This Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is absolutely packed with protein because it uses cottage cheese to make the sauce creamy, chickpea pasta with added fiber, and air fryer chicken thighs.
I don’t often use iPhone photos on my site, but this recipe was so good I knew I just HAD to share it right away.
I make pasta at least once per week (these 11 Healthy Pasta Recipes are on rotation). I’m always looking for ways to mix it up. This Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is one of my favorite recipes to-date!
The super creamy (yet healthy) pasta is crazy flavorful with a tiny kick of heat. The air fryer cajun chicken thighs are the perfect thing to serve on the pasta.
How to Make the Creamy Cottage Cheese Pasta
I’ve seen people on TikTok a few times making recipes with blended cottage cheese. It’s as a protein-packed way to make things creamier. I was dying to try it out.
Boy am I glad I did. Even if you don’t love cottage cheese, blending it makes it so much better. It almost tastes like adding ricotta.
The other swap I like to make is using chickpea pasta instead of regular pasta. You can find it at most grocery stores these days. I like to look for the kind that only has one ingredient (chickpeas).
When you combine equal parts pasta sauce and cottage cheese served over chickpea pasta … that right there is an amazing meal.
I took it a step further by adding the most delicious cajun air fryer chicken to my Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta.
How to Make Air Fryer Chipotle Chicken Thighs
This chicken (yet another idea I’ve seen on TikTok a bunch of times) is seriously some of the best chicken I’ve made.
I like to start with really high quality chicken thighs (I die for Butcher Box). Then, all you do is blend up some chipotle peppers, a little lime juice, salt and pepper and marinade for a couple hours at least or up to overnight.
I love to use my air fryer to cook the chicken, but you can also cook them in the oven or stovetop.
Once your creamy pasta and juicy chicken thighs are done, just assemble them into a big bowl and chow down!
I hope you love Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta as much as I do.
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
This Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta is absolutely packed with protein because it uses cottage cheese to make the sauce creamy, chickpea pasta with added fiber, and air fryer chicken thighs.
Ingredients
For the Cajun Chicken Thighs Marinade
- 4-5 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
For the Creamy Cottage Cheese Pasta
- 1 box chickpea pasta
- 1 cup pasta sauce (I use Rao's)
- 1 cup low fat cottage cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
Instructions
- Add adobo peppers, lime juice, salt and pepper to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Transfer the marinade to a sealable food bag along with the chicken thighs and marinade for at least a couple hours or up to overnight.
- Place the chicken in your air fryer basket and cook at 390 for 22 minutes. Flip the chicken halfway through cooking.
- While the chicken cooks, boil your pasta.
- Add the pasta sauce, cottage cheese, oregano, paprika, garlic salt and hot sauce to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Stir the sauce into the pasta and serve with chicken on top. Enjoy!
Notes
Air fryers are not consistent with cook times/temperatures. I recommend looking up chicken cook times with the manufacturer of yours.
I recommend using Butcher Box chicken thighs for this.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 390Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 140mgSodium: 1219mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 6gSugar: 8gProtein: 41g