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5.0 from 9 votes

Cajun Chicken and Shrimp Pasta

Juicy tiger prawns and chicken pieces marinated in cajun spices meet with creamy and garlicky sauce in this delicious pasta dish.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
25 mins
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 945 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean , Italian

Ingredients

  • 250 g tiger or king prawns (shelled and deveined)
  • 200 g chicken thighs (small diced)
  • 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Cajun spice
  • 10 g butter
  • 1 Turkish chilli (or ½ green bell pepper or few green Spanish padron peppers) (sliced)
  • 2 medium tomatoes (small diced)
  • 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
  • 1 red chilli (finely chopped, optional)
  • 200 ml double cream or heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 50 g blue cheese (optional)
  • 100 g grated cheddar cheese
  • 50 g grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoon chopped herbs such as parsley, dill, tarragon, chives or chervil
  • 400 g pasta of your choice

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Mix olive oil and cajun spices in a bowl and add the prawns, mix until prawns are nicely covered