Chili’s Copycat Cajun Chicken Pasta Recipe

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Published: April 26, 2022Updated: May 3, 2022Author: Contributor
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I love all things Cajun and this Chili’s copycat Cajun chicken pasta recipe always hits the spot. It has a light and creamy sauce and is topped with freshly diced tomatoes.
Chili’s Copycat Cajun Chicken Pasta Recipe

If you love the pasta at Chili’s then you are going to love this Chili’s copycat cajun chicken pasta recipe. It reminds me exactly of the dish you would get in the restaurant, but at a fraction of the price and can feed your whole family. 

A serving of Chili’s Copycat Cajun Chicken Pasta on a plate

Plus, I don’t know about you, but it can be a chore in itself just trying to get my whole family ready to go out for dinner. Half the time I could have made the dinner itself in the time it took to get everyone in the car. Haha.

So, if you want to skip the restaurant, but not the food, then make this delicious creamy cajun chicken pasta for your family and you will have the best copycat Chili’s recipe. All of my kids enjoy this recipe, since it is a tasty cajun pasta recipe, but they also still get the protein as well. 

If you want to make more than one recipe from Chili’s and make it feel even more like your in the restaurant and have some options, give our Chili’s copycat skillet queso recipe, slow cooker Chili’s steak fajitas recipe a try and end the night with some scrumptious copycat Chili’s molten lava cake. 

A pan of Chili’s Copycat Cajun Chicken Pasta and two servings on plates

Ingredients You’ll Need For Our Chili’s Copycat Cajun Chicken Recipe:

  • Penne pasta
  • Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • Cajun seasoning
  • Flour
  • Butter
  • Half and half
  • Lemon pepper seasoning
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Tomatoes, diced
  • Shredded Parmesan cheese

How To Make Our Chili’s Copycat Cajun Chicken Recipe:

Close up of Chili’s Copycat Cajun Chicken Pasta in a large skillet

When you are ready to make dinner, start boiling water in a large pot and cook the penne pasta according to the directions on the box. 

After the pasta is done cooking, drain it, quickly rinse the pasta, and then set it aside. 

Now, place the chicken breasts in a large ziplock bag and then sprinkle in the cajun seasoning and shake the bag to coat the chicken in the seasoning evenly. 

Then in a large skillet, saute the chicken breasts over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of butter. 

Turn the chicken occasionally to create the perfect crispy, golden brown layer and cook the chicken all the way through (at least 165 degrees fahrenheit).

While the chicken is cooking, in another skillet whisk together 1 tablespoon of flour with 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat to create a roux. 

After the butter and flour have mixed together, combine the half and half, lemon pepper, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and continue cooking it over medium heat, stirring it occasionally. 

When the cream mixture starts to bubble, remove the skillet from the heat. 

Now it is time to serve it all together. Pour the sauce over top of the noodles, and then slice the chicken breasts into strips and put it on top of the pasta. 

A pan of Chili’s Copycat Cajun Chicken Pasta

Then top the pasta with diced tomatoes and shredded Parmesan cheese, serve, and enjoy!

To Make This Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta You Will Need:

  1. Large pot
  2. Skillet (2) (THESE work great!)
  3. Whisk
  4. Slotted spoon
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Great Half and Half Substitutes

It happens to everyone, you think you have an ingredient, and you go to reach for it and it’s not there. I have done that more than once with half and half. 

So, it is good to know what you might be able to use in place of half in half if you happen to be out of it, it is spoiled, or even if you don’t like to use half and half. Food 52 has a wonderful list of 4 easy substitutes for half and half that you can check out when you find yourself in a pinch!

Looking for more Copycat Recipes? Try this Homemade Ground Beef Cruchwrap Supreme!

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Enjoy These Wonderful Sides With This Cajun Pasta Recipe!

