow dish, mix the panko breadcrumbs and 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning and the salt.1 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.1/4 cup neutral oil
- Working with two of the pieces of chicken at a time, dip the chicken in the buttermilk mixture, then dip in the breadcrumbs, coating fully. Place the chicken into the hot pan.
- Cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes, then flip and cook the second side.
- Place the chicken on a cooling rack over a baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm.
- Repeat with the remaining two pieces of chicken.
- While the chicken is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously, then add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and reserve.8 oz short cut pasta
- Once all of the chicken is done, drain off any remaining oil from the skillet.
- Add the butter to the same skillet and let it melt. Once melted, add the onion and red bell pepper and sauté, cooking until soft. Add in the garlic and let it cook for another 30 seconds.2 tablespoons butter, 1 medium onion, 1 small red bell pepper, 4 cloves garlic
- Sprinkle in the flour and the remaining 1 tablespoon of cajun seasoning. Stir for a minute or two.1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
- Pour in the cream and the milk and continue to cook, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened.2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1 cup milk
- Once thickened, add in the drained pasta and stir to combine. Taste, and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
- To serve, cut the chicken into slices and serve over a bed of pasta.
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