Cajun Chicken Pasta

My lovely ex-roommate Jess came down and visited me this weekend.  We drove an hour to the lake and got our Hunger Games on having an awesome adventure.  Blazing our own trail around the lake, scaling (or attempting to scale) ridges, jumping over and wading through creeks, walking across a flooded road.  It was awesome.

Needless to say though, by the time we got home we were pretty hungry.  I’ve been meaning to try my hand at Cajun pasta for a while now, so we decided to make that.  Oh man, did this turn out delicious.  Seriously reminded me of Cajun chicken pastas I’ve ordered at restaurants.  Yum.  Jess really isn’t much of a spice person (she lied to her Cajun ex-boyfriend about liking his gumbo), but even she thought this pasta was delicious.  Adjust the spicy-ness for your own personal tastes, but this has a pretty decent kick to it as is.

Ingredients (serves 4):

8oz spaghetti (or linguine, or whatever long pasta you have)

2 chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1 green pepper, sliced into strips

1/2 red pepper, sliced into strips

1/2 onion, sliced

4 fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups half and half, divided

1 tbsp corn starch

1/4 tsp dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, place chicken, paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat.

3. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute chicken in olive oil until no longer pink and juices run clear, about 5-7 minutes. Add green and red bell peppers, onion, and mushrooms; cook for 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat, and stir in 1 c half and half. Season the sauce with basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and ground black pepper.

4. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 1/2 c half and half.  Slowly stir mixture into sauce and heat through.

5. In a large bowl, toss pasta with sauce. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.