Cajun Chicken Pasta

This is a wonderful Southern inspired dish that is sure to spice up the dinner table.


Cajun Chicken Pasta

Adapted from this recipe on ThePioneerWoman.com

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time:  15 minutes
Serves:  6


Ingredients:

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 3 tsp. Cajun seasoning
• 1 lb. fettuccine or linguini
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 large red onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• cayenne pepper, to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain.
2. Sprinkle 1 1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning over the chicken pieces and toss to coat.  Heat 1 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet over high heat.  Add half the chicken pieces in a single layer (do not stir).  Cook for about 1 minute or until brown.  Flip and brown on the other side for an additional minute.  Remove and place on a clean plate.  Repeat with remaining chicken.  
3. With pan still on high heat, add remaining tbsp. of butter and olive oil.  Once heated, add peppers, onions, mushrooms and garlic.  Sprinkle with remaining Cajun seasoning.  Cook over very high heat, stirring gently for 1 minute.  Try to get the vegetables as brown as possible.  Add tomatoes and cook for 30 seconds.  Remove from the pan.
4. Pour the wine and chicken broth into the pan and cook on high heat for 3-5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze.  Reduce heat to medium-low and add in the cream, whisking constantly.  Cook for a few minutes, until mixture starts to thicken.  Season to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne.   
5. Add chicken and vegetables to the sauce, including all the juices from the plate.  Stir and cook 1-2 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add fettuccine or linguini and toss to combine.

Notes & Suggestions:

If you don't want to mess with cooking the chicken, you could use 3-4 cups of chicken from a store-bought rotisserie chicken.  Just season it with the Cajun seasoning and add it in at the end.

Personally, I thought a pound of pasta was too much, so next time I will just make 3/4 of a pound.

I had a problem getting my sauce to thicken up so I had to add some flour to it.  I also added more Cajun seasoning to spice it up some more.  I like my food spicy!  :)