Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
A labor of love over the years to figure out how to make my favorite Cajun Pasta dish. I believe it's a success! It's really, really hard to stop eating this heady dish.
A labor of love over the years to figure out how to make my favorite Cajun Pasta dish. I believe it's a success! It's really, really hard to stop eating this heady dish.
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into thin strips
- 4 ounces linguine cooked al dente
- 1 thinly sliced green onion
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (1 to 2)
- 2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- Carbohydrate 34.2225469439203 g
- Cholesterol 159.593428746089 mg
- Fat 36.92199723648 g
- Fiber 0.259252085526784 g
- Protein 10.3681140033346 g
- Saturated Fat 22.4254845427058 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (139g)
- Sodium 215.365918835477 mg
- Sugar 33.9632948583935 g
- Trans Fat 2.50882155281037 g
- Calories 505 calories
Step-by-step
- First, we get the pasta al dente: The process is very simple. Boil 4-6 cups of water (with about a teaspoon of salt). Once the water is boiling put the linguini in the pot. DO NOT BREAK THEM. As they heat up they will bend. Help them with a kitchen fork by stirring slowly. Make sure your water is boiling all the time. Sometimes when you add the linguini, the water stops bubbling. Raise the temperature a bit, and then lower it once you get it boiling again. You should cook the linguini at medium temperature average. Depending on how cooked you want your linguini, this takes place in 8-10 minutes. Most people prefer "al dente". Thsi means, that point where the pasta is not raw anymore but still has a nice hard texture. Once the time is passed, rinse to get rid of the water. Voila!
- Place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl and toss to coat.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, saute chicken in butter or margarine until chicken is tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Reduce heat add green onion, heavy cream, tomatoes, basil, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and heat through.
- Pour over hot linguine and toss with Parmesan cheese.
Is the meat opaque all the way through the thickest part yet, or is it still translucent in the center? Judging poultry doneness without a thermometer relies entirely on visual cues and tactile resistance. Slice a strip open; fully cooked poultry shows white or clear juices rather than pink, and the flesh offers firm, springy resistance to the knife rather than yielding like raw meat. Thinly slicing chicken breasts before cooking speeds up this process significantly, ensuring uniform heat penetration across every piece within five to seven minutes in a medium-hot skillet. Heavy cream acts as the primary emulsion base here, thickening rapidly when reduced over moderate heat as water evaporates and milk fats concentrate. Cooks frequently ruin cream sauces by boiling them aggressively rather than simmering gently, which causes the dairy to break, separate, and turn grainy. Maintaining a steady medium-low temperature once the cream and aromatics enter the pan prevents scorching and preserves a smooth coating consistency that clings properly to linguine. Parmesan cheese should always be grated finely from a block rather than purchased pre-shredded, as anti-caking agents in pre-bagged varieties prevent proper melting into the sauce. Toss the hot pasta directly with the reduced cream and cheese off the heat to create a glossy emulsion without clumping.
