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Cajun Chicken Pasta Bake

Cajun marinated chicken and perfectly cooked pasta, baked in a cheesy, creamy sauce.

Cajun Chicken Pasta Bake

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Serves:4

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

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Melt in the mouth chicken marinated in Cajun spice mix overnight for maximum flavour, with a rich cream cheese sauce and your choice of pasta, topped with grated cheese for a crunchy, textured finish. You will need a large, deep casserole dish for this recipe - approximately 8' x 6'.

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Ingredients
  • 2 Medium, Skinned Chicken Breasts (200g-250g, cut into thin strips)
  • 250g Penne Pasta
  • 150g-200g Cheddar Cheese and 100g Cream Cheese
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 150ml Whole Milk
  • 4 tsp Cajun Spice Mix
  • 1L Boiling Water
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1 tbsp Tomato Puree
  • 1 Medium Red Onion

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Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 180º/160º fan.
  2. Slice the chicken and place in a dish with 3 teaspoons of the Cajun spice mix and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Rub this into the chicken, cover the dish and leave for a minimum of 30 minutes. We recommend leaving the chicken to marinate overnight for maximum flavour!
  3. Place the pasta into a saucepan with 1 teaspoon of Cajun spice mix and half a teaspoon of salt. Cover with boiling water and cook until aldente.
  4. Gently heat a frying pan before adding the marinated chicken slices and fry until golden brown. Ensure that you turn the chicken over to cook it evenly on both sides. Ensure that your chicken is thoroughly cooked all the way through, then set to one side.
  5. Drain the pasta and place into a deep, medium size casserole dish.
  6. Add the milk to a pan and grate in half of the cheddar cheese, stirring until the cheese has melted.
  7. In the same frying pan that you used to cook the chicken, add a little olive oil and fry the red onion until soft. Once cooked and golden brown, add the chicken strips back into the pan along with the tomato puree and salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Ensure that the chicken and red onion is well coated in the tomato puree, then add the mix to the pasta. Scrape the pan to capture all of the delicious flavour released by the chicken and spices!
  9. Pour the milk and cheese sauce over the pasta dish, taking care not to spill any.
  10. Add the cream cheese and mix all of the ingredients well in the dish.
  11. Top the dish with the remaining grated cheese and place in the oven until the cheese has melted and is golden brown. This will take approximately 20-25 minutes.

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Top Tips...

  • Adding the grated cheese on top will give your pasta bake a nice crispy texture.
  • To work towards your five a day, try adding some vegetables to the frying pan when you cook the onions. Our favourites are peas, peppers and broccoli!
  • This dish is really easy to cater to individual dietary requirements - for those following a gluten free diet, use a gluten free pasta. For those that are dairy free, use a plant-based milk and cheese alternative. For those that are vegetarian, simply omit the chicken altogether, or replace with a plant-based meat substitute such as seitan.
  • This recipe is great with various types of cheeses - either combine multiple for a multi-cheese pasta bake, or use whatever you have in the fridge.
  • To make your own Cajun spice mix, combine a teaspoon each of: chilli powder, paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic, allspice, coriander, ginger, cumin, fennel and cardamom.

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