Spicy And Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta Recipes

SPICY AND CREAMY CAJUN CHICKEN PASTA

Steps:

• Combine ingredients for Cajun seasoning in a small bowl. Or, alternatively, use 2 tablespoons of your favorite Cajun seasoning. My recommendation is Frontier Cajun seasoning.
• Place 2 chicken breasts in a shallow bowl and coat on both sides with 1/2 of the Cajun seasoning. Save the remaining 1/2 of the seasoning for pasta. Note: be sure to use thinly sliced chicken breasts. That means if you bought large chicken breasts, slice each one in half horizontally.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts seasoned with Cajun spice and cook for about 4 minutes on each side. Turn off the heat, cover the skillet with the lid, and let the chicken sit, covered, off heat for about 10 minutes until it's completely cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and slice chicken thinly.
• In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook according to the package instructions (that usually means somewhere between 10 or 15 minutes). Drain pasta.
• Add diced bell peppers to the same, now empty, skillet that you just used to cook chicken. Cook on medium heat for about 4 minutes until bell peppers are slightly softened. Remove 1/2 of the cooked bell peppers to a plate, leaving the remaing 1/2 in the skillet.
• To the same skillet with 1/2 of the cooked bell peppers, add the cream, the remaining 1/2 of the Cajun seasoning, and freshly shredded Parmesan cheese. Bring to a brief boil, reduce to simmer, and cook, constantly stirring, until the cheese starts to melt, for several minutes.
• Add drained cooked pasta to the skillet with the cream sauce and heat through on low heat. Season with red pepper flakes, more salt and extra cayenne pepper, if desired. Top with sliced cooked chicken and the remaining 1/2 of cooked bell peppers.

SPICY AND CREAMY CHICKEN PASTA

Steps:

• Mix cider vinegar, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, seasoned salt, red pepper flakes, monosodium glutamate, black pepper, and salt in a resealable plastic bag. Place chicken pieces into marinade, seal bag, and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade; discard used marinade. Cook chicken in hot oil until browned and no longer pink inside, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently. Transfer chicken to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving accumulated juices in skillet.
• Whisk whipping cream into pan juices and cook until cream has started to thicken, about 5 minutes. Stir chicken back into skillet and reduce heat to low. Simmer chicken in cream sauce until sauce is thick, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook egg noodles in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 5 minutes. Drain. Gently stir cooked noodles into skillet with chicken and cream sauce.

CREAMY CAJUN CHICKEN PASTA

Steps:

• 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 saute 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, saute the butter and garlic for 30-60 seconds or until the garlic is fragrant. Add the diced tomatoes and saute 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.