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Creamy Cajun chicken pasta in a large pan.
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5 from 11 votes

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

This creamy Cajun chicken pasta is spicy, smoky, creamy and delicious. It’s the spicy chicken pasta dish that you need in your weekly rotation.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: mains
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 509kcal
Cost: £1.48

Ingredients

  • 700 g chicken breast, sliced in half widthways (£4.50)
  • 1 white onion, thinly sliced (£0.10)
  • 3 mixed peppers, thinly sliced (£1.00)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced (£0.39)
  • 500 g tagliatelle (£0.80)
  • 200 g full fat cream cheese (£1.00)
  • 150 g peas, plus optionally cook and divide remaining bag as side (£1.00/3)=(£0.33)
  • 1 bunch fresh basil, torn to serve (£0.50)
  • ½ lemon, juiced (£0.25)

Cupboard essentials

  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp cajun spice blend
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 3 tbsp tomato puree
  • Salt & pepper
  • 400 ml chicken stock
  • Optional chilli flakes

Instructions

  • Start by coating the chicken breast in cajun spice (1 tsp), dried basil and olive oil. Preheat a stainless steel pan (or non-stick if you don’t have) over a high heat and sear the chicken on each side for 3 minutes, or until fully cooked.
  • Set the chicken aside and deglaze the pan with a splash of water, scrubbing all of the tasty caramelized bits of meat off the bottom of the pan.
  • Next, add the onions into the pan and reduce the heat to medium/low. Season with salt and cook for around 3 minutes before adding the peppers. Cook for a further 4 minutes.
  • At this stage, add your tagliatelle to heavily salted boiling water. Timer set to 2 minutes minus the packet time.
  • Next, add the tomato puree, garlic and cajun spice into the pan. Fry for around 2 minutes before adding a ladle of pasta water.
  • Add the cream cheese into the pan along with the chicken stock and lemon juice. Add the peas and stir to combine and add the al dente pasta. Continue to cook and stir to incorporate everything. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Loosen with pasta water as necessary and when the pasta is perfectly cooked and the sauce has thickened, serve immediately. Top with cajun chicken (sliced into chunks), a sprinkle of chilli flakes and torn fresh basil.

Notes

  • Preheat the pan before searing chicken for optimal browning and flavor.
  • Sear only one side to avoid drying out the chicken breast, and reduce heat when cooking the second side.
  • Deglaze the pan with a splash of water to infuse meaty bits into the onion, adding extra flavor to the dish. Also, heavily salt pasta water for well-seasoned pasta.

Nutrition

Calories: 509kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 18g