Fast, simple, and filled with taste, my creamy cajun hen pasta makes an excellent weeknight dinner that’s prepared in lower than half-hour! Be at liberty to swap the hen for shrimp or add your favourite veggies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Whereas it is a creamy cajun hen pasta, it’s not too wealthy. It’s consolation meals for certain, nevertheless it’s not heavy! We wish to eat it year-round.
- Feeds the entire household in simply half-hour! This is only one of my many fast and simple weeknight dinners.
- Tons of taste from a mix of spices and fragrant garlic, onions, and bell peppers.
- Protein packed and filling with the choice so as to add extra veggies should you’d like (spinach, mushrooms, or tomatoes could be my options!).
Made with contemporary veggies, a creamy, spiced sauce, and completely seasoned hen over a mattress of penne, this cajun hen pasta has been successful in our home since I first began making it a couple of years in the past (it’s one among my Fall favorites alongside my chili recipe).
This dish has all of it; tons of taste, sufficient protein to maintain you full, and a creamy sauce that retains you going again for extra. Oh, and it’s prepared in simply half an hour! Strive serving it with a facet of my buttermilk cornbread for a full, satisfying meal.
Elements
You’ll see fairly a couple of spices, plus some veggies, protein, and naturally, pasta.
- Pasta. Whereas I like to recommend penne, you may substitute your private desire when making this recipe. Linguine is all the time a preferred selection (I take advantage of that in my cajun shrimp pasta!), however I like the way in which the penne holds the creamy sauce in every chew. Complete wheat or complete grain pastas are additionally nice choices for slightly added dietary worth! Just be sure you stick to only 8 oz (often half a package deal) of your favourite form.
- Rooster breast. When you may cook dinner the breasts complete, reducing up the hen into bite-sized items earlier than seasoning permits each bit to be absolutely coated within the seasoning. In case you don’t really feel like doing this, you may all the time simply season and cook dinner the breasts complete and serve them over the completed dish, like I do with my hen alfredo, however I believe slightly effort at first is well worth the payoff.
- Spices. Together with cajun seasoning (I like “Slap Ya Mama” model!), garlic powder, black pepper, basil, and smoked paprika. Observe that we are going to use solely 3 teaspoons of the cajun seasoning for the hen; the remainder will go within the sauce.
- Bell peppers. Actually any colour will work. I used crimson and inexperienced in my previous pictures for this recipe, however immediately I’m utilizing crimson and orange. Simply make sure that to slice them into skinny strips.
- Cream. Heavy cream, whipping cream, or double cream will work.
SAM’S TIP: Grate your individual cheese! Pre-grated cheeses (just like the inexperienced plastic can everyone knows of) comprise anti-caking brokers that in the end forestall them from melting easily into your sauce.
Bear in mind, that is simply an outline of the substances I used and why. For the total recipe please scroll right down to the underside of the submit!
Methods to Make It
- Season and sear the hen in two tablespoons of butter, then take away to a plate and put aside.
- Sauté the peppers and onions within the remaining tablespoon of butter till softened.
- Stir within the cream and spices and convey to a boil, then cut back to a simmer. Let cook dinner till thickened, then add the cheese, hen, and pasta.
- Serve with extra parmesan cheese and chopped parsley if desired. Get pleasure from!
SAM’S TIP: In order for you extra veggies, toss in some canned diced tomatoes or make this creamy cajun hen pasta with spinach! You’ll be able to stir in a handful while you add the cream. It would wilt into the sauce, and actually, you received’t actually discover you’re consuming it!
Ceaselessly Requested Questions
Positive! Simply remember the fact that the noodles will possible soak up the sauce because it sits, so it received’t be fairly as creamy when reheated. You’ll be able to all the time save among the pasta water and drizzle that in as you’re reheating to assist loosen the sauce!
Be sure you retailer your pasta in an hermetic container within the fridge and revel in inside a couple of days.
You may, or you may make my cajun shrimp pasta as an alternative. You too can add smoked andouille sausage–that’s a basic cajun ingredient too!
This cajun pasta would make a scrumptious mardi gras meal, particularly with a slice of king cake for dessert!
Get pleasure from!
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Creamy Cajun Rooster Pasta
Want a flavorful weeknight dinner? My creamy cajun hen pasta is easy, filled with taste, and prepared in lower than half-hour! Be at liberty to swap the hen for shrimp or add your favourite veggies.
Servings: 6 servings
Energy: 568kcal
Forestall your display from going darkish
Directions
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Start cooking pasta in accordance with package deal directions.
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In a big ziploc bag, toss collectively 3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add chopped hen, zip closed, and shake till hen is coated. Put aside.
4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 1 ½ lbs (680 g) boneless skinless hen breast lower into 1″ items
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In a big pan over medium warmth, soften 2 Tablespoons of butter.
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Switch hen to heated pan and cook dinner till hen is browned and simply cooked by (cook dinner in batches if wanted). Take away to a plate and put aside.
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Add remaining Tablespoon of butter to pan and cook dinner till melted.
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Add peppers and onion and cook dinner, stirring often till starting to melt (about 3-5 minutes).
½ yellow onion, 2 bell peppers
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Add heavy cream, smoked paprika, basil, garlic powder, remaining cajun seasoning and ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Convey to a boil after which cut back to a simmer, cooking till sauce is thickened.
1 ½ cups (355 ml) heavy cream, ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon dried basil, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
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Return cooked hen to the pan. Add parmesan cheese and heat cooked, drained pasta and stir till cheese is melted. Serve heat, topped with contemporary parsley if desired.
⅓ cup contemporary parmesan cheese, 8 oz (227 g) penne pasta*
Notes
*Pasta
Whereas I notably take pleasure in this recipe served with penne, you may after all substitute your favourite sort of pasta. Linguine is one other common possibility!
Seasoning
I actually just like the “Slap ya Mama” model cajun seasoning.
Storing
Retailer within the fridge in an hermetic container for as much as 3 days. Pasta is not going to be as creamy when reheated.
Diet
Serving: 1serving | Energy: 568kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 33g | Fats: 33g | Saturated Fats: 19g | Trans Fats: 1g | Ldl cholesterol: 174mg | Sodium: 488mg | Potassium: 689mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2608IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 2mg
Dietary info is predicated on third-party calculations and must be thought of an estimate solely. Precise dietary content material will range based mostly upon manufacturers used, measuring strategies, cooking technique, portion sizes, and extra.
I initially shared this cajun hen pasta recipe in 2019 over on Spend with Pennies!