  1. Spring Salad with Homemade Lemon Poppyseed Dressing Recipe
  2. Twisted Cheese Breadsticks Recipe
  3. Olive Garden Breadsticks Copycat Recipe
  4. How to Make Instant Pot Green Beans
  5. Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots Recipe
Serves: 4

Chili’s Copycat Cajun Chicken Pasta Recipe

This Chili's Copycat Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe is a family favorite at our house. A little spicy, and lot delicious and easy to make!
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Print Pin

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces penne pasta
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 4 teaspoons cajun seasoning
  • 1 Tablespoon flour
  • 4 Tablespoons butter divided
  • 3 cups half and half
  • ½ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 tomatoes diced
  • ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Cook penne pasta according to directions on the box. Drain pasta and set aside. 
  • Place chicken breasts in a resealable plastic bag and sprinkle in cajun seasoning.  Reseal bag and shake thoroughly until chicken is evenly coated. 
  • In a large skillet, saute chicken breasts over medium heat in 2 Tablespoons of butter, turning occasionally until cooked through. 
  • While the chicken is cooking, in another skillet whisk together 1 tablespoon of flour with 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat to create a roux.
  • After the butter and flour have mixed together, combine the half and half, lemon pepper, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and continue cooking it over medium heat, stirring it occasionally.
  • Remove from heat when cream mixture starts to bubble. 
  • Pour cream sauce over cooked noodles. Slice chicken breasts into strips. 
  • Serve pasta on serving plates.
  • Top with chicken breast strips, and sprinkle on diced tomatoes and Parmesan cheese.

Notes

  • Create a roux with the butter and flour before adding the other sauce ingredients to make the sauce a creamy consistency.

Nutrition

Calories: 679 kcal · Carbohydrates: 55 g · Protein: 30 g · Fat: 38 g · Saturated Fat: 23 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 10 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 142 mg · Sodium: 1030 mg · Potassium: 790 mg · Fiber: 3 g · Sugar: 4 g · Vitamin A: 2608 IU · Vitamin C: 11 mg · Calcium: 371 mg · Iron: 2 mg

Equipment

  • large pot
  • 2 Skillets
  • Whisk
  • Slotted Spoon

Recipe Details

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Side view of a plate of Chili’s Copycat Cajun Chicken Pasta

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  1. Eric Pepple says:
    April 4, 2013
    Love the look of this pasta, love the spice as well. Definitely giving this a try!

    Happy Blogging!
    Happy Valley Chow
    Reply
  2. Chrissy Farnan says:
    April 6, 2013
    I made this for dinner tonight and it was a HIT!! so flavorful and delicious!! Thanks you for sharing.

