Cheesecake Factory Copycat Louisiana Chicken Pasta with Parmesan, mushrooms, peppers and onions in a spicy cajun cream sauce.
Louisiana Chicken Pasta, my third favorite Cheesecake Factory Copycat is actually easier than you’d believe given the long list of ingredients. My two favorite Cheesecake Factory items, Spicy Cashew Chicken and Tamale Corn Cakes are my go-to order, without fail.
My husband on the other hand is all about trying new dishes. One day he ordered this Louisiana Chicken Pasta and I actually switched dishes with him. I know. Spicy Cashew Chicken has been my #1 for probably a dozen years.
What’s so great about this Louisiana Chicken Pasta? Well first of all the chicken is super crispy, seasoned with cajun spices and Parmesan Cheese. The sauce is creamy with a cajun bite and the veggies are a nice textural dimension. It’s all about cream, spice, cheese, chicken and pasta done well. 
Looking for more pasta recipes?
- Cheesy Taco Pasta
- Bacon Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper
- Philly Cheesesteak Hamburger Helper
- Easy Thai Green Curry Noodles
- Cheesecake Factory Spicy Chipotle Chicken Pasta (Copycat)
- Bonefish Grill Bang Bang Shrimp (Copycat)
- Halal Cart Chicken and Rice (Copycat)
- KFC Original Recipe Chicken (Copycat)
- P.F. Chang’s Orange Peel Chicken (Copycat)
I use Mountain Rose Herbs and Spices but if you have a cabinet full of spices and you’re looking to make your own cajun spice mix, here is an easy Cajun Spice Recipe Blend!
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Tools Used in the Making of this Louisiana Chicken Pasta:
Cast Iron Skillet: This is my most used pan in my kitchen, heavy, keeps heat well and gives the BEST sear ever.
Chef’s Knife: This knife is one of the three most used tools in my kitchen (tongs and my pig tail flipper are the other two). I love it, I’ve had it for almost 10 years and it is as sharp today as the day I got it. (left column, second from the top). Mind you I love it this much even though I have a ridiculously expense knife set as well.
Cajun Seasoning: Using cajun spices is an easy way to pump up the flavor of the recipe.
Better Than Bouillon: I almost never buy boxes of broth because I keep the beef, chicken and vegetable version of this Better Than Bouillon.
Ingredients
CAJUN CREAM SAUCE
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
CRISPY PARMESAN CHICKEN
- 4 chicken breasts butterflied
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
PASTA
- 1 lb Farfalle pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper sliced
- 1/2 red onion sliced
- 8 ounces crimini mushrooms sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Mix the Sauce ingredients together and set aside.
- Set a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta to a minute shy of what is listed on the box.
- Drain but do not rinse.
- Mix the flour, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Kosher salt and black pepper together in one bowl.
- In a second bowl whisk the eggs.
- Dredge each piece of chicken into the breadcrumb mixture, then into the eggs, and finally back into the breadcrumb mixture.*
- Let chicken sit on a tray while you cook the vegetables.
- Melt butter in cast iron skillet over medium heat and add the bell peppers, onion, garlic and mushrooms.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes until just starting to brown but not break down.
- Remove the vegetables from the pan.
- Add the ¼ cup oil and cook the chicken until crispy and golden brown, 3-5 minutes on each side.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and drain the oil.
- Add the pasta and vegetables to the pan with the sauce mixture.
- Let thicken and stir for 3-5 minutes.
- While the sauce is cooking slice up the chicken.
- Serve the pasta with the sliced chicken on top and extra Parmesan as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
to Copycat:
I wish you would describe/name each dish rather than tag lines. I don’t have time to go
through all of them to find one I previously read, so consequently neve make some of
these delicious recipes. Please consider at least adding a category.
I made this today and it was wonderful but mine didn’t have the same reddish color as the photo. Did I miss something ?
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The color could’ve been a bit different depending on how long the vegetables were browned. Hope this helps for next time.
Do you use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe? Can’t wait to make this – thank you for the recipe!!!
