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Creamy Cajun chicken pasta with cottage cheese has 48 g of protein per serving and takes 40 minutes. The protein comes from chicken breast, cottage cheese and Parmesan, not powder, so it tastes like the real thing.
The sauce is cottage cheese blended with milk and Parmesan until smooth, then warmed with Cajun seasoning, garlic and tomato paste. There’s no heavy cream and no flour. It’s thick and tangy, closer to a light Alfredo than a cream sauce, and one serving is about 400 g, a full dinner plate.
Here’s the trade-off. Cottage cheese sauce turns grainy if it boils. Once the sauce goes into the pan, keep the heat at medium-low and stir just until it coats the pasta. If you see small curds, pull the pan off the burner and stir in a splash of pasta water.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- 48 g protein per serving from chicken, cottage cheese and Parmesan
- Creamy sauce with no heavy cream and no flour
- Ready in 40 minutes with one skillet and one pot
- Leftovers reheat in a skillet in about 5 minutes
Ingredient Notes
- Cottage cheese: I use 2% small-curd. Full-fat blends a little silkier, and ricotta works as a swap (see the FAQ). Don’t skip the blender, because whole curds stay lumpy.
- Cajun seasoning: Brands vary a lot in salt. Measure 2 tablespoons, taste the finished pasta, and only add more at the end.
- Parmesan: Grate it fresh from a block. Pre-grated Parmesan has anti-caking starch and can leave the sauce slightly gritty.
- Penne: Rigatoni, rotini or cavatappi all hold the sauce well. Any short shape with ridges or hollows works.
- Chicken breast: Chicken thighs work too, and stay juicier. Cut them to the same 2 cm size and sear 1 to 2 minutes longer.
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta with Blended Cottage Cheese
Ingredients
Method
- Fill a 6-quart / 5.7 L pot with 3 L of water, add the salt and bring to a boil. While it heats, pat the chicken dry, cut it into 2 cm / 3/4-inch pieces and toss with 1 tbsp of the Cajun seasoning. Dice the onion and bell pepper and mince the garlic.
- Add the cottage cheese, milk, Parmesan and the remaining 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning to a blender. Blend for 45 to 60 seconds, scraping down once, until completely smooth with no visible curds.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a 30 cm / 12-inch deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken in a single layer and sear for 5 to 6 minutes, turning once or twice, until browned and 165 F / 74 C in the center of the largest piece. Move it to a plate.
- Drop the penne into the boiling water and set a timer for 1 minute less than the package time, about 9 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to the skillet and sear the second batch of chicken for 5 to 6 minutes until browned and 165 F / 74 C. Move it to the plate.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion and bell pepper to the same skillet and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, scraping up the browned bits, until softened. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute until fragrant and brick red.
- Scoop out 240 ml of pasta water, then drain the penne. Reduce the skillet heat to medium-low and pour in the blended sauce. Stir for 2 minutes until it's warm and steaming gently, not bubbling. Add the pasta, the chicken with its juices and 120 ml of the pasta water, and toss for 2 minutes until the sauce coats everything. Loosen with more pasta water a tablespoon at a time if it's tight, taste for salt, and top with green onions.
Notes
- Keep the sauce at medium-low once it's in the pan, never at a boil.
- Pull the pasta 1 minute early because it finishes cooking in the sauce.
- Reserve 240 ml pasta water before draining and use only what the sauce needs.
- Cut the chicken into 2 cm pieces and sear it in two batches.
Tips for Success
- Blend the cottage cheese sauce for a full 45 to 60 seconds, scraping the jar once, until no curds show when you tilt it.
- Cut the chicken into even 2 cm pieces so every piece reaches 165 F / 74 C at the same time.
- Sear the chicken in two batches of 250 g so the pieces brown instead of steaming in their own juices.
- Taste your Cajun seasoning before measuring, since salt varies by brand, and add more only after everything is tossed together.
- Serve within 10 minutes of tossing, and loosen the plate with a spoonful of pasta water if the sauce tightens as it sits.
Variations
- Swap the chicken for 500 g peeled shrimp, sear 2 to 3 minutes until opaque, and fold them in right at the end.
- Replace 150 g of the chicken with sliced smoked andouille sausage for more smoke and heat, browning it in the second batch.
- Stir 150 g baby spinach into the finished pasta and cook for 1 minute, just until it wilts into the sauce.
Storage and Reheating
Creamy Cajun chicken pasta keeps 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking, and divide it into single portions so it cools fast.
Reheat each portion in a skillet over medium-low heat with 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk or water for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until the chicken is steaming hot at 165 F / 74 C. For the microwave, use 50% power in 90-second bursts, stirring between, with 1 tablespoon of milk. The pasta soaks up sauce overnight, so the milk is not optional.
I don’t freeze this one. Thawed cottage cheese sauce turns grainy. On Sunday I portion the leftovers into four containers for weekday lunches instead.
Serving Suggestions
Creamy Cajun chicken pasta works best as a one-plate dinner, served straight from the skillet within 10 minutes of tossing. Top each plate with sliced green onion and a few grinds of black pepper.
A crisp, acidic side balances the sauce. Arugula with lemon vinaigrette is my default. Broccoli roasted at 220 C / 425 F for 18 to 20 minutes, until the edges char, also works.
If you like more heat, pass a bottle of hot sauce at the table. Garlic bread is fine for a bigger crowd, though the pasta is already a full plate.
FAQ
Why is my cottage cheese pasta sauce grainy?
A grainy cottage cheese sauce usually means the cheese wasn’t blended long enough or the pan got too hot. Blend for 45 to 60 seconds until no curds show, and keep the burner at medium-low so the sauce only steams. If it splits anyway, pull the pan off the heat and whisk in 2 to 3 tablespoons of warm pasta water.
Can I use ricotta instead of cottage cheese in creamy Cajun chicken pasta?
Yes, swap in 250 g whole-milk ricotta for the cottage cheese. The protein is close, roughly 11 g per 100 g, and the sauce comes out slightly sweeter and less tangy. Whisk it with the milk, Parmesan and Cajun seasoning instead of using a blender, then warm it over medium-low heat the same way.
How long does Cajun chicken pasta with cottage cheese keep, and can I freeze it?
Leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Skip the freezer, because thawed cottage cheese sauce turns grainy. Reheat each portion in a skillet over medium-low heat with 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until the chicken is steaming hot at 165 F / 74 C.
What goes well with creamy Cajun chicken pasta besides garlic bread?
A crisp, acidic side balances the creamy sauce. I like arugula with lemon vinaigrette, or broccoli roasted at 220 C / 425 F for 18 to 20 minutes until the edges char. Garlic bread works if you want a heavier table, though the pasta is already about 400 g per serving.
Is Cajun chicken pasta with cottage cheese gluten free?
Not as written, since penne is made from wheat. Use 300 g gluten-free pasta and check that your Cajun seasoning label lists no wheat-based fillers. Expect about 4 g less protein per serving with most corn or rice pastas, which still leaves the dish above 40 g.
What is the difference between this and Cajun chicken Alfredo?
Cajun chicken Alfredo gets its body from butter, heavy cream and a lot of Parmesan. This version blends cottage cheese with milk and 40 g of Parmesan, so the sauce is tangier and has noticeably more protein per bowl. Neither is traditional Louisiana cooking, both are American restaurant-style dishes.
