Lighter Cajun Chicken Pasta is a one-pot, easy recipe with a cajun twist made healthier!
This Cajun Chicken Pasta is an easy, one-pot stovetop dinner made with lots of vegetables and spicy chicken in a creamy sauce. The hands-on cooking time is around 20 minutes, which means with a little advance prep (chopping vegetables and chicken), this can easily be a weeknight dinner, or a quick dinner any time. The recipe is also easily halved to make dinner for 2.
I used this recipe from Southern Living for my inspiration, but made several modifications to lighten up the dish. For the cream sauce, I used fat free evaporated milk instead of half-and-half, and the result was great. It had a creamy texture without being heavy. I also eliminated the butter in favor of cooking spray and a small amount of olive oil for the vegetables. I reduced the amount of pasta and added more vegetables. There is a lot of flexibility with the vegetables to add more or change it up to use up what you have on hand. The result is a lighter version of Cajun Chicken Pasta that is simply delicious!
Lighter Cajun Chicken Pasta
Author: Alida Fischbach
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole wheat linguine or fettucine
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small strips
- 1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (divided), adjust to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cooking spray
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 large bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 (8 ounce) package sliced mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 can (12 ounces) fat free evaporated milk
- chopped green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, sprinkle chicken evenly with 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning and salt.
- Spray a large saute pan with cooking spray and heat oven medium-high heat. Add chicken, and saute for 5 to 6 minutes or until done. Remove chicken to a plate, tented with foil.
- In the same saute pan, add olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add red onion, peppers, mushrooms and garlic to pan and saute for 9 to 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and liquid evaporates.
- Return chicken to skillet and mix with vegetables. Add evaporated milk and 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 3 minutes. Add linquine, toss to coat
- Garnish with green onions, as desired, and serve immediately.
