Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
I am so excited to share with you my new favorite pasta dish. I have had Cajun Chicken Pasta at a handful of restaurants and always loved it. I decided to try and make my own and all I can say is WOW. So GOOD, so QUICK, and so EASY! The lemon zest, tomatoes, and spinach really brings freshness to this rather rich dish. The Cajun seasoning makes it so flavorful and adds a little heat. I hope you enjoy! :-)
PS: You may have noticed a lot of my recipes are for about 2-3 servings. This is because I cook for my husband, my toddler, and myself. You can easily double or triple the recipe if needed.
Gather and prep your ingredients. I find prepping and measuring everything beforehand makes cooking so much easier! (ps: you may notice in the picture below that the spinach is not pictured. i decided to add it at the very last second.) It would be a good time to get some water boiling for the pasta, too.
place chicken and cajun seasoning in a plastic bag and shake to coat the chicken. heat a skillet over medium-high heat. add 2 tablespoons of butter and add chicken to the pan. cook for 4 minutes per side.
In a pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to box instructions; drain well. Reserve approx 1/2 cup of pasta water.
remove chicken to a bowl. Reduce heat to medium. add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and add the onions and garlic. season with salt and pepper. saute until onions are translucent.
next, add the tomatoes, cook for about 3 minutes more.
reduce the heat to medium-low. add the cream, lemon zest, and season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Stir on occasion for about 5-10 minutes until sauce has thickened. add the chicken and spinach. cook until spinach has wilted slightly. taste and add some more salt and pepper if needed.
add the pasta and stir to coat. if the sauce seems to thick, add some pasta water until you reach your desired CONSISTENCY.
Voilà! now you have something delicious! serve with some parmesan cheese at the table and enjoy :-).
Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Author: Alexa Milazzo
www.survivingmomday.com
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1-2 chicken breasts (see notes), butterflied and cut into bite size pieces
- 2 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 8oz Linguine Pasta (or whatever you have on hand)
- 4 tbsp butter, divided
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 8 baby tomatoes, quartered
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Zest of one lemon
- Generous handful of spinach
- Salt and pepper
Instructions:
- Place the chicken and cajun seasoning in a plastic bag and shake to coat the chicken.
- Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and add chicken to the pan. Cook approx. 4 minutes per side.
- In a pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to the box instructions; drain well. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and set aside.
- Remove chicken and place in a bowl. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining butter and add the onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until onions are translucent.
- Add the tomatoes, cook for about 3 minutes more.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the cream and lemon zest. Season with a little salt and pepper. Stir on occasion for about 5-10 minutes until sauce has thickened.
- Add the chicken and spinach. Stir and cook until spinach is slightly wilted. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Add the pasta and stir to coat. If the sauce is too thick, add some reserved pasta water until you reach your desired consistency.
- Serve immediately with some parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Notes:
- If chicken breast is already thin, go ahead and use two. No need to butterfly.
Alexa Milazzo