Cheesy Chicken & Sausage Pasta – This Cheesy Chicken & Sausage Pasta is a copycat homemade version of the frozen bags of cheesy chicken pasta that comes from the grocery store!
RECIPE IS BELOW IN PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BUT BLOG POST IS FULL OF “HOW TO MAKE IT”, TIPS, INFORMATION AND FAQ
I use to frequently shop in the frozen food section. When I moved out of my parents house and even when Thomas and I first got married, I loved to stock our freezer with “microwave and eat” meals. There was one in particular that I loved (and still love) that I would always grab and toss into the buggie.
Cheesy Chicken Pasta was a skillet meal that you literally just poured into a skillet, heated and enjoyed.
We actually had it the other night and while I was stirring our dinner I thought, ‘Self, you could totally make this from scratch.” So that’s what I did. I made my own version of the Cheesy Chicken Pasta.
But guess what mine’s got that the bagged kind doesn’t have…. That’s right! Andouille sausage! My mom actually gave me the idea for that one! She makes the bagged cheesy chicken and started adding cut up Andouille sausages to it! She brought some to work a while back and I fell in love with the Andouille sausage addition.
Why You Should Make this Cheesy Chicken and Sausage Pasta…
- Ready in under 1 hour
- Perfect for weeknights or weekends
- leftovers taste amazing
- perfect for those that want from-scratch meals but love those bagged pasta meals
QUICK GLANCE AT INGREDIENTS FOR Cheesy Chicken and Sausage Pasta:
- Radiatore Pasta (or any type of small swirl pasta)
- Andouille sausages
- boneless skinless chicken breast
- Colby Jack cheese, grated
- milk
- heavy cream
- flour
- butter
- Pike’s Peak Butchers Rub* (or your favorite blend of spices)
- frozen broccoli pieces
- frozen mixed vegetables
- Salt (for pasta water)
- dry mustard
(AMOUNTS IN RECIPE CARD BELOW)
If you don’t want to use onion powder you can use 1 diced onion instead and sauté it with the carrots.
How to make homemade Cheesy Chicken and Sausage Pasta :
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook pasta for about 12 minutes or until done. Drain and set aside.
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While the pasta is cooking, dice the chicken into bite size pieces and add it to a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until done. Chicken should be white when completely cooked.
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Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
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Slice the Andouille sausages in to semi thin disks and add them to the skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes, tossing occasionally, until slightly browned.
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Add in the seasoning, frozen mixed vegetables and frozen broccoli pieces. Place lid on the skillet and cook for about 15 minutes on medium-high heat, stirring occasional, until vegetables are hot.
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In the empty pot you used for the pasta, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add in the flour and cook over medium heat while whisking until the mixture is light brown.
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Add in the heavy cream and whisk until smooth. Add in the milk and whisk. Let the milk heat and right before it starts simmer, add in the cheese and whisk until the cheesy is melted. Whisk in 1 teaspoon dry mustard.
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Pour the cheesy sauce into the skillet with the vegetables, add in the chicken and pasta and stir until the cheese covers everything.
Frequently Asked Questions
More chicken pasta Recipes
- Baked Chicken Feta Pasta
- The Best Chicken Spaghetti
- Broccoli Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
- Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Shells
- Three Cheese Chicken & Rotini Pasta Casserole
Cheesy Chicken and Sausage Pasta
Cheesy Chicken and Sausage Pasta
This Cheesy Chicken & Sausage Pasta is a copycat homemade version of the frozen bags of cheesy chicken pasta that comes from the grocery store!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Radiatore Pasta (or any type of small swirl pasta)
- 2 Andouille sausages, about 15 ounces total
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 pound Colby Jack cheese, grated
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons Pike's Peak Butchers Rub* (or your favorite blend of spices)
- 1 (12 oz) bag frozen broccoli pieces
- 1 (10 oz) bag frozen mixed vegetables
- Salt (for pasta water)
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook pasta for about 12 minutes or until done. Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, dice the chicken into bite size pieces and add it to a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until done. Chicken should be white when completely cooked.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- Slice the Andouille sausages in to semi thin disks and add them to the skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes, tossing occasionally, until sightly browned.
