Cajun Chicken and Shrimp Pasta
Juicy tiger shrimp and chicken pieces marinated in Cajun spices meet with creamy and garlicky sauce in this delicious pasta dish.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 934kcal
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients
- 9 oz tiger or king shrimp - shelled and deveined (250 grams)
- 7 oz small diced chicken thighs (200 grams)
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cajun spice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 Turkish chilli (or ½ green bell pepper) (sliced)
- 2 medium tomatoes (small diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 red chilli (finely chopped, optional)
- ¾ cup double cream or heavy cream (200 ml)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese (optional)
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (100 grams)
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese (50 grams)
- 2 tablespoon chopped herbs such as parsley, dill, tarragon, chives or chervil
- 14 oz pasta of your choice (400 grams)
Instructions
- Mix olive oil and Cajun spices in a bowl and add the shrimp, mixing until they are nicely covered with spiced olive oil. Set them aside.
- Mix the chicken pieces with olive oil and Cajun spices and set them aside, and let them marinate while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
- Put some water to boil for pasta before starting the sauce.
- To make the sauce, place a large pan or wok on medium heat and melt the butter.
- When the butter starts sizzling, add the shrimp and cook for a minute, until they turn pink and start to curl. Don't be tempted to cook any longer, as they will cook more later with the sauce.
- Remove the prawns to a plate and set them aside to use later.
- Using the same pan, sauté the chicken pieces for five minutes or until they are thoroughly cooked, and place them on the same plate with the shrimp. The cooking time varies depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
- Add the garlic to the same pan and quickly sauté for 30 seconds with the remaining butter and then add the peppers.
- Sauté peppers for another minute and then add the tomatoes (and chilies if using).
- Cook the tomatoes until soft, for about a couple of minutes, and then add the double cream, salt, and pepper.
- The water for the pasta should be boiling at this point. Add plenty of salt to boiling water and add your pasta in. (Assuming that you are using dried pasta which usually takes 10 to 12 minutes. If you are using fresh pasta, start cooking it later).
- Reduce the cream down for a few minutes and then add the blue cheese (optional) along with the lemon juice.
- Cook for a few more minutes, stirring until the blue cheese(if using) melts into the creamy sauce before adding the cooked pasta.
- Add the rest of the cheese, chopped herbs, chicken, and shrimp last minute.
- Stir all well together until nicely combined and then remove the pan from the heat.
- Serve with some more grated cheese and chopped herbs.
Video
Notes
- This delicious shrimp pasta is ready in just 25 minutes, a perfect weekday meal for busy nights.
- Always keep some of the pasta cooking water while making the sauce. If the sauce gets too thick while you cook it, add some pasta water to make it creamy again.
- Don't be tempted to cook the prawns any longer than stated as they will cook more later with the sauce.
- The cooking time for the chicken pieces varies depending on their size.
- The leftovers would keep for up to three days when refrigerated.
- Make sure you use fresh prawns and chicken meat if you want to freeze the leftovers.
- You can watch the short video attached to the recipe card if you want to learn how to peel and devein raw prawns.
Nutrition
Calories: 934kcal | Carbohydrates: 84g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 231mg | Sodium: 1533mg | Potassium: 763mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2809IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 462mg | Iron: 3mg