Filled with vegetables and a good kick of spice, you will never guess that this Cajun Chicken Pasta is actually a lighter meal!!
Love Cajun flavors? Try this Fish Taco Recipe with Cajun Seasoning, these Spicy Cajun Cheesesteak Sandwiches, or Cheesy Baked Cajun Pasta.
I’ve never been fond of “diet” food. And I’m always on the search for food that is not only good for you, but something that tastes like it’s not lighter. Something that my family will love.
Enter The Skinnytaste Cookbook. I’ve been following Gina Homolka’s blog – Skinnytaste – for quite some time now, and I’ve tried several of her recipes. And I think I may have been the last one to finally buy her debut cookbook.
But late or not, I’m glad that I finally did it. This book is full of recipes that I can’t wait to try – recipes that don’t scream diet. Food that is high in flavor.
I seriously could have made any one of the recipes in the book and been happy. I did have a hard time choosing my first recipe to go with. In the end, I couldn’t keep my hands from turning back to this Cajun Chicken Pasta. It also helped that I had some bell peppers in the fridge that I needed to use up.
We loved this. Devoured it. My family had no idea it was “lighter”. The slurry that you make with the cream cheese that makes the cream sauce? Just brilliant. I probably would add a touch more of the Cajun seasoning next time (just personal preference) but that’s the only thing I would do differently.
And one of my favorite things about this Cajun Chicken Pasta is that even though it’s lighter in calories, the portion size was still very generous. I seriously think that sometimes lighter portions are so small that you would have to eat 2 portions to even feel somewhat satisfied. But this portion size was plentiful and I was stuffed.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The ingredients in the recipe card (down below) are all for the “lighter” version. But you can always use non-light ingredients for a more indulgent version of this recipe.
- For the sauce: the milk can be whatever milk you have on hand, and you could use full fat cream cheese.
- For the pasta: The original recipe calls for linguine, which is what I usually use, but any pasta will work.
- For the chicken: Chicken breasts are the leanest choice, but chicken thighs will give you lots of flavor.
- For the veggies: I like the colors from the red and yellow pepper, but any bell peppers will work. I also like the red onion, but a regular white or yellow onion would work, as well. I also like to remove as many seeds as possible from my tomatoes, but it is not totally necessary.
- For the seasoning: I like to use my homemade Cajun seasoning, but if you have some store bought on hand, it works just fine!
How to Make Lighter Cajun Chicken Pasta
Less than an hour and you can have dinner on the table! Here is how you make it:
Start by combining the milk, flour and cream cheese in a blender. This will be for the sauce. Blend it until it is smooth, then set it aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then cook the pasta according to the package directions.
Season the chicken with some of the Cajun seasoning, garlic powder and salt. Cook the chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook only half of the chicken at a time to make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Add the olive oil to the pan, then add the bell peppers, onion and garlic. Cook until tender, then add in the mushrooms and the tomatoes and cook. Season the veggies with the remaining garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Reduce the heat, then add the chicken broth and the milk mixture that you had in the blender earlier. Cook until it starts to thicken.
Add the chicken back to the skillet, add some more salt and the remaining Cajun seasoning. Add the linguine and toss to coat.
Divide the pasta between 5 plates, top with green onions and serve!
Tips and Tricks
The sauce always starts off a bit thin for me. The longer it sits, though, the more it will thicken up. In fact, my husband likes it after it has been sitting for a little while to let the sauce really combine with the pasta and the chicken.
This has a little bit of heat to it (it will depend on your Cajun seasoning) but if you want more, you can add more Cajun seasoning, or add a few shakes of red pepper flakes.
Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator. We will usually microwave the leftovers, but you can heat them on the stove top as well. If it has dried out, you can add a bit more chicken broth.
More Lighter Recipes
Balsamic Grilled Flank Steak
Lighter Chili Mac Recipe
Cajun Sausage Pasta
Slow Cooker Turkey Meatloaf
Turkey Sloppy Joes
American Turkey Goulash
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Cajun Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup fat-free milk
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons light cream cheese
- 8 oz linguine
- kosher salt
- 1 pound boneles, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized strips
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1/2 medium red onion thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 green onions sliced
Instructions
- Combine the milk, flour and cream cheese in a blender and process until smooth. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the Cajun seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of the garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and add half of the chicken. Cook the chicken until browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cook the second half of the chicken, then remove the cooked chicken to the plate.
- Add the olive oil to the skillet, reducing the heat to medium. Add the bell peppers, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until almost tender, 3-4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and the tomatoes and continue to cook another 3 to 4 minutes. Season the vegetables with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the chicken broth and the cream cheese slurry. Cook, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken, about 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken strips back to the skillet. Season with another 1/8 teaspoon of salt and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, or add more to taste. Cook until heated through. Add the linguine and toss to coat.
- Divide the pasta between 5 serving plates and sprinkle with the green onions.
Elaine says
This recipe was delicious!!
gina@skinnytaste says
Thank you SO much for the review. I am thrilled you enjoyed this dish, we LOVE it in my house : )
Joanne says
I am always looking for ways to lighten things up and have been debating whether to buy this cookbook…pretty sure you just sold me on it!
Chels R. says
I want this cookbook so bad but haven’t had a chance to purchase it yet! I love her blog! I hope you’re having fun with your family 🙂
Judy says
So when you say lighter you mean lower fat right? Because a 1.5 C serving isn’t much for a whopping 47 g of carbs.
Terri A. says
I made the Apple and Spice Baked Oatmeal this morning. It was so good! Tasted like eating warm apple pie for breakfast. I can’t wait to try this pasta recipe.
Deborah says
Oooh, can’t wait to try that one!!
Liz says
Sounds really good. Thank you and Happy New Year.