Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta Soup

This rich, creamy noodle soup is full of incredible flavors and tender Cajun-blackened chicken.

Prep: 15

Cook: 30

Total: 45

Yield:4 servings

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.

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.