    Chrissy
    Reply
  3. Chandra Sirois says:
    April 8, 2013
    I Love a good Copy Cat!!! Thanks for sharing on Show Me Your Plaid Monday's!!!
    Reply
  4. Ann Cser says:
    April 10, 2013
    I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious!!! Although, the sauce was more like soup than a pasta sauce. I will need to use something to thicken it up a bit.
    Reply
    • Sarah says:
      April 13, 2013
      I agree. It was tasty, but the sauce was literally like water. My boyfriend was excited for this and was quite disappointed in the sauce. I'd make it again, only if I could thicken it up...
      Reply
      • Lorene Fairchild says:
        June 19, 2015
        I used a jar of Alfredo sauce in place of the cream. It worked great and the sauce had the right consistency.
        Reply
      • K says:
        April 17, 2016
        Just add flour to the butter after it melts then add half n half. That's what I did.
        Reply
        • Tanya says:
          May 5, 2019
          I added flour after it started boiling because it was so thin, still turned out ok. Next time I’ll add flour to butter before adding rest of ingredients. But it is delicious.
          Reply
    • Jessica says:
      April 18, 2013
      I just made it too and the sauce was so runny. Would love to know how to thicken it!
      Reply
      • Lauren Smith says:
        August 7, 2013
        The same thing happen to me.. I don't know where I went wrong.
        Reply
        • Corey says:
          June 11, 2014
          To thicken the sauce use heavy cream instead of half&half and simmer it over roughly medium heat for a while while stirring. That seems to work for me.
          Reply
          • Brian Browning says:
            February 25, 2015
            The sauce did turn out like water so I put some parmasean cheese in it and cooked it a bit longer to thicken it up. Worked great.
    • Carly says:
      February 16, 2014
      I had the same problem. You need to melt the butter first, then sprinkle in a few tablespoons of flour and whisk it till it's bubbly. Then slowly add the milk, about a half a cup at a time, and keep whisking until it turns into a thick creamy sauce.
      Reply
    • trisha says:
      February 15, 2017
      what does the hal and half consit of
      Reply
  5. Kimbumberly says:
    April 27, 2013
    My husband made this a couple weeks ago and it is by far my favorite meal ever. He is making it again tonight and I cannot wait. He had no problems with the sauce...it was perfect.
    Reply
  6. Kristin says:
    May 26, 2013
    I made this tonight for dinner. The sauce was so runny that it was like eating soup. There was also far too much sauce for the amount of pasta. Perhaps you should make a roue first by mixing in a few tablespoons of flour? Other than that problem, the meal itself was DELICIOUS. I'm definitely going to be making this one again! I will just have to experiment with the sauce to see what I can do about making it thicker.
    Reply
    • Ann Cser says:
      July 16, 2013
      I made this again, but I made a roux and it turned out much better.
      Reply
  7. Teresa says:
    May 27, 2013
    My sauce was runny like water too. If someone has figured out how to thicken it, PLEASE SHARE!!
    Reply
    • Mercedes says:
      July 15, 2013
      Mine was always i very watery! I added some flour and i also added some shredded Parmesan cheese to the sauce and when it melted it helped thicken! Also very tasty!
      Reply
  8. Jessica says:
    July 24, 2013
    absolutly delisious dish i would just recomend adding flour sauce is thin i added a little at a time till i got the consistance i liked :)
    Reply
  9. Kaitlan says:
    July 30, 2013
    Just made this for dinner and it was amazinnng! I did make a small adjustment that may help those who are saything there is too much sauce or it wasnt thick enough... I used 16oz of heavy whipping cream inatead of half and half. And then after i mixed it with the pasta and chicken, I turned in the shredded parm. PERFECT. Thanks for sharing! Love the recipe!
    Reply
  10. Amber says:
    October 23, 2013
    Made this tonight, and have to say pretty disappointed in how the sauce turned out :/ I wish I would have read the comments BEFORE I made it because it has great flavor, but I ended up straining out some of the sauce because it was more like noodles, chicken, and soup. Definitely going to give it a 2nd try sometime. Maybe using the whipping cream since I'm gluten free :) I haven't dabbled with flour thickening since I had to change my diet.
    Reply
  11. Jasmine J says:
    October 25, 2013
    Just finished making this for my boyfriend and I. We were so excited to finally make it but unfortunately the "sauce", like others said, was far too runny. What I did to fix this since I didn't have flour for a roux was put the sauce in the cooked noodles and heat until the sauce was bubbling in the bottom, stirring constantly. The noodles will absorb some of the sauce and help thicken it. I also used the entire box of penne however it's not necessary if you follow my instructions for thickening. After this the sauce was perfect! Hope this helps!!!! :)
