Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

Name: Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 12 ounces penne pasta; 2 tablespoons butter; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 cup diced white onion; 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced; 4 large cloves garlic, minced; 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning; 1 teaspoon dried basil; 1 teaspoon paprika powder; 1 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper**, more or less depending on taste; 1 ½ pounds chicken breast tenders, cut into bite size pieces; 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly shredded; 1 cup heavy cream; 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature; ¼ cup chicken broth

6 steps

Prep:5minCook:25min

Updated at: Wed, 16 Aug 2023 23:50:01 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Unbalanced

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories808.8 kcal (40%)

Total Fat41.1 g (59%)

Carbs59.5 g (23%)

Sugars6.3 g (7%)

Protein48.9 g (98%)

Sodium1063.1 mg (53%)

Fiber3.5 g (13%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

5 servings

12 ouncespenne pasta

2 tablespoonsbutter

1 tablespoonolive oil

2 teaspoonscajun seasoning

1 teaspoondried basil

1 teaspoonpaprika powder

1 teaspoonground black pepper

1 teaspoonsalt

¼ teaspooncayenne pepper

more or less depending on taste

1.5 poundschicken breast tenders

cut into bite size pieces

1 cupparmesan cheese

freshly shredded

1 cupheavy cream

4 ouncescream cheese

at room temperature

¼ cupchicken broth

Instructions

Step 1

Boil 6 cups of water in a large pot over high heat and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta, rinse with cold water (so it doesn’t clump, can also toss a little olive oil on it to prevent clumping) and set aside.

Step 2

While the pasta is cooking, add the butter, olive oil and onion to a large pot over medium-high heat and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the onion becomes translucent.

Step 3

Add the red bell pepper, garlic, Cajun seasoning, basil, paprika, ground black pepper, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine and cook for 3 more minutes or until the bell pepper starts to become soft.

Step 4

Add the chicken and stir and cook for another 6-8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Step 5

Add the parmesan, heavy cream, cream cheese and chicken broth and stir and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken and the cream cheese has fully melted.

Step 6

Add the cooked and drained pasta and stir to coat pasta with sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then serve with freshly chopped parsley on top, if desired.