Cajun Chicken Pasta with Creamy Alfredo
The heat gets turned up on alfredo cream sauce courtesy of a little Cajun spice and charred poblano pepper. Cajun chicken pasta comes together in under 30 minutes for a soulfully satisfying and quick dinner you’ll want to eat straight from the pot. Whether you serve it over gemelli or rigatoni pasta as I did here, this spicy cream Alfredo sauce is to die for!
Servings 6
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 poblano pepper cored and charred
For the seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or hot paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp thyme
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
For the pasta
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ lb boneless skinless chicken breasts thinly sliced
- 1 diced or thinly sliced red pepper
- 1 diced or thinly sliced yellow pepper
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ lb rotini pasta cooked al dente
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- parmesan cheese for serving
- 1 lime for serving
- chopped cilantro for garnish to garnish
Instructions
- Core the pepper by carefully cutting around the stem and twisting it open. Slice down the length of the pepper and remove all the seeds. Using tongs, hold the pepper over an open gas burner flame turning as needed to evenly char. Set aside and cool.1 poblano pepper
- Combine the seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl. Toss ½ of the seasoning with cut chicken in a bowl and set aside.1 teaspoon smoked paprika or hot paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ tsp oregano, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp thyme, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- Heat 1 T oil in a large skillet until shimmering over medium high heat. Saute chicken in oil for 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute or when chicken comes up easily from the pan without sticking and is browned. Remove chicken to a bowl.2 Tablespoons olive oil, ¾ lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Sauté onion and peppers in the remaining olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add in Cajun seasonings and saute until the vegetables are relaxed and happy for about five minutes.1 diced or thinly sliced red pepper, 1 diced or thinly sliced yellow pepper, ½ cup chopped onion
- Stir in heavy cream, chicken broth, and charred poblano and adjust heat to medium-high. Thicken the sauce for five minutes while pasta is cooking.. Add chicken and cooked pasta into sauce and finish cooking. Hit the whole thing with a squeeze of lime and some cilantro. Serve with parmesan cheese.½ lb rotini pasta
