Cajun Chicken Pasta

When I saw the recipe for Cajun Chicken and Shrimp Pasta over at My Kitchen Snippets, it spoke to me. Actually it yelled at me. "Make me right away!" I put it on the menu for the week but couldn't wait until Friday to make it so I moved up to Monday. It was so good, I might even make it again on Friday!

While the original recipe sounded wonderful, due to my inability to follow any recipe, I made a few changes. First I used already cooked chicken that I had on hand. That cut down the prep time and coating the chicken in Cajun seasoning and giving it a quick saute before adding it, also added some zing. I used a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes which added more depth to the flavor (and saved even more time!) I also added some more veggies that I had on hand -- red bell peppers, cremini mushrooms -- along with the onion and garlic.

Delicious and quick this was definitely a crowd pleaser.

Cajun Chicken Pasta
Recipe inspired by My Kitchen Snippets

1 box pasta of your choice
olive oil
2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 small onion, diced
Several fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper
1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon of flour
1 1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoons of pepper flakes
some chopped parsley
2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning, plus extra for seasoning if desired
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta until al-dente and set it aside.

Place diced, already cooked chicken in a bowl and toss with Cajun seasoning to cover. Saute in a non-stick pan with a drizzle of olive oil until heated through. Set aside.

In the same skillet heat a bit of olive oil, add the onions, bell peppers and mushrooms. When vegetables are softened, add garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add the flour and stir it for a minute or two, to cook off rawness of the flour.

Add the half and half, Parmesan cheese and stir until thick. Add the chicken and tomatoes into the skillet to cook through.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper, pepper flakes and more Cajun seasoning, to taste.

Toss pasta with sauce.

Garnish with some chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.