Cajun Chicken with Pasta

Have you ever had one of the recipes where you know it has the potential to be really good, but you just can't get it right?  For me that was Cajun chicken.  A friend had posted her recipe on Facebook and no matter what I did it didn't turn out like I wanted.  I loved the idea of the spice with the creamy sauce but her recipe called for sour cream and mine always curdled.  Then I stumbled upon this recipe from Comfortably Domestic.  I combined the two and finally got what I was going for.

4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ¼ lbs.)

1 ½ Tbs. Cajun blackening spice (you can buy it in the spice aisle but I make my own using this recipe)

2 Tbs. butter, divided

1 Tbs. olive oil (or more if needed)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 C. (1/2 pint) thinly sliced red bell peppers

¼ C. dry white wine (or chicken broth)

1 ½ C. heavy cream

1 ½ C. freshly grated Monterey Jack cheese 

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper (or more, to taste)

1 pound cooked pasta

1 Cook pasta according to package directions

2.  Season the chicken with the Cajun seasoning.  Add some EVOO to a warm skillet and brown the chicken.  Don't cook it completely as it will be cooking more in the sauce later.  Take it out with a slotted spoon when it looks like this.

3.  If the skillet looks dry, add a bit more olive oil. Re-heat the skillet over medium heat.

4.  Pour in the dry white wine (or chicken broth) into the skillet to deglaze the pan. (1-2 minutes)

5.  Add the garlic and peppers to the pan and sauté to soften and lightly caramelize, stirring occasionally. (1-2 minutes)

6.  Reduce heat to medium-low and pour the heavy cream to the pan with the pepper mixture, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

7.  Add the salt, pepper, and the remaining tablespoon of butter.

8.  Continue to stir the cream mixture while it simmers for 3-4 minutes. The cream will reduce slightly.

9.  Remove the peppers from the pan. Add the Monterey Jack to the cream sauce. Stir constantly until all the cheese has melted, and sauce is smooth. Taste sauce and adjust seasonings.

10.  Add the chicken and peppers back into the sauce and cook until done (another minute or two).  Serve over pasta.