Pasta is an understandable culinary staple in most homes in the United States. It's a quick foundation to many a meal and, when paired with intensely flavored ingredients like sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and onions, it can be a powerhouse meal. And when spicy Cajun blackened chicken, mushrooms and a creamy sauce round things out, get ready to enjoy a new family favorite.
Any small pasta will work for this dish. Longer pasta will too, but I like how small pasta slurps up the sauce beautifully to make eating and enjoying this dish easy, no matter who is around your table. If you aren't a fan of mushrooms, you can omit them. I like how sautéed mushrooms enhance and extend the excellent flavor of the chicken in this dish. If you don't have sun dried tomatoes, you can skip those too, but I really adore how the concentrated sweetness, tartness, and slight saltiness of them makes everything in this dish all the better. This might be one of those dishes that is worth putting them on the grocery list for! Near the end of cooking, it might seem like the pasta is a bit soupy - no worries. The short pasta will slurp most of the sauce and thicken the rest in about 5 minutes while you set the table and get drinks ready!
This pasta dish can serve as dinner on its own. That said, everything from a simple chopped salad to a basket of warm corn muffins will pair nicely with it. If you are feeling fancy, pour a glass of chilled white wine, enjoy dinner, and follow it up with fresh beignets, which are really warm powdered sugar donuts if you think about it. But isn't everything a bit fancier when it's French? Enjoy!
Blackened Chicken Pasta
- 12 ounces orecchiette, orzo, or penne pasta - or similar small pasta
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- 1 tablespoon blackening or Cajun seasoning
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup diced sun dried tomatoes
- 6-8 fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 6 oz. tomato sauce
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon lemon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the short pasta of your choice and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, cut the chicken breast into strips; place in a plastic zipper bag and add the blackening or Cajun seasoning. Shake to coat.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until browned and almost cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and green onions. Cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes.
Reduce the heat and stir in the tomato sauce, chicken stock, cream, basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Heat through. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, toss, and heat through.
Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes