Description
This Baked Boursin Cajun Chicken Pasta is a flavorful and comforting dish combining tender Cajun-spiced chicken breasts, creamy Garlic Herb Boursin cheese, and juicy roasted cherry tomatoes, all mixed with perfectly cooked penne pasta. The dish adds a touch of spice with hot sauce and a blend of Cajun seasoning, baked to meld the rich flavors together for an easy weeknight dinner that serves six.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 4 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (divided)
Pasta and Sauce
- 10.4 ounces Garlic Herb Boursin Cheese (two 5.2 ounce packages)
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes (20-24 ounces or 4 cups)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound penne pasta (or medium pasta shells)
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (adjust to your spice preference)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F to prepare for roasting the chicken, tomatoes, and Boursin cheese together.
- Prepare Chicken: Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create 4 thinner pieces. Coat the chicken evenly with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then sprinkle 3 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning over them. Place the seasoned chicken pieces on a baking sheet ready for roasting.
- Prepare Cheese and Tomatoes: In a 9×13 inch oven-safe casserole dish, add the Boursin cheese and cherry tomatoes. Drizzle the tomatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then season with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper to enhance the flavors.
- Roast Ingredients: Place both the baking sheet with chicken and the casserole dish with cheese and tomatoes into the oven. Roast for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and tomatoes are softened.
- Cook Pasta: While roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stove. Add the penne pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water and set aside.
- Remove and Transfer Chicken: Once the chicken is cooked, remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Also remove the casserole dish from the oven.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: To the casserole dish with the Boursin and roasted tomatoes, add the cooked pasta, reserved pasta water, 1 teaspoon hot sauce, and the remaining 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning. Stir everything together until well combined and creamy.
- Finish and Serve: Dice the roasted chicken into bite-sized pieces and fold it into the pasta mixture. Serve the pasta warm immediately, enjoying the creamy, spicy, and tangy flavor combination.
Notes
- You can adjust the amount of Cajun seasoning and hot sauce to suit your preferred spice level.
- If you don’t have Boursin cheese, you can substitute with a creamy garlic cream cheese or goat cheese.
- Reserve pasta water helps achieve a silky sauce consistency by loosening the cheese and tomato mixture.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated gently with a splash of water or cream to restore creaminess.
- To make this recipe gluten free, substitute penne pasta with gluten-free pasta varieties.