I use unsalted because I like to be able to control how much salt I’m adding to my dishes. I hope you enjoy it!
Just wanted to suggest a shortcut I use: my supermarket has already breaded, already cooked, boneless chicken breasts in the deli area. I just heat them and slice before adding to the rest of the dish! Saves me time and makes less mess!
I made this recipe tonight. It took a long time and I was afraid it was going to be all in vain. To my surprise, it was really, really good. I love to try new recipes and my son said he was impressed and one of the best I have ever cooked.
Fantastic! Some dishes are a labor of love but so happy to hear that you all enjoyed it!
I ALWAYS order this pasta everytime I go to Cheesecake Factory and ask for spaghetti instead. I made this recipe yesterday with spaghetti and it was delicious. I didn’t have enough heavy cream so I added more chicken stock. I used chicken thighs instead. My husband said the chicken was very flavorful and told me to keep the recipe. This recipe will definitely be in our dinner rotation!
Woohoo! So glad you both loved it.
Hi there
I’m going to make this wonderful recipe for my daughters surprise 25th birthday party. My question is, What do you think would be a good way to slice the chicken if this is going to be served buffet style for a crowd of about 30 people?(Im going to have to quadruple this) I would love any suggestion you have. Also have you thought about creating recipes for a large gathering? Ive been going through your recipes and every one looks like a must try! Thank you so much
So sorry I’m just now seeing this. It got caught in my spam filter. I’m not sure this would make a good buffet choice though as it would dry out. I would recommend my copycat for The Cheesecake Factory Pasta Da Vinci. I think that would be a better choice. Good luck!
Made this tonight and I had to keep chasing my husband away from the cooked chicken pieces so he wouldn’t eat them all before I finished making the sauce. They were that delicious! We are a family that likes spicy dishes so, as someone else mentioned, next time I’ll add a second teaspoon of Cajun seasoning. And I will use more cornstarch as you suggested to thicken up the sauce. One thing confused me in the recipe. I used bow tie pasta because that was what I saw in all of your photos, but in the recipe you call for farfalle. Which do you recommend?
They’re actually both the same thing. I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for the recipe! Hubby and I very much enjoyed it. Loved the spice- even added a little more red chili pepper to kale even spicier!
So glad you both enjoyed it, Samantha!
This was delish! I did add more Cajun spice as recommended in previous comments! All and all it’s a winner!
My husband hates chicken but he absolutely loved this meal! Will definitely make it again.
I made this for dinner last night, and even though my small kitchen looked like a cyclone had moved through it, it was DELICIOUS! Husband and son thought so too! I only used two chicken breasts as they were quite large, and I had to look up online how to butterfly them. I did pound them between sheets of waxed paper, and they were so big each took up the whole skillet, but they were crispy on the outside and moist inside. Yum!! ?
So glad it was all worth it for you guys!
Hi!
What kind of breadcrumbs do you use? Panko?
You can use Panko or I also like Progresso bread crumbs too.
This used to be my favorite dish at the Cheesecake Factory. Now I’m vegetarian so I don’t get it anymore. I really want to try out this recipe will it still come out good if I don’t make the chicken part and use Vegetable broth for the sauce instead?
I haven’t tested it but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out.
My boyfriend is making this for me right now. But I’m confused at the onions. I don’t see a single hint of red onion in your photos, and I’m not entirely sure it’s even in the Cheesecake Factory recipe; I’ve only had it once, but the photo on their website indicates they use green onion?? And sliced? Like in half? Anyway, I’m excited to try your take on this recipe.
I hope you enjoy it! This is an exact duplicate of thier recipe. I believe they add green onions but only as a garnish so feel free to add them at the end if you’d like.
We make this all the time now! It’s delicious, thank you! When the red onions are sliced and halved it’s really hard to see them, and we do add the green onion, but it’s definitely not necessary; there’s a lot of flavors already.
Hello,
Are you using Panko for breadcrumbs?
You can use whatever brand of breadcrumbs you prefer. I hope you enjoy it!
So delicious and not too difficult to make at all
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the 5 stars!