- Add in the seasoning, frozen mixed vegetables and frozen broccoli pieces. Place lid on the skillet and cook for about 15 minutes on medium-high heat, stirring occasional, until vegetables are hot.
- In the empty pot you used for the pasta, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add in the flour and cook over medium heat while whisking until the mixture is light brown.
- Add in the heavy cream and whisk until smooth. Add in the milk and whisk. Let the milk heat and right before it starts simmer, add in the cheese and whisk until the cheesy is melted.
- Whisk in 1 teaspoon dry mustard.
- Pour the cheesy sauce into the skillet with the vegetables, add in the chicken and pasta and stir until the cheese covers everything.Serve hot/warm.
Notes
If you need to reheat this later, add a splash of milk before reheating.
Pike's Peak Butchers Rub is a mix of black pepper, sea salt, white pepper, red bell pepper, garlic, minced green onion and parsley.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 923Total Fat: 56gSaturated Fat: 32gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 185mgSodium: 1000mgCarbohydrates: 69gFiber: 7gSugar: 12gProtein: 40g
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Sounds good! But what is andouille sausage?
Hey! Andouille is a smoked pork sausage.
Creamy pasta is always a winner in our house! I need to jazz it up too and use sausage more!
Yum…pure comfort food here! And I bet it’s so much better made from scratch!
I love your sausage addition!! Great recipe.
I agree, the andouille sausage is the perfect addition!
I just had a total flashback when I opened up this post, because I practically lived on those frozen skillet pastas when I was first living on my own… it’s been years since I last had one, though. I try to stick with from-scratch meals as much as I can nowadays, so I’m totally thrilled to see this homemade version. The addition of andouille is totally genius, too.
There is not a single thing I don’t love about this recipe – the ingredients, the ease, the flavor. This is going on my must-make list VERY soon!
You can’t beat the flavor of andouille sausage, and I’ll bet your homemade version of this pasta blows the packaged stuff out of the water!
MMMmmm, looks so good. I love chicken, I wouldn’t want to stop eating!!!
You use 2 andouille sausages that are 15oz each?
Is that correct?
2 andouille sausages, for a total of about 15 oz worth of sausage for the recipe unless you want more 🙂
Where in the recipe do you add the rub? With the flour and butter??
You add it with the vegetables 🙂
WOW, this is absolutely wonderful. I was looking for something that my 2 small grand daughters and my husband would love. This was perfect. I will make it again. It was so easy and the taste was absolutely perfect. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so glad that y’all loved it!!
Can I make it ahead of time and refrigerate it for a day?
You can! Now it will get thicker in the fridge while it cools, so I suggest if you need to reheat this later, add a splash of milk before reheating.
What is the best way to reheat after I’ve made it at home? I am making this meal for a new mom / family and wanted to give them good instructions!
The sauce will get really thick once is gets cold in the fridge. I suggest heating it in a skillet and adding a little milk to loosing the sauce as it reheats.
We loved this! Hubby hates chicken so we skipped it and doubled the sausage. So good!
Makes a TON. Next time I will just make half. Going into our regular rotation for sure!
I love your page and recipe s can’t wait to get them thank you very much
My family LOVED this recipe!! We used Kinder Buttery steakhouse instead of the Pikes Peak seasoning (it’s what I had) and it was delicious! Thank you.
Hi! I’m so glad that y’all loved it!!
This was delicious but wow did it make A LOT! Do you think it would work if I froze some and added milk when thawed/reheated?
I think that would work perfectly.
Hi! I’m planning on making this tonight for my family I showed them the pictures and they’re so excited! I did notice that at no point in the recipe do you say when to bring the cooked noodles in – I assume that happens when you mix the cheese sauce in with the cooked veggies and chicken?
oh my gosh, YES! I am so sorry. Add the cooked pasta in at the end with the cheese sauce and vegetables. I’ve had so many people make this and tell me that they loved it and you’re the first person to point that out haha. Thank you! I’m going to fix it now!