New Recipe Night: Cajun Chicken Pasta

This is one of my favorite things to order at any restaurant. If they have this on the menu chances are I'm going to order it. I've never attempted making it at home (big shocker) but couldn't resist giving it a shot. I love anything with cajun spice....well, anything with spice for that matter. I was a little hesitant to present it to the hubs seeing as how he's not a huge pasta fan. Ok, not a pasta fan at all. Besides manicotti. That is always a winner in his book. So I thought I'd find a new manicotti recipe to make up for feeding him linguini last night. But ya know what? He LOVED it!! He even had a second helping!!! I stumbled upon this very easy on the eyes dish right here.

Ingredients:


*10 oz. whole wheat linguine
*1 large or 2 small chicken breasts (about 8-10 oz.), sliced
*3-4 tsp. Cajun seasoning, divided
*1 Tbsp. canola oil
*1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
*1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
*1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
*1 cup sliced mushrooms
*3 cloves garlic, minced
*1/2 cup chicken broth
*1 cup half and half
*3 Tbsp. chopped parsley


Directions:


1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the linguine. Cook until al dente.


2) Meanwhile, season the chicken breast with 2 tsp. of Cajun seasoning. Heat the canola oil in a large saute pan and, once hot, add the chicken. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the pan.

3) Add the bell peppers and onion and saute 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, mushrooms, and 1-2 tsp. of Cajun seasoning; cook until the mushrooms have given up their juices and peppers are crisp-tender.

4) Stir in the chicken broth, and scrape up all the browned bits. Boil over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and pour in the half and half. Simmer until it begins to thicken. Taste and add salt or additional Cajun seasoning if necessary.


5) Add the chicken and pasta into the sauce and continue stirring over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes to re-warm chicken and allow the pasta to absorb some of the sauce. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley, and serve.




I used Zatarain's Creole Seasoning simply because it was the only cajun type seasoning I found on the spice aisle. It passed the test! What didn't pass the test? Well, it's confession time. The recipe calls for whole wheat linguine but as usual I had trouble finding it at United so I settled for regular pasta. Ok, I can deal. What I can't deal with is a cranky, clingy baby while I'm trying to chop, stir and saute....the poor pasta was neglected.....

Al dente? More like al sticky...

Flavor! Flavor! Flavor! This dish is exactly how it looks. Delish! I added some extra cajun seasoning in (duh!) and it was super spicy. So if you don't like a lot of spice then follow the recipe or use a little less. Last night I dreamed of the leftovers waiting in the fridge...they are gone now. ;) Oh yeah, one more thing....ENJOY!!!