Creamy Cajun Pasta with Chicken
and bell peppers / spinach

Name: Creamy Cajun Pasta with Chicken
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1/2 Onions, yellow, chopped; 1/2 Bell peppers, red, chopped; 1/2 Bell peppers, green, chopped; 2 cloves Garlic, chopped; 1 lb Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, halved; 3 oz Spinach, baby, chopped; 6 oz Pasta, gluten-free fusilli (or other fun shape); 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp Oil, cooking; 3 Tbsp Tomato paste; 1/2 cup Heavy cream; 1 Tbsp Paprika, sweet; 1/2 tsp Garlic powder; 2 tsp Thyme, dried; 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper (opt)

Active: 35 min Total: 35 min

Original GF Paleo Vegetarian

Blackened chicken tops a Cajun-spiced pasta that's loaded with savory peppers and onions in this quick dish. We add a generous portion of greens to make this a healthy, though indulgent, weeknight dinner.

Ingredients

Metric

Servings:

Creamy Cajun Pasta with Chicken:

Onions, yellow - 1/2 , chopped
Bell peppers, red - 1/2 , chopped
Bell peppers, green - 1/2 , chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves , chopped
Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless - 1 lb , halved
Spinach, baby - 3 oz , chopped
Pasta, gluten-free fusilli (or other fun shape) - 6 oz
Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp
Tomato paste - 3 Tbsp
Heavy cream - 1/2 cup

Cajun Spice Mix:

Paprika, sweet - 1 Tbsp
Garlic powder - 1/2 tsp
Thyme, dried - 2 tsp
Cayenne pepper (opt) - 1/8 tsp

Prep

Make Cajun spice mix - Combine paprika, garlic powder, thyme and cayenne pepper. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Onions / Bell peppers / Garlic - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Chicken - Halve and then season and tenderize. Rub both sides with Cajun spice mix. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)
Chop spinach. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)

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Make

Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Salt generously and add pasta. Cook until al dente, tender but not soggy. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup (118 mL) of pasta water (for 4 servings; adjust accordingly if customizing).
While pasta cooks, heat a skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add first part of cooking oil and then chicken. Cook in batches until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and return pan to the burner.
To the hot pan, add second part of cooking oil and then onions, bell peppers and garlic. Saute until tender, ~4 minutes. Add spinach, tomato paste, heavy cream and reserved pasta water (if pasta is still cooking, just use a measuring cup to scoop water out of the pot) and stir to combine. Simmer until liquids reduce to a thick sauce and spinach is wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Toss in pasta and stir until sauce coats pasta. Season with some salt and pepper.
Slice chicken and serve over pasta. Enjoy!

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