This Cajun Chicken Chickpea Pasta recipe is a perfect weeknight dinner that tastes amazing and will leave you feeling light and energized! This post is sponsored by Barilla® Chickpea Rotini pasta which is the star of the dish because it’s made with one simple ingredient – Chickpeas! The Barilla® Chickpea Rotini pasta has been crafted with 140 years of expertise and pairs well with the rich flavor of the Cajun seasoning combined with a lightened-up cream sauce gives this dish great depth of flavor. This meal can be made in less than 30 minutes, which makes it ideal for busy families on the go.
I’m always looking for ways to “lighten up” dishes. This Lightened Up Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe is a perfect example of just that! It’s flavorful, light, and easy enough for any night of the week. Grab some Barilla® Chickpea Rotini, chicken, fresh bell peppers, basil, green onion. Cajun seasoning then you’re ready just about ready to get cooking. I made this dish for my family last night (rave reviews!) and we even had leftovers for lunch today!
Ingredients
Before starting this recipe, you’ll want to verify that you have the following ingredients. We picked up ours from Stop & Shop.
- Barilla® Chickpea Rotini – 8.8 ounces (or Barilla regular rotini)
- white meat chicken
- olive oil
- Cajun spice *see below for homemade recipe
- salt & black pepper
- yellow onion
- yellow bell pepper
- red bell pepper
- green onion
- basil
- garlic
- milk
- cream cheese
- chicken broth
- Parmesan cheese
Barilla® Chickpea Pasta
Barilla® leverages over 140 years of expertise to create pasta with one simple ingredient – chickpea or red lentil flour. The taste is delicious and cooks perfectly “al dente” every time while providing a good source of protein, excellent for your fiber content, all in an amazingly versatile grain-free product!
We love their Chickpea Pasta because it is gluten-free, non-GMO Project Verified, and made with one simple ingredient you can actually pronounce -chickpea flour! We love that both their Chickpea and Red Lentil legume pasta is versatile and can be used for a variety of recipes, including traditional Italian.
You will need one box for this recipe which gives a perfect chicken to pasta ratio.
Equipment and Supplies Needed
We used the following equipment and supplies to make this recipe. Items that are optional or can be substituted will be noted.
- Large, deep-walled skillet – to prepare this meal in.
- 5-quart stock pot – to boil the pasta until al dente.
- Cutting board & knife – to prepare the vegetables.
- Wooden spoon – to stir the ingredients in the skillet.
- Measuring cups & spoons – to measure out ingredients.
Recipe Tips
This recipe is easy to make if you know the right tips and tricks! Here are my tips for ensuring your Cajun Chicken Pasta comes out perfectly.
- Milk – We used whole milk to save some calories, however heavy cream, half and half, and even lower fat content milks like skim can be used.
- Cream Cheese – We used 2 ounces of cream cheese, but for a richer sauce you can use 4 ounces.
- Broth – If you prefer to skip the milk, you can double the chicken broth to two cups total.
- Butter – Butter can be used to pan fry the chicken, and vegetables in lieu of olive oil
- Chicken – Make sure to add the pan-fried chicken at the very end right before the cheese or it will boil off the seasoning.
Homemade Cajun Seasoning
Creating your own Cajun seasoning is a great way to keep the cost of cooking down. I always have my ingredients on hand, so it’s easy for me to whip up a batch whenever I need one. It’s also perfect if you’re allergic to certain seasonings or want more control over what goes in your food!
So here’s how you make homemade Cajun seasoning:
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt (or less, depending on taste)
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Storage
If you want to store your Cajun Chicken Pasta, just follow these easy steps.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat any leftovers in the microwave until warmed throughout.
Recipe
Follow the recipe below to make Cajun Chicken Chickpea Pasta! This recipe makes 6 hearty SERVINGS, but you can adjust the recipe card for other serving sizes.
Lightened Up Cajun Chicken Pasta
Equipment
- 5 quart stock pot
- Large, deep-walled skillet
- cutting board & knife
- Wooden Spoon
- Measuring Cups & spoons
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 8.8 ounces Barilla® Chickpea Pasta cooked al dente
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 pound white meat chicken cubed
- 1½ tablespoons Cajun seasoning *see notes for homemade version
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 3 cloves fresh garlic pressed
- ¼ cup green onion sliced
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup chicken broth low sodium style
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tablespoons basil chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add Barilla® Chickpea pasta and cook until al dente. Drain out the water, and set it aside.
- In a large skillet, add half the olive oil, and chicken cubes. Season chicken with half the Cajun spice, salt, and pepper and cook until chicken is browned and clear juices run freely. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and set it aside.
- Add remaining oil, peppers, and onions to the pan; season them with the other half the Cajun spices. Cook them until tender. Stir in the milk, and broth and mix. Add the cream cheese, and whisk until smooth and no longer lumpy. Bring the sauce to a simmer before adding the drained pasta to the skillet.
- Add the Parmesan, and stir to combine. Add in the chicken and stir to combine.
- Sprinkle the top of the dish with basil before serving.
Notes
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt (or less, depending on taste)
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Made it DF using co. Milk and co. Cream instead of cream cheese. And used violife vegan mozzarella cheese. Made it NIGHTSHADE free by swapping peppers with baby Bella mushroom. I also added garlic. It was very very good. It felt like real Italian pasta which I haven’t had the sensation of eating since I started the autoimmune diet four years ago. So good I made it twice in one week. Cheers