This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
All the best parts of rich, flavorful Cajun chicken pasta, made into a filling, delicious, super creamy soup! Made in less than 30 minutes and with simple ingredients, this soup is wonderfully rich, with plenty of cream, Parmesan, and Cajun-blackened chicken.
🍲 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- We took that tried-and-true cajun chicken pasta and turned it into the ultimate comfort dish – soup! This flavorful take on chicken noodle soup combines cajun seasoning, juicy chicken, tangy diced tomatoes, and a creamy broth with tender ditalini pasta.
- I wouldn’t consider this soup overwhelmingly hot or spicy, so don’t panic. Of course, it’s easy to customize and adjust the spice levels. For a good kick, you might use another ½ tablespoon cajun seasoning. If you’re really heat sensitive, dial it back to just 1 tablespoon total and use it only on the chicken. You can always add more to the soup if you feel it needs it toward the end.
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- It’s not necessary, BUT, if you want to really put your cajun chicken pasta soup over the top, serve it with a garnish of sliced green onions, crisp crumbled bacon, and a little more freshly shredded parmesan cheese.
- For a really thick, extra creamy soup, add in 2 ounces softened cream cheese when you add the broth and diced tomatoes. Make sure it’s softened, though. If it’s not room temperature when you add it, you risk it curdling in the dutch oven.
- I like to use thinly-sliced chicken breasts (typically 4 that weigh roughly ¼ pound each) or chicken tenders. This lets me maximize the surface area for seasoning, plus it lets the chicken cook in roughly 5 minutes total. Larger chicken breasts will take longer to cook, generally 4-5 minutes per side.
You’ll Love These Delicious Soups, Too
- Creamy Keto Taco Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Keto Chicken Tortilla Soup (Low Carb, Gluten Free)
- Whole30 Lasagna Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Lemony Chicken Vegetable Soup
- Shrimp and Corn Soup
- Albondigas Soup (Mexican Meatball Soup)
- Zuppa Toscana
- Whole30 White Chicken Chili
- Tom Yum Soup
- Turnip Green Soup
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small white onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning divided
- 5 cups chicken stock or 4 cups chicken stock + 1 cup water
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 cup heavy cream at or close to room temperature
- 1 cup ditalini or other small pasta, dry
- 1 pound chicken breasts or tenders see Notes
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan at room temperature, see Notes
- salt and pepper to taste
- green onions sliced, to garnish
Equipment
- large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot
- Large spoon
- small skillet
- Tongs
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
Instructions
- Heat butter in large dutch oven over medium-high heat. When butter is melted, add onions and garlic. Sauté approximately 5 minutes or until aromatics are tender and fragrant, then stir in 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning.
- Remove pot from heat and stir in broth, diced tomatoes, and heavy cream. Return pot to heat and bring mixture to boil, then reduce heat to medium and let liquids come to rapid simmer.
- Pour dry pasta into dutch oven and stir well. Cook 10 minutes, stirring regularly and making sure to scrape bottom of pot to prevent sticking or burning.
- While pasta cooks, sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning over chicken, covering all sides.
- Heat small skillet over medium heat. Once pan is hot, pour in 1 tablespoon neutral oil and rotate pan to cover surface with oil.
- Add seasoned chicken to skillet. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, then flip chicken and cook on other side another 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to cutting board and let cool to touch, then chop chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Reduce heat under dutch oven to low. Remove pot from heat and stir in grated parmesan until well combined. Return pot to low heat and stir in chicken pieces, then let soup simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
- Taste soup and add salt and pepper to taste. Portion soup into serving bowls. Garnish with sliced onions if desired and serve warm.
Notes
- Chicken: I like to use thinly-sliced chicken breasts (typically 4 that weigh roughly ¼ pound each) or chicken tenders. This lets me maximize the surface area for seasoning, plus it lets the chicken cook in roughly 5 minutes total. Larger chicken breasts (½ pound each or so) will take longer to cook, generally 4-5 minutes per side.
- Parmesan: Buy a block of parmesan and grate it yourself rather than using store-bought grated cheese. The prepackaged kind adds starches and other anti-clumping agents that will keep it from melting like it should.
- Make it Low Carb/Keto: Use palmini noodles instead of traditional pasta. Rinse the palmini well before adding it to the soup. Also, make sure your diced tomatoes don’t have any added sugars.
Nutrition Information
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Tiana W says
I never leave comments on the recipes I try, but this one was so good . I will be adding this to our list of regular meals to make !
Megan | 40 Aprons Team says
We’re honored you took the time to share your feedback with us! Thank you so much, Tiana, I’m so happy you enjoyed this soup so much!
Madison says
How long is this recipe good leftover for? In the fridge.
Megan | 40 Aprons Team says
Refrigerated in an airtight container, it should keep up to 5 days.
Steven says
Left the pasta out, added crayfish, more garlic, more cayenne red pepper, and more salt. Won best taste and best individual at the 2024 Soup or Bowl awards!
Megan | 40 Aprons Team says
Congratulations, Steven! Your version sounds delicious, too!
Kim says
This soup was DELICIOUS!!! The flavors were amazing!
The only thing that I did different from the recipe was that I didn’t stir the shredded parm into the pot of soup. I left it on the side so we could individually add what we wanted to our own bowl. This was so so good!
Jessica | 40 Aprons Team says
Ooh, that’s a great tip! So glad you loved it! 😊
Scott says
Mine came out very thin as opposed to creamy. Where did I go wrong?
Megan | 40 Aprons Team says
It’s really hard to say without more information since we weren’t there with you. Did you use heavy cream, or did you use another kind of dairy product? Did you use a full cup of grated fresh parm?
When you say “very thin as opposed to creamy”, what would you compare your results to? This soup won’t be as thick as a potato soup or cream of mushroom soup, but it shouldn’t be as thin as a chicken noodle soup.
Katie says
Just made this as stated above and it’s delicious!!! I needed a new type of soup and this is now going to be on my soup rotations!!
Jessica | 40 Aprons Team says
We’re so happy it earned a spot in your soup rotations! Thanks for sharing, Katie!