This recipe was amazing! I worked at The Cheesecake Factory and this tasted EXACTLY like the Louisiana Chicken Pasta dish from there. The only thing I changed was I added a lot more of the cajun seasoning. I don’t know exactly how much, I just kept tasting it until it was as spicy as I wanted. Thank you so much for the recipe! It will definitely go in my rotation!
WOW, that is basically the ultimate compliment! Thank you so much!
Made this last night – it was awesome! Plenty for 2 nights. Used whipping cream instead of heavy cream and still turned out great!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
question with the c. of Parmesan cheese and heavy cream does this give it a sort of Alfredo taste? I am not a cheese lover so just wondering if this would be a really cheesy tasting dish, or if it would still be good if i omit the cheese? Any help would be appreciated.
It’s not really cheesy but it does give a creamier taste to the sauce. I haven’t tried it without the cheese so I’m not sure how it would taste. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks!
Do u use 2 chicken breast and butter fly them are us 4and butterfly
You’ll be using 4 chicken breasts for this recipe. 🙂
Can I use spiral zucchini instead of pasta? My husband prefers spiral veggies to pasta?
It won’t be a copycat but it sounds fantastic!
I’ve tried other recipes for this but this was the best! I used twice the amount of seasoning using your recipe but we like it spicy! Thank you!
Glad you were able to customize it to your liking!
Oh my goodness!! This has become one of my all-time favorite meals. My mom’s birthday is in June, and she is specifically requesting this as her birthday meal she loves it so much!
Yay!! So happy to hear!
I have done this recipe at least a dozen times and every time it came out a winner. My finicky daughter loves it and this recipe is on the menu tonight for Ramadan iftar. Thanks.
Aw, thanks for coming back to let me know! So glad you all enjoyed it!
Great recipe! This is my absolute favorite dish to get at Cheesecake Factory. Now that I no longer live near a Cheesecake Factory, I knew I had to make this because I have a constant craving for it. Tastes almost identical to the real one! I made a few changes per my taste and what I had around the house (more Cajun seasoning, panko instead of breadcrumbs, etc) but it was still amazing. And I impressed all my friends and family with photos. Excited to try other recipes!
Glad you were able to customize it to your liking! Thank you for the 5 star rating!
This was beyond good! Made this tonight because I’m obsessed with this pasta dish from the Cheesecake Factory, but can’t pay $18 every weekend for it… This was really, really close to the real thing! Super amazing. I’m already dreaming about eating it for lunch tomorrow. 🙂 Thank you so much!
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
So so good! Even my picky boyfriend loved it! I doubled the cajun seasoning and it still could have used more. I dont like spicy food and it definitely wasnt-so dont worry about it being too spicy. This will be on our rotations for sure. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it!
I eat this from cheese cake factory at least 4 or 5 time a month. This that can get quite expensive. This recipe is spot on! Thanks also this is great without the meat for vegetarians!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
This is one of the top 5 BEST dishes I have ever made, and that’s saying A LOT because I LOVE to cook! I’m making it again for my whole family this weekend and I can’t wait to see their faces!
That’s such an awesome compliment, thank you!
AhhhhhhhMAZING! I added some panko to my bread crumbs to add crunch without double breading. This was a HUGE hit at my dinner party! Thank you for making me look like a decent cook!!!
How awesome!! So glad everyone enjoyed it!
Making this today….but hate frying. Can I bake the chicken?
Yes, it won’t have the same crispiness but it will still taste great.
Just made this tonight and my husband and I loved it. I will definitely be making this again.
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it!
Just made this recipe for lunch. So delicious. I used The Spice House Cajun Seasoning. Thank you for sharing.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Just made this recipe tonight, was so so so delicious!! Tasted almost exactly as the same one from The Cheesecake Factory. I used the Louisiana Fish Fry company’s Cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper instead of the red pepper flakes and it tasted amazing! I also added another half tablespoon of cornstarch to make it a little more thick! I honestly can’t thank you enough for sharing this recipe!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
This is my absolute favorite meal at Cheesecake Factory. I cannot believe how spot on the flavor is. Now I can make it at home whenever I’m craving it
Thank you so much, Lindsey! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
I have been trying to change my menu and this worked well the grocery store didn’t have unseason breadcrumbs used panko instead turned out ok. This is my favorite dish at Cheesecake Factory I also didn’t have red pepper flakes used cayenne pepper. I won’t stop making it do you have any suggestions?
