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Wednesday, September 19, 2018

CAJUN CHICKEN PASTA

CAJUN CHICKEN PASTA
Chili’s copycat recipe made at home with an amazingly creamy melt-in-your-mouth alfredo sauce. And you know it tastes 10000x better!
I honestly haven’t been to Chili’s in about 10 years, but this place really holds such good memories for me. I’ve come here with family on many occasions and I might have had my first real date here. No joke.
Hey, when you’re 16, Chili’s is the best date night you will get. And I wouldn’t mind it on a Friday night right now. After all, have you seen their blooming onion?
But this cajun pasta has always had my heart and soul. That creamy alfredo sauce just melts right in your mouth, complemented by the spicy kick of the cajun chicken topped with refreshing tomato chunks and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
The flavor combination is just perfect, and you can make it right at home in 30 minutes or less. That way you can have date night with the same restaurant-quality at home, in sweats, binge-watching Netflix. Done.

CAJUN CHICKEN PASTA
yield: 4 SERVINGS 
prep time: 10 MINUTES 
cook time: 20 MINUTES 
total time: 30 MINUTES
Chili’s copycat recipe made at home with an amazingly creamy melt-in-your-mouth alfredo sauce. And you know it tastes 10000x better!

INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
  • 8 ounces penne pasta
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup heavy cream, or more, to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
DIRECTIONS:
  1. In a gallon size Ziploc bag, add chicken, 1 tablespoon olive oil and cajun seasoning, shaking to coat thoroughly.
  2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a grill pan over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm.
  3. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
  4. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
  5. Gradually whisk in heavy cream and lemon zest. Cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more heavy cream as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  6. Stir in pasta and gently toss to combine.
  7. Serve immediately with chicken, garnished with tomatoes and parsley, if desired.


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