Cajun Chicken Pasta a la Pioneer Woman

Chicken and pasta is a staple at our house, so I'm always looking for new ways to recreate it.  The seasoning in this dish made it different than anything else I've tried.




I started by making my own cajun seasoning.  I used this recipe as my base.  Next time I might use a little less thyme.





I tossed strips of chicken in the seasoning and then threw them into a pan of hot oil to brown on both sides.   Then I removed the chicken to a plate.

Note to readers: I think you're supposed to go for the cajun blackened look here, but I'm kind of a wimp and was terrified of starting a fire.  I chose to go with the not-so-cajun golden look.






Do the same thing to some onions and bell peppers.

Note to readers: Again, I completely missed the whole blackened thing.  I think it was because my bell peppers were still partially frozen.

Additional note to readers: I was supposed to season the vegetables with the cajun seasoning prior to cooking them.  I forgot.  I sprinkled the seasoning on later.

Remove the vegetables to a plate.  Add chicken broth to the pan to get all of the good stuff off of the bottom.






The original recipe calls for heavy cream.  I used the open can of evaporated milk I had in the fridge.





Whisk together the chicken broth, evaporated milk, and more cajun seasoning.





The sauce didn't thicken up like it was supposed to, so I added a few forkfuls of corn starch.  That did the trick.

Note to readers: It may be hard to tell, but the sauce in the above picture is definitely thicker than in the previous picture.  Promise.



Stir the sauce, vegetables, and chicken together over medium heat until bubbly.  Then toss with pasta and enjoy!