    Reply
  12. Paige says:
    December 1, 2013
    This pasta was awesome! I accidentally used Mrs Dash instead of lemon pepper (both yellow tops, similar color - oops) but flavor turned out perfect, I think I will make it that way again. My only complaint is the consistency of the sauce was literally like water. Next time I will add some flour or cheese to thicken up but definitely will make again. Thank you.
    Reply
  13. Cheri says:
    January 18, 2014
    This dish was great, although I had a problem with thin sauce, too. I dissolved about two teaspoons of corn starch in 1/4 cup of water and added to the sauce. Also added about 1/8 cup of parmesan. It took a lot of patience and stirring, but it was worth the effort.
    Reply
  14. Lucy says:
    February 9, 2014
    I make this a lot but just use a jar of alfredo sauce. Much easier.
    Reply
  15. Michelle says:
    February 9, 2014
    Just mix in a tbsp of flour thats been stirred into a couple tbsp of water, add more parmesan and its perfect sauce
    Reply
  16. Loren says:
    May 27, 2014
    Love this dish and so does the picky husband. A little hint about the sauce: The first time I made it I accidentally picked up the 16 oz half and half and it turned out perfect (though I did add a little splash of extra milk when I realized was short of 3 cups). I'm going to start getting the smaller half and half from now on. And like some if the other ladies said I also add some parmesean to the sauce.
    Reply
  17. Theresa says:
    September 12, 2014
    I made this last night and noticed that the sauce wasn't getting thick (didn't see the other comments until this morning). I kept reading the recipe over and over thinking I missed something :). I finally added some of the shredded parmesan to the sauce (just eyeballed the amount) and then it thickened up! It came out DELICIOUS!!!!
    Reply
  18. Maria says:
    September 18, 2014
    The sauce is great used the butter and made a rue before adding the half and half. So yummy! I also didn't have cajun seasoning so I made one. It came out so yummy! Me and my bf loved it!!
    Reply
  19. Regina Knott says:
    November 6, 2014
    This recipe is very similar to TGIFRIDAYS blackened chicken Alfredo. (I worked there MANY years ago) . I noticed some comments were concers about the thickness of the sauce. One trick would be to allow the sauce to reduce a little, allowing the water in the cream to evaporate; usually ends up being reduced by 1/3. Then remove the pan from the heat and add the Parmesan directly into the sauce, stirring until melted and semi-smooth. Pour over pasta and add additional Parmesan to taste. Add tomatoes and chicken and fresh ground pepper, (optional to taste) Sometimes I even add some sliced green onions to the dish. Yummy! Fresh Grated Parmesan is best for this dish because it hasn't been sprinkled with some type of preservative powder.
    Reply
  20. brielle hackler says:
    November 7, 2014
    I just made this and it is delicious. I did notice that the sauce was very liquid-like instead of a traditional sauce, so I added some corn starch to it and it thickened perfectly
    Reply
  21. Amber Vaughn says:
    January 18, 2015
    Made this for dinner. I tweaked it a little bit , I added a package of cream cheese to the sauce and 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese for extra thickness. This was a great hit, I always make fettuccine Alfredo so I figured I would tweak it with some of those steps after reading about other's having the meal come out to runny. Hope this helps. Will add this to my recipes!
    Reply
  22. Ashley says:
    March 15, 2015
    WHAT A WASTE!! I wasted two chicken breasts, almost a whole thing of half & half, tons of seasonings.... this was literally white water with noodles and chicken. So disappointed!
    Reply
  23. bria says:
    April 17, 2015
    you should reaally include a way in this recipe to thicken the sauce. weve all made it and its as runny as soup.
    Reply
  24. donat kentang empuk says:
    September 7, 2015
    look so yummy i'm hungry
    Reply
  25. Willionaire says:
    October 16, 2015
    My wife made this and it was great but the sauce was incredibly watery. So we found a good fix was to add about one and a half tbsp of flour to the drippings in the pan we cooked the chicken, and then we added the thin sauce to our makeshift roux. It thickened it up nicely and added all the flavor from the cajun chicken to the sauce itself.
    Reply
  26. Kelinci says:
    April 10, 2016
    Look delicious! i am going to make this chicken pasta for my mom :)
    Reply
  27. Krista Holsen says:
    July 8, 2019
    It had absolutely no flavor, had no spicy to it and I just ended up having to mess with it until it tasted alright.
    Reply
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