This Cajun chicken and veggie pasta has been a go-to family favorite for many years now. Its quite a bit different than the other Cajun Chicken Pasta already on this blog. That was has a LOT of whipping cream and is more of an Alfredo-esque sauce. This one is much lighter and packed with a rainbow of veggies. And while we don't eat this too often, it is much more reflective of how our family chooses to eat now than 5 years ago when I posted that other recipe! Its fun how we change and grow. Hope you'll enjoy this one like we do! Add a salad and French bread and its even more awesome.
Cajun Chicken and Veggie Pasta
250g pasta--linguine, spaghetti, penne, rotini, shells--they all work!
2 large chicken breasts, sliced thinly
1 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere's is best, or make your own)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbs olive oil
Half of one red onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 small head broccoli, chopped to bite size
1 tomato, deseeded and chopped
2-3 Tbs finely chopped green onion
~1/8 tsp salt
~1/8 tsp black pepper
1 cup chicken broth*
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 Tbs flour
Parmesan Cheese, optional
Begin by prepping all the veggies and set aside. Slice the chicken breasts and sprinkle them with the Cajun seasoning and also set aside. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and prepare the pasta according to package directions.
Heat about 1/2 Tbs olive oil in a large skillet. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and garlic. Cook through and remove from skillet--let chicken sit on a plate. Add another 1/2 Tbs or so of olive oil into the skillet. Add red onion, bell pepper, and broccoli. Allow to cook a few minutes until starting to become slightly tender. Add tomato and sprinkle all the veggies with the salt and pepper. Stir the flour into the veggies. Add whipping cream and chicken broth. The flour on the veggies will make it slightly thicken. Add the chicken and an juices it collected on the plate back in. Cook until sauce is hot, thick, and just coming to a boil. All of this really moves fairly quickly--especially if you are like me and don't like overcooked broccoli! Drain pasta and toss it all together along with green onions and parmesan if you are using. Add extra Cajun seasoning to taste-- I almost always add a little more! Add salt if it needs something but you don't want the added spice from the Cajun seasoning. Enjoy!
Cajun Chicken and Veggie Pasta
250g pasta--linguine, spaghetti, penne, rotini, shells--they all work!
2 large chicken breasts, sliced thinly
1 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere's is best, or make your own)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbs olive oil
Half of one red onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 small head broccoli, chopped to bite size
1 tomato, deseeded and chopped
2-3 Tbs finely chopped green onion
~1/8 tsp salt
~1/8 tsp black pepper
1 cup chicken broth*
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 Tbs flour
Parmesan Cheese, optional
Begin by prepping all the veggies and set aside. Slice the chicken breasts and sprinkle them with the Cajun seasoning and also set aside. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and prepare the pasta according to package directions.
Heat about 1/2 Tbs olive oil in a large skillet. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and garlic. Cook through and remove from skillet--let chicken sit on a plate. Add another 1/2 Tbs or so of olive oil into the skillet. Add red onion, bell pepper, and broccoli. Allow to cook a few minutes until starting to become slightly tender. Add tomato and sprinkle all the veggies with the salt and pepper. Stir the flour into the veggies. Add whipping cream and chicken broth. The flour on the veggies will make it slightly thicken. Add the chicken and an juices it collected on the plate back in. Cook until sauce is hot, thick, and just coming to a boil. All of this really moves fairly quickly--especially if you are like me and don't like overcooked broccoli! Drain pasta and toss it all together along with green onions and parmesan if you are using. Add extra Cajun seasoning to taste-- I almost always add a little more! Add salt if it needs something but you don't want the added spice from the Cajun seasoning. Enjoy!
* Substitute 1/3-1/2 cup of chicken stock with white wine for a nice flavor!
* You can also make this with shrimp instead of chicken and it's wonderful!!
We've been using this recipe for a couple of years. Instead of whipping cream it uses a little bit of cream cheese and essentially a white sauce. It's easy and fast! https://www.skinnytaste.com/cajun-chicken-pasta-on-lighter-side/
ReplyDeleteI think that the recipe you just linked is one I looked at when I first started making this. I didn't have the cream cheese maybe so I used whipping cream in a smaller amount.
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