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Cajun Chicken Pasta

Chicken and Pasta recipes

Cajun Chicken Pasta is one of those easy healthy recipes which satisfies the whole family. It has a good quantity of protein and is also packed with fresh vegetables. It is not terribly spicy so should appeal to younger children.

If you are seeking make-ahead meals, you can prepare and fry the chicken and boil the pasta and asparagus in advance. Stir-fry the vegetables at the last minute and then assemble. Leftovers from chicken pasta dishes make great lunch boxes! Remember, too, that this is a great way of using leftovers from roast chicken, for example our Rotisserie Chicken Rub Recipe.

Don't be put off the list of ingredients. This is one of those chicken pasta dishes which is well worth the effort and is assembled fairly quickly.

Easy

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes for the pasta; 2 minutes for asparagus; 10 minutes for chicken; 10 minutes for stir fry

Serves: 4

Healthy meal planning tip: Cajun Chicken Pasta is quickly assembled if you are using leftovers from Oven Baked Whole Chicken, Whole Chicken with Rotisserie Rub or Whole Chicken with Garlic, Orange and Rosemary Rub.

Ingredients:

8 - 10 oz / 250 - 300g raw pasta shells, such as farfalle

1lb / 450g skinless boneless chicken breasts

8oz / 250g fresh asparagus or green string beans

¾ cup (about 6) spring onions, chopped

1 large red pepper, de-seeded and cut into strips

7oz / 200g courgettes, cut into rings

½ cup frozen peas

4oz / 120g cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Oil for shallow frying

Chicken Rub Recipe

2 tablespoons ground paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic flakes

Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe

½ cup tomato ketchup

¼ cup red wine (optional, but makes all the difference)

¼ cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon apple cider

Method:

Mix together the Chicken Rub ingredients. Cut the chicken breasts into little fingers. Spread the rub on a large plate and roll the chicken strips in the rub. Don't worry if they are not completely coated.
Mix together the BBQ sauce ingredients.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet - cooking times vary. Make sure that it is 'al dente' and not overcooked. Drain and keep aside.
Bring a small pot of salted water to the boil and add the asparagus. Boil for about 1 - 2 minutes. The asparagus should be cooked through but still tender. Drain and refresh in cold water.* Keep aside.
Fry the chicken strips in a little oil. Do this is 3 - 4 batches. Set aside. You may have to clean out the pan before continuing with the vegetables.
Add about 2 tablespoons oil to the pan. Lightly fry the spring onions and red peppers, stirring all the time. You want them to cook through but not to burn. This should take about 4 minutes.
Add the courgettes and peas. Continue to stir fry for another 2 minutes or so. Add the cherry tomatoes.
Reduce the heat of the hob. Add half the BBQ sauce. Add the chicken back and then the rest of the sauce and the parsley. You may find that a lot of the sauce evaporates. Don't worry as you don't really want a runny sauce for this dish. Just make sure that the vegetables are well coated and warmed through.
Serve your Cajun Chicken Pasta immediately so that the vegetables don't overcook and become soggy.

*The same principle applies if you are using green string beans, however, just cook them for a little longer.

If you like this Cajun Chicken Pasta, you may like to try:

Garlic Chicken Pasta Recipe

Chicken Pasta Recipe with Pesto Sauce

Chicken Pasta Bake

See the wide variety of Quick Easy Chicken Recipes and Easy Pasta Recipes.

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