Healthy Cajun Chicken Pasta uses whole wheat pasta with Bella mushrooms, garlic, and pine nuts. The luscious Cajun sauce has no cream but is made with reduced-fat milk, whole wheat, Cajun spice mixture, and almond flour. The chicken tenders are marinated in lemon juice and garlic. The chicken tenders are coated with whole wheat flour and bread crumbs and air-fried with olive oil. This pasta dish is diabetic-friendly, and will appeal to those of you looking for healthy meals without compromising the taste!
Healthy Cajun Chicken Pasta tasted great at a family-owned restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia. I had accompanied my husband on a work trip to Atlanta and had stayed there for a few months. My stay in Atlanta had us exploring so many restaurants. This particular restaurant became a regular one because we enjoyed the food there. The food tasted like it was made from scratch.
This Healthy Cajun Chicken Pasta was one of our favorites. It was served hot with mushrooms, pepper, and pine nuts, and topped with crusted chicken breast. We usually enjoy the Louisiana Chicken Pasta at Cheesecake Factory. This dish is very similar but is much lighter and healthier than restaurant-quality ones.
What is Cajun cooking?
The basis of Cajun cooking consists of green bell pepper, onion, and celery (called the trinity), infused with aromatics including parsley, bay leaf, green onions, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. It is similar to the French mirepoix, which uses a combination of aromatic vegetables to flavor soups, stews, and braises. This Healthy Cajun Chicken Pasta recipe that I created is a heart-healthy version. Milk, mushrooms, whole wheat flour, chicken, and pine nuts make this a complete meal. It checks all the boxes for nutrition and balance.
My daughter has become health-conscious, and she inspired me to be even more mindful of my choice of ingredients for cooking. My daughter suggested that I substitute cream with reduced-fat milk and use whole wheat flour instead of the refined flour that restaurants use. It does not alter the taste much as I have thickened the sauce with almond and white whole wheat flour.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What can I substitute for the Cajun spice mix?
The best substitute for the Cajun spice mixture would be cayenne pepper, paprika, and black peppercorns mixed with salt, onion, and garlic powder. If you do not have these ingredients in your pantry, a mixture of paprika, cayenne, and black peppercorns will work. The Cajun seasoning I used had salt, so I did not add salt to the sauce.
2. What are some add-ons for this dish?
You could add celery, bell peppers or carrots. My family prefers this sauce with garlic and mushrooms and sometimes with bell peppers.
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Ingredients:
- For the chicken marinade: paprika, ground peppercorn, lemon juice, and garlic
- For the chicken coating/crust: egg, reduced fat milk, white whole wheat flour, whole wheat bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and olive oil
- For the pasta sauce: whole wheat penne, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, Bella mushrooms, Italian seasoning, reduced fat milk, almond flour, Cajun seasoning, white whole wheat flour
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to make this dish. Please refer to the recipe card below for the measurements.
How to make the Healthy Cajun Chicken Pasta:
- How to prepare the chicken:
- Prepare the ingredients for the chicken marinade and coating.
Mix the ingredients for the marinade. Rub the chicken tenders with it and marinate for 10 minutes.
For the coating, take each chicken tender and dip it in the milk, then flour, and then the egg and lastly the breadcrumbs. Shake off any excess and coat the tenders on both sides and place them on a foil-lined baking tray. Drizzle olive oil and air fry them covered in foil at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Flip them over and air fry at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes without the foil on top.
2. How to make the pasta sauce:
- Prepare the ingredients for the pasta sauce.
- Heat a pan, add the olive oil, garlic and pine nuts, and sauté for a few seconds on medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until browned on the edges.
- Push the mushrooms to one side of the pan. Add the milk and the almond flour and mix them. Keep stirring the pan while adding the whole wheat flour, Cajun seasoning, and Italian seasoning until the sauce thickens to the desired consistency. Turn off the heat.
- Serve the pasta sauce on cooked whole wheat penne and place the air-fried chicken tenders on the side. Garnish with thyme and grated Parmesan cheese.
Tips:
- To thicken the pasta sauce, cook until it reaches the desired consistency. To dilute the sauce, add more milk and stir or whisk until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Please add the sauce before serving since the pasta will absorb the sauce if added earlier sooner, making it dry.
- Adjust the Cajun seasoning according to your preferences. If you want to make it spicier, add more cayenne pepper.
- Pat dry the chicken tenders with kitchen paper to prevent them from steaming. Pat-dried chicken pieces will air fry to a crispy texture.
Serving suggestion:
Serve this Healthy Cajun Chicken Pasta with sauce on top of the whole wheat penne. Garnish the dish with thyme and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese. I prefer reheating the sauce in a sauce pot by adding a few tablespoons of milk and salt to taste on medium heat rather than using the microwave.
Storage:
Leftover air-fried chicken can be frozen in airtight containers for three months, while the sauce can be refrigerated for 1-2 days. Please ladle the sauce before serving to prevent the pasta from absorbing the sauce.
Other recipes with mushrooms that you might like:
Healthy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Equipment
- Stovetop, air fryer
Ingredients
For the chicken marinade:
- 1 lb chicken tenders thin-sliced
- 4 clove garlic minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black peppercorn
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 lemon juice
For the chicken coating:
- 1 egg beaten
- ¼ cup reduced-fat milk
- 2 tbsp white whole wheat flour
- ½ cup whole wheat bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese grated (optional)
- 2 tbsp olive oil for air frying
For the pasta sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
- 1½ cup reduced fat milk
- 4 tbsp almond flour
- 1 tbsp white whole wheat flour
- 3 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 1½ cup bella mushroom sliced
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning optional
- 1 lb whole wheat penne al dente cooked
- 1 tsp Parmesan cheese optional for garnish
- 2 sprig thyme for garnish
Instructions
How to make the chicken:
- Prepare the ingredients for the chicken marinade and coating.
- Mix the marinade ingredients and marinate the chicken for 10 minutes.For the coating, take each chicken tender and dip in the milk, then flour, and then the egg and lastly the breadcrumbs. Shake off any excess and coat the tenders on both sides and place them on a foil-lined baking tray. Drizzle olive oil and air fry them covered in foil at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken tenders over and air fry at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes without the foil on top.
How to make the pasta sauce:
- Prepare the ingredients for the pasta sauce.
- Heat a pan, add the olive oil, garlic and pine nuts and sauté for a few seconds on medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until browned on the edges.
- Push the mushrooms to one side of the pan. Add the milk and the almond flour and whisk them. Keep stirring the pan while adding the whole wheat flour, Cajun seasoning, and Italian seasoning until the sauce thickens to the desired consistency. Turn off the heat.
- Serve the pasta sauce on cooked whole wheat penne and place the air fried chicken tenders on the side. Garnish with thyme and grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- You could substitute white whole wheat flour with red whole wheat flour and almond flour with spelt flour.
- Silpat mats can be used if you want to cut down on the amount olive oil on the air-fried chicken tenders.
Nutrition
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Delicious! Looks amazing!
Thanks so much for showing a healthy way to make this!
I am glad you liked it!
this is one of my favorite recipes!
Thanks, Abby!