Pasta in a Spicy Cream Sauce with Chicken
This is on of my favourite go-to spicy pasta dishes. I love this recipe and have made it many different ways but really, this is my all time favourite rendition. This recipe is based on a pasta dish I discovered at a cheesy little dive bar years ago. I still crave it!
Serves 4 – 6
2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed away
375 g Whole wheat pasta (I used rigatoni)
2 tbsp Cajun spice (any brand you can find)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Small onion, sliced
5 Slices of pickled jalapeno slices, diced
½ Cup white wine
1 398 ml can of diced tomatoes
½ Cup Alfredo sauce (I used jarred… eeek!) or you can go with half & half (10%) cream
1 Cup of the starchy cooking water from the pasta water
Salt
Pepper
Coat the two chicken breasts evenly in the Cajun spice, pressing the seasoning on to the meat.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and add the chicken breasts (no oil in the pan at this point) cook for 5-6 minutes on the first side and then flip it over; leave in the pan until cooked through and then set aside (another 5-6 minutes).
Using the same pan you cooked the chicken in, return the pan to medium-high heat and add the extra virgin olive oil, when the oil is hot (it will ripple), add the jalapeno peppers and onion. Cook for about 2 – 3 minutes, just until the onion start to soften.
Add in the white wine; mix well and let the alcohol cook out for about a minute.
Add in the diced tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
Let the pan simmer on low for 20 minutes (this gets rid of the canned taste in the tomatoes).
Meanwhile, place a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta according to package directions; reserve a cup of the starchy pasta water just before straining.
Stir in the Alfredo sauce into the tomato mixture and if the sauce is too thick then thin it out with the cup of the starchy water from the pasta.
Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning.
Slice the cooked chicken breasts into strips and add it to the sauce to warm through.
Stir in the pasta when it’s cooked.
Again, taste and adjust seasoning.
Garnish with green onion if you want to be fancy!
Serve with Parmesan cheese (optional)
Notes:
- The Cajun spice may darken while you cook the chicken but that’s a good thing!
- The chicken can be cooked on the BBQ too, yum!
- The chicken can also be made ahead of time.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 6 | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 40 minutes |
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This is on of my favourite go-to spicy pasta dishes. I love this recipe and have made it many different ways but really, this is my all time favourite rendition. This recipe is based on a pasta dish I discovered at a cheesy little dive bar years ago. I still crave it!
|
- 2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, , fat trimmed away
- 375 g whole wheat pasta (I used rigatoni)
- 2 tbsp Cajun spice (any brand you can find)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, , sliced
- 5 Slices of pickled jalapeno slices , diced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 398 ml can of diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce (I used jarred… eeek!) or you can go with half & half (10%) cream
- 1 cup of the starchy cooking water from the pasta water
- salt
- pepper
- Coat the two chicken breasts evenly in the Cajun spice, pressing the seasoning on to the meat.
- Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and add the chicken breasts (no oil in the pan at this point) cook for 5-6 minutes on the first side and then flip it over; leave in the pan until cooked through and then set aside (another 5-6 minutes).
- Using the same pan you cooked the chicken in, return the pan to medium-high heat and add the extra virgin olive oil, when the oil is hot (it will ripple), add the jalapeno peppers and onion. Cook for about 2 – 3 minutes, just until the onion start to soften.
- Add in the white wine; mix well and let the alcohol cook out for about a minute.
- Add in the diced tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
- Let the pan simmer on low for 20 minutes (this gets rid of the canned taste in the tomatoes).
- Meanwhile, place a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta according to package directions; reserve a cup of the starchy pasta water just before straining.
- Stir in the Alfredo sauce into the tomato mixture and if the sauce is too thick then thin it out with the cup of the starchy water from the pasta.
- Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning.
- Slice the cooked chicken breasts into strips and add it to the sauce to warm through.
- Stir in the pasta when it’s cooked.
- Again, taste and adjust seasoning.
- Garnish with green onion if you want to be fancy!
- Serve with Parmesan cheese (optional)
- The Cajun spice may darken while you cook the chicken but that’s a good thing!
- The chicken can be cooked on the BBQ too, yum!
- The chicken can also be made ahead of time.
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