Cajun Chicken Pasta in Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce
CREAMY, CAJUN CHICKEN PASTA IN SUN-DRIED TOMATO ALFREDO SAUCE IS MELT IN YOUR MOUTH DELICIOUS AND 1,000X BETTER THAN ANY RESTAURANT AT A FRACTION OF THE COST AND CALORIES!
When I stare at a restaurant menu, its the creamy, comforting pasta dishes that always seem to jump off the page. They start waving and screaming my name. I more often than not end up with comfortlicious Cajun Chicken Pasta. The tender, flavorful chicken and crisp-tender vegetables in a creamy sauce – they just get me. So in attempts to satisfy my cravings, I whipped up this better-than-any-restaurant Cajun Chicken Pasta in the most intoxicating delicious sun-dried tomato alfredo sauce ever – and now I can’t stop craving this pasta!
But unlike craving restaurant pasta, craving this Cajun Chicken Pasta is a very good thing because not only is this version crazy delicious but much lighter too – and you would never even know it! The velvety, flavor-bursting sun-dried tomato sauce contains no butter or heavy cream. Instead is made with only 2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomato oil, and then made nice and creamy with light cream cheese Parmesan and Mozzarella. Its silky creaminess will leave you speechless as you shovel the heavenly smothered noodles into your mouth all peppered with thinly sliced Cajun chicken and bell peppers.
As far as the heat level goes, I’ve kept this Cajun Chicken Pasta family-friendly, so everyone can love it without sweating. I personally, however, love spicy, so if you are like me, I recommend dusting your pasta with cayenne pepper and a splash of lime juice – heaven I tell you!
Cajun Chicken Pasta in Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
Cajun Chicken Pasta:
- 12 oz fettuccine noodles
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning divided
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper or half of each, thinly sliced
- ½ large red onion thinly sliced
Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons oil from sun-dried tomatoes in oil jar
- ½ cup sun-dried tomato halves drained and finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups milk (I use low fat)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese cubed
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ⅓ cups shredded mozzarella
Garnish:
- Freshly squeezed lime juice (highly recommended!)
- Fresh parsley chopped
- Cayenne pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook fettuccine in salted water according to package directions just until al dente. Reserve 1/3 cup pasta water then strain and set aside.
- Chicken: In a small bowl, mix 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning with 1 tablespoon olive oil and rub evenly all over chicken breasts. Let chicken sit while you slice your vegetables.
- Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once very hot, add chicken and cook, undisturbed for 3-5 minutes, or until nicely browned (or blackened if you prefer) on one side. Turn chicken over, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Cook for approximately 5-7 more minutes (depending on the thickness of chicken), or until chicken is cooked through. Remove to a cutting board and let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.
- Peppers: Add enough olive oil to remaining oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add peppers, onions and ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning and saute for one minute. Remove to a plate.
- Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo: Wipe out the skillet and heat 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato oil over medium heat. Add sundried tomatoes and garlic and saute for one minute. Sprinkle in flour and continue to cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Turn heat to low and stir in chicken broth. Whisk cornstarch with milk and add to pan along with tomato paste, ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer and continue to cook and stir until sauce is thickened (but not overly thick), approximately 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in cream cheese until melted, followed by Parmesan cheese until melted and finally whisk in mozzarella until melted. Add pasta, peppers and toss evenly to coat, adding the desired amount of reserved pasta water a little at a time to reach desired consistency. Top pasta with chicken or toss chicken with pasta.
- Garnish individual servings with plenty of freshly squeezed lime juice, salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired. If you like it spicier, sprinkle a little cayenne dusting over top (I always do this – LOVE).
