I’ve got a new favorite chicken recipe. It’s Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta. I found the recipe on Facebook and cooked it up yesterday. It took a little time, but wasn’t that hard and, man, it was way delicious. I’ll put it this way. There was enough leftovers for one person. Jenny asked if I wanted them to take to work for lunch. I said, “You can have it if you want.” She replied very assertively, “Good. I want it.” It was almost like she was challenging me.
There aren’t many ingredients: heavy cream, parmesan, chicken, olive oil, garlic, butter, tomatoes, Cajun seasoning, and linguine or whatever pasta you want to use. I used McCormick Cajun seasoning and I used a little more than the recipe called for to give it a little extra kick. It calls for a cup and a half of cream, but I substituted a half a cup with half and half. I probably could have substituted a full cup and gotten away with it.
Ingredients
- 8 oz linguine pasta
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning, divided
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2/3 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbsp. parsley, finely chopped, to serve
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 Tbsp salt. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water then drain, cover, and keep warm.
- Beat the chicken breasts so that they are even in thickness and season all over with 1½ Tbsp cajun seasoning.
- In a large non-reactive skillet*, heat 2 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and sear on both sides. Turn heat down to low and sauté until cooked through and 165˚F on a thermometer. Transfer to a cutting board, slice into thin strips, and cover to keep warm.
- In the same skillet over medium heat, sauté the butter and garlic for 30-60 seconds or until the garlic is fragrant. Add the diced tomatoes and sauté another 2 minutes.
- Add in the heavy whipping cream, remaining Cajun seasoning, and parmesan cheese, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste if needed.
- Add the sliced chicken and cooked pasta to the sauce and toss until combined and pasta and chicken are warmed through. Add warm reserved pasta water if desired to thin the sauce. Serve with freshly grated parmesan and chopped parsley.
Recipe Notes
*Avoid using cast iron or copper pans anytime you are making a creamy sauce with an acidic product like tomato or it will react and make the sauce grainy.