This was seriously amazing! It was a huge it with my husband (he said it tasted like the cajun chicken pasta dish from TGI Friday's). The amazing thing? It's healthy! This will definitely become a recipe that becomes a regular to our menu. This could easily be made for a big crowd as well. This dish comes together rather quickly once all your vegetables are chopped.
You can make this with shrimp instead of chicken, or use a combination of both. Make this vegetarian by leaving the chicken out or replacing it with tofu and the chicken broth with vegetable broth. You can also make this gluten-free by using brown rice pasta and replacing the flour with 1 teaspoon of corn starch. Hope you enjoy!!
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces uncooked whole wheat linguine
- 1 pound chicken breast strips (I already had cooked chicken in cubes in the freezer that I used)
- 1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced (I add mushrooms and it was still amazing)
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
- 1/3 cup skim milk
- 1 tbsp flour
- 3 tbsp light cream cheese
- fresh cracked pepper
- 2 scallions, chopped
- salt to taste
- cooking spray
Directions:
Prep all your vegetables. In a small blender make a slurry by combining milk, flour and cream cheese. Set aside. Season chicken generously with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and salt (my chicken was already cooked and cubed, so I just added the seasonings to the bag and gave it a good shake).
Prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions.
Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; spray with cooking spray and add half of the chicken. Sauté 5 to 6 minutes or until done, set aside on a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Set aside.
Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce to medium; add bell peppers, onions, and garlic to skillet, sauté 3-4 minutes.
Add mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté 3-4 more minutes or until vegetables are tender.Season with 1/4 tsp salt, garlic powder and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
Reduce heat to medium-low; add chicken broth and pour in slurry stirring about 2 minutes.
Return chicken to skillet; adjust salt and Cajun seasoning to taste, cook another minute or two until hot, then add linguine; toss well to coat. Top with chopped scallions and enjoy!
recipe and picture found here: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/02/cajun-chicken-pasta-on-lighter-side.html#more
