It has been a while since I have posted any recipes! Last week was crazy from Tuesday on. Seth and I drove down to Orlando, Florida with his family to go to Universal Studios for Thanksgiving. So I am just now able to post a recipe again!
This is a good one to start back up on. Not only is it a one pot meal (which I love), it also has a 70 calorie secret ingredient that substitutes all use of cream and cheese! It’s kind of a magic pasta ingredient that makes it creamy and decadent without adding a million grams of fat. We will get to the secret ingredient later ;).
This dish is so flavorful. Cajun seasoning is bold and spicy. I homemade my Cajun seasoning for this recipe, but you can use store bought if you want. I didn’t have to buy any extra spices; it was made from things I already had. So it might be easier for you to just make your own! Not to mention cheaper. So you start by making some Cajun seasoning. I used this recipe, but you can use store bought seasoning or find another recipe. Anything works here …as long as its Cajun-y :).
Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Cut your two chicken breasts in half. This allows the Cajun seasoning to cover more surface area, and it makes your chicken cook faster. You are going to use 1/2 teaspoon on each chicken breast half. So use 1/4 teaspoon for the top side and 1/4 teaspoon for the bottom side.
Once your chicken is seasoned and your pan is hot, place all four breasts in the pan and cook until there is no pink in the center.
While your chicken is cooking, chop up half a green pepper, half an onion, and three cloves of garlic.
Throw your vegetables in the pan with the chicken, season them with 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning and a few pinches of salt, and let everything cook together.
When your chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan and let the vegetables continue to cook until they are softened.
Once your veggies are done, add three cups of chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once the chicken stock is boiling (it won’t take long) add half a box of whole wheat Linguini. I had to break all my noodles in half because my skillet wasn’t long enough to hold them all. You will probably have to do that too.
Boil your noodles until they are cooked through, stirring often to make sure everything cooks evenly. You might need to add more chicken stock if your noodles are looking dry. Feel free to add as much extra as you need!
Remove from the heat once the noodles are done.
Now it’s time for the secret ingredient!
Laughing Cow cheese wedges! They are only 35 calories per wedge, and they bring an amazing creaminess to pasta dishes. The cool thing about this tip is that there are so many different uses for it. I have used the garlic and herb flavored laughing cow in pasta before, just to add some extra flavor, and it was absolutely delicious. You won’t be able to tell that you made a healthy substitution. You won’t miss the heavy cream and cheese!
I used two wedges for this dish, and I used the original flavor. But if you want to amp it up with the garlic and herb flavor, go for it!
Stir in the cheese wedges, and add another 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning. Stir until everything is combined (you kind of need to break up/smash the Laughing Cow to get it started). Try your pasta and season to taste with more salt, pepper, or Cajun seasoning.
Slice up your chicken, add it on top, and you are good to go!
Yum!
Here is the recipe:
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2½ teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1¼ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1¼ teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 chicken breasts
- ½ onion
- ½ green bell pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 cups chicken stock
- ½ box whole wheat linguini
- 2 wedges laughing cow cheese
- Create your Cajun seasoning by mixing together the first ten ingredients in a bowl (you can use store bought Cajun seasoning or any other recipe you want)
- Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat
- Slice your chicken breasts in half and season each with ½ teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (each side should have ¼ teaspoon of seasoning)
- Once your pan is hot, place your chicken breast halves in the pan and cook through
- Meanwhile, dice half an onion, half a green bell pepper, and three cloves of garlic
- Add the vegetables to the pan with the chicken and add ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning to them along with a few pinches of salt
- Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan and let the veggies continue to cook until they are tender but still have a bite
- Once the veggies are done, add three cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil
- Break your linguini noodles in half so they fit in the skillet and stir around until they are all submerged in liquid
- Cook your noodles until they are al dente, stirring frequently to ensure even cooking
- You may need to add more chicken stock if your noodles get dry while they are cooking
- Remove from the heat and add 2 wedges of laughing cow cheese
- Break up the laughing cow cheese and stir everything together until all the noodles are evenly coated
- Add another ½ teaspoon of Cajun seasoning and stir together
- Taste your pasta and add any extra salt, pepper, or Cajun seasoning you think it needs
- Slice up your chicken and add on top
THanks Annie for saving me tonight! I made this for dinner and it was a hit! I did not have Laughing Cow cheese so used cream cheese instead. Very tasty!
I’m so glad you liked it! Cream cheese was a smart substitute…it would give the pasta the creamy, delicious texture that it needs! And no one will say “no” to cream cheese. Yum :).