Cajun Chicken Rigatoni
Cajun Chicken Rigatoni
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast, sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 3 garlic, cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, divided
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- 1
Season the sliced chicken breast generously with 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning, ensuring all pieces are well coated.
⏱️ 5 min
- 2
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned chicken to the hot pan and cook until it is browned and thoroughly cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.
⏱️ 7 min
- 3
Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the same pan. Add the diced onion, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper. Sauté the vegetables until they have softened, approximately 5-7 minutes.
⏱️ 7 min
- 4
Stir in the 3 minced cloves of garlic, the remaining 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning, 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.
⏱️ 1 min
- 5
Stir in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes, allowing the tomato paste to deepen in color.
⏱️ 2 min
- 6
Pour in 1 cup of chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
⏱️ 3 min
- 7
Stir in 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue to cook, bringing the sauce back to a gentle simmer, allowing it to thicken slightly, about 3-5 minutes.
⏱️ 5 min
- 8
While the sauce is simmering, in a separate large pot, bring salted water to a rolling boil. Add 1 pound of rigatoni pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water.
⏱️ 10 min
- 9
Add the cooked chicken back into the pan with the sauce. Add the cooked rigatoni pasta to the pan. Stir everything together until the pasta and chicken are well coated in the sauce.
⏱️ 2 min
- 10
Stir in 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to achieve the desired creamy consistency.
⏱️ 2 min
- 11
Garnish generously with 1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley before serving.
⏱️ 1 min
Kitchen Tools
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Cajun Chicken Rigatoni
- 2 chicken breast, sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 3 garlic, cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, divided
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- 1
Season the sliced chicken breast generously with 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning, ensuring all pieces are well coated.
⏱️ 5 min - 2
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned chicken to the hot pan and cook until it is browned and thoroughly cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.
⏱️ 7 min - 3
Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the same pan. Add the diced onion, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper. Sauté the vegetables until they have softened, approximately 5-7 minutes.
⏱️ 7 min - 4
Stir in the 3 minced cloves of garlic, the remaining 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning, 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.
⏱️ 1 min - 5
Stir in 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes, allowing the tomato paste to deepen in color.
⏱️ 2 min - 6
Pour in 1 cup of chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
⏱️ 3 min - 7
Stir in 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue to cook, bringing the sauce back to a gentle simmer, allowing it to thicken slightly, about 3-5 minutes.
⏱️ 5 min - 8
While the sauce is simmering, in a separate large pot, bring salted water to a rolling boil. Add 1 pound of rigatoni pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water.
⏱️ 10 min - 9
Add the cooked chicken back into the pan with the sauce. Add the cooked rigatoni pasta to the pan. Stir everything together until the pasta and chicken are well coated in the sauce.
⏱️ 2 min - 10
Stir in 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to achieve the desired creamy consistency.
⏱️ 2 min - 11
Garnish generously with 1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley before serving.
⏱️ 1 min