Cajun Chicken Pasta

Claire has been asking me to make Louisana Chicken pasta for weeks. I just didn't have it in me to pound chicken breast and fry it after I had already made the sauce, SO...I took 2 cups of chopped crockpot chicken, tossed it in and dinner was served. Quick, seriously this dinner can be on the table in less than 30 minutes and yummy!! The photos are from Lousiana chicken pasta when I made it, to give you an idea but the directions and ingredients are new.

What you'll need:

2 C chopped crockpot chicken

Cajun Sauce
1 T Butter ~ unsalted for me
1 small Yellow Pepper chopped
1 small Red Pepper chopped
3/4 small Red Onion chopped
1 C Mushrooms sliced
2 handfuls Spinach ~ fresh and chopped
3 Cloves Garlic minced
1 t Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
2 t Cajun Seasoning
1 pint 1/2 and 1/2
2 T Basil
3/4 C Fresh Parmesan shredded or grated
12 oz cooked Bow Tie Pasta


Sauce...

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add peppers, onions, mushrooms, aspargus and 1 t Cajun Spice and cook until crisp tender..about 4 minutes

Add garlic and crushed red pepper to skillet and saute couple more minutes.

Add 1/2 and 1/2, 1 t Cajun Spice and Basil. Simmer (don't boil or you aren't going to like what happens to your sauce) until sauce re-heats and thickens, about 5 minutes. Add cheese to sauce, stir to incorporate.

IF your sauce won't thicken. Ladle out one scoop, add 2 T Cornstarch and whisk until all the lumps are gone. Pour back into pan and stir. This will thicken your sauce right up.

Season sauce to taste with pepper. Reduce heat and simmer on low until sauce reduces and thickens. Add chopped spinach and cook until it wilts.

Add Chicken to sauce and heat through.

Add cooked pasta to sauce and give a toss.

Plate pasta, add additional parmesan if desired.

Chop your peppers and onions, I threw in some green just because I had them. You could do this ahead too.
Wash, dry and slice the mushrooms, don't do this ahead, mushrooms are tempermental.
Saute your vegis with some cajun spice and crushed pepper flakes.
Add your 1/2 and 1/2, cajun seasoning and basil and simmer.
You can't really see the difference but it's thicker now;)
Now you have to just envision crockpot chicken on top instead of fried;) Dinner is SERVED