I would suggest making this following the ingredient list to achieve the taste that’s spot on. If your grocer doesn’t have unseasoned breadcrumbs you could always use day old bread and pulse it in a food processor or even order it off of amazon. Using cayenne instead of red pepper flakes is quite a different flavor so make sure to use red pepper flakes next time as well. I’d love to know how it turns out next time.
Hi!! Did you pound the chicken after you butterflied it to make it thinner??
-Kaley
I didn’t but you definitely could. Hope you enjoy it!
I made this tonight following your post!! It was AMAZING!!!!!! Definitely a crowd pleaser!!! So so tasty!!
Yay so glad you enjoyed it!
I made it ! Came out great but the sauce didn’t really thicken too much. Maybe I did something wrong. My sauce was also very light in color. Not yellow/brown like the photo. Still tasty ! Thank you !
Next time you make it, if your sauce still seems thinner you could always add a bit more cornstarch to thicken it up. Also the coloring could be different depending on how long the vegetables were browned. I’m glad you still enjoyed it!
I made this today. It was a great hit. five persons enjoyed for lunch and little left over. I cheated on the cajun spice by putting two teaspoons in instead of one but the effect was still minimal. I am going to do it again and soon but next time I am making my own cajun seasoning. My daughter is a finicky eater but she said that she expect me to do again next week. Please do not tell her there iscream.
I’m so glad that everyone enjoyed it! Thank you for the 5 star rating, Hady!
The recipe doesn’t suggest a type of pasta or how much to use.
Thank you so much for catching that, sorry. You’ll want to use 1 pound of Farfalle pasta for this recipe. I edited the recipe card to add that part in.
This recipe was AMAZING!!!!! Soooo delicious! My whole family (husband, 16,17, and 19 yr. children and myself) ALL loved it and my boys can be pretty picky.
I love it when the whole family loves it! It’s such a compliment. Thanks for coming back and letting me know!
I’ve made this twice now I almost can’t believe how delicious this is and I MADE IT! haha my husband and a couple of buddies came over tonight and they ate the whole thing couldn’t stop bragging about how good it was this has been a go to dog for me at cheese cake and I’m so happy I can make it at home now! Thanks so much
Love it! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know how much you all loved it!
Oh my gosh! I LOVE THIS! One of my favorite meals!
In the recipe it says to dip the chicken into breadcrumbs, then oil, then back into breadcrumbs. I’m assuming you meant to dip into the eggs, not oil? Also, how much pasta, a whole 16 oz box? Just making sure there is enough sauce to cover that much pasta. Thanks!
Yes, thank you for catching that! I edited to show correctly now. You’ll want to use a whole 16 oz pasta box for this recipe. Hope you enjoy!
I just want to chime in and say great recipe! I a even more excited about the button at the top of the page that allows me to jump to the recipe! It was that alone that got me to subscribe! Looking forward to more
Thank you Erin!
Everything at Cheesecake Factory is amazing! I can’t wait to try this!
Thanks Cathy!
Wow! This pasta looks great! And that chicken seems to be sooo crispy!
Thanks Catalina! It’s absolutely delicious!!
I LOVE pasta and I am always looking for more recipes! Yum!
It’s definitely a great way to switch things up! Hope you enjoy!
Ooo! I have so many fans of Cheesecake Factory in my family. They will love this copycat!
Wow! This looks delicious! The chicken looks perfectly crispy, and I love the mushrooms, too! Nice!
Thanks Patricia!
You didn’t say how much pasta to cook. My husband loves Cajun pasta.
Cook to one minute shy of what is on the box. 🙂
So a whole box of pasta?
Yes 🙂