Cajun Chicken Pasta
Favicon 
spicysouthernkitchen.com

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Cajun Chicken Pasta is full of chicken‚ andouille sausage‚ peppers‚ onions‚ and garlic all in a creamy and rich Parmesan sauce. You can make this New Orleans-style dish a little or a lot spicy and it is super tasty. Type Of Pasta To Use I love penne pasta for this recipe but any pasta shape will work including rigatoni‚ cavatappi‚ or linguine. Type Of Chicken To Use I typically use boneless‚ skinless chicken breasts for this recipe‚ but boneless skinless chicken thighs can be used instead. They have a higher fat content and will stay juicier and have a little more flavor. Whichever type of chicken you use‚ cut it into bite-sized pieces and be careful not to overcook it. Andouille Sausage The andouille sausage gives this dish a lot of its flavor. A good andouille sausage has a fair amount of spice in it. There are many different brands and they vary quite a bit in flavor. You should be able to find several at a well-stocked grocery store. Kielbasa sausage can be substituted for it but it doesn’t have the spice that andouille has. You can add a little extra cayenne pepper to compensate. Type of Seasoning You can use either Cajun or Creole seasoning for this recipe. They are very similar and I use them interchangeably. My favorite is Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning. It does have a high amount of salt so you have to be careful with how much you add. It does come in a low-sodium version if you need to watch your salt intake. How Spicy Is This Dish&;#63; You can make this pasta a little or a lot spicy. To cut back on the spiciness‚ use kielbasa sausage instead of andouille and just add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Or you can use andouille sausage‚ but leave the cayenne out. To make it extra spicy‚ serve with hot sauce. More Delicious Pasta Recipes Creamy Tortellini with Shrimp Creamy Cajun Sausage Pasta Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Alfredo with Sausage Cajun Pastalaya Instant Pot Creamy Cajun Pasta Cheesy Garlic Shrimp Alfredo Print Cajun Chicken Pasta Cajun Chicken Pasta is full of chicken‚ andouille sausage‚ peppers‚ onions‚ and garlic all in a creamy and rich Parmesan sauce. You can make this New Orleans-style dish a little or a lot spicy and it is super tasty. Course Dinner‚ Main DishCuisine SouthernKeyword cajun‚ chicken‚ pasta Prep Time 15 minutes minutesCook Time 20 minutes minutesTotal Time 35 minutes minutes Servings 4 Calories 831kcal Ingredients8 ounces Penne pasta2 boneless‚ skinless chicken breasts‚ cut into 1-inch dice4 teaspoons cajun or creole seasoning‚ divided1 tablespoon butter1 tablespoon olive oil8 ounces Andouille sausage‚ sliced1 medium onion‚ diced1 red bell pepper‚ diced3 garlic cloves‚ minced1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes‚ drained4 ounces cream cheese‚ cut into cubes1 cup half-and-half1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley InstructionsCook penne according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water before draining. Drain and set aside.Sprinkle the chicken with the black pepper and half the Cajun or creole seasoning.Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot‚ add chicken. Cook until browned and cooked through.Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.Add Andouille sausage‚ onion‚ and red bell pepper and cook until sausage is browned and onion and bell pepper is softened‚ about 5 minutes.Add garlic and cook 1 minute.Add diced tomatoes and cream cheese and stir it in until it is melted.Add half-and-half and remaining Cajun seasoning and bring to a simmer.Stir Parmesan cheese in and return chicken to skillet.Stir in the penne.If sauce is too thick‚ add a little of the reserved pasta water.Sprinkle with parsley and serve. NotesNutritional info is provided as an estimate only and will vary based on brands of products used. NutritionCalories: 831kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 1261mg | Potassium: 744mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 3206IU | Vitamin C: 47mg | Calcium: 456mg | Iron: 3mgWant to Save This Recipe&;#63;Save This RecipeThe post Cajun Chicken Pasta appeared first on Spicy Southern Kitchen.