Cajun Chicken Pasta

Cajun Chicken Pasta

I have been baking quite a bit for my family, so it was about time for a little change! decided I wanted to make something for the fam bam that they would appreciate.  Not just a regular marinara sauce pasta or an alfredo sauce one, but something that they had not had at home yet.  I decided to go with making a recipe that I saw on skinnytaste.com a while ago.  It stuck out to me because of it's spiciness (and being on the healthier side), which is something that my family wold love! So I gave it a go.  Although I used too much Cajun spices for my own liking, everyone in my household thought it was good.  I will leave up the exact amount of spices to your tastebuds! One side note is make sure and not use too much Cajun seasoning or your dish will turn to be on the saltier side.  Anyways, enjoy this great flavored pasta!

Ingredients (4-6 servings):

8 ounces uncooked linguine

1 pound chicken (cut into strips)

1 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or more according to taste)

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp olive oil

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper 

8 oz mushrooms (I bought sliced ones)

1/2 red onion

4 cloves garlic

2 medium tomatoes

1 cup chicken broth

1/3 cup milk (I like using nonfat, but we didn't have any so I used whole)

1 tbsp flour

3 tbsp light cream cheese

1/8 tsp black pepper (more/less according to taste)

1/8 tsp salt (more/less according to taste)

2 scallions (optional)

cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Prepare pasta according to the directions on the package.  To make sure that the pasta boils fast and does not stick together after draining, add a little bit of oil and a pinch of salt to the water before it starts boiling. 

2. Cut red pepper, green pepper, and red onions into long strips.  Mince the garlic.  Dice the tomatoes.

3. In a blender, blend milk, flour, and cream cheese.  Pour into a small bowl and set aside.

4. Season the chicken strips with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, and a little of the garlic.   

5. Heat a large skillet on medium high, spray with cooking spray, and add the chicken to the skillet.  Brown the chicken, about 6 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.  Set aside on a plate.

6. Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce the heat to just medium.  

7. Add in the bell peppers, onions and remaining garlic.  Saute on skillet for about 4 minutes.

8. Add in the mushrooms and tomatoes.  Saute for an addition 4 minutes or until all the vegetables are nice and tender. 

9. Add salt and black pepper to taste.  

10. Reduce the heat to medium low and add in chicken broth and mixture from step 3. Stir for about 4 minutes. 

11. Place the chicken back in the skillet.  Toss around and add extra Cajun seasoning and salt to taste.  Again be care not too add too much or your dish will be too salty. Cook for another few minutes to really mix everything in with the chicken.

12.  Add in the cooked linguine to the skillet and mix everything so the linguine is well coated with the sauce.  

13. Top with scallions.

14. ENJOY!