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–+ servings
The slowcooker is filled with long noodles, chunks of chicken, bell peppers, and is sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese on top.

Crockpot Cajun Chicken Pasta

5 from 1 vote
Crockpot Cajun chicken pasta has perfectly seasoned tender chunks of chicken in a creamy pasta sauce with sweet mini peppers and parmesan cheese.
PREP TIME 5 minutes
COOK TIME 4 hours
TOTAL TIME 4 hours 5 minutes
YIELD 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning blend or substitute the spice mix from the notes below
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 1.5 pounds
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 2 shakes hot sauce like Texas Pete
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 cups mini bell peppers sliced into rounds
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup parmesan cheese divided
  • 1 pound fettuccine pasta or your favorite long noodle
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley

Instructions

  • Spray the slowcooker bowl with cooking spray and place the chicken breasts inside. Sprinkle the seasoning over the chicken and turn to coat both sides.
  • Pour the chicken stock and hot sauce in and turn the chicken to coat again. Sprinkled the diced onions over the top.
  • Cover the Crockpot with the lid. Cook the chicken on HIGH for 3 - 4 hours or LOW for 6 - 7 hours.
  • About 1 hour before the chicken is finished cooking, break the whole breasts into smaller chunks. This helps the thickest part of the meat to cook more evenly. Scatter the sliced mini peppers over the top and replace the lid.
  • When the chicken is fork-tender, shred the larger chunks of meat with two forks. Pour the heavy cream over the top and stir. Cover the Crockpot with the lid and let it warm through while you prepare the pasta.
  • Boil the pasta according to the box directions for 2 minutes less than the lowest time listed on the box so that it is very firm, or "al dente." It will finish cooking in the sauce in the slowcooker, so this helps you avoid mushy pasta. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid and then drain the pasta.
  • Add the cooked pasta and just 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese to the chicken mixture and toss to combine. Cover the slowcooker and continue to cook for at least 15 minutes so that the sauce can thicken from the starch of the pasta. The pasta will continue to absorb the sauce and improve in flavor for up to 30 minutes total. Then adjust the temperature to KEEP WARM if you need it to sit longer. If you plan to let the pasta rest longer than 30 minutes, you may want to reduce the original boiling time by another minute.
  • If the pasta absorbed too much of the sauce by the time you want to serve it, you can stir a bit of the reserved pasta cooking water into the pot to loosen up the sauce. Otherwise if the texture looks good, sprinkle the reserved 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and dried parsley over the top before serving.

Recipe Notes

Cajun Seasoning Blend Substitution:

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne peper
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
COURSEMain Dish
CUISINECajun
AUTHORTiffany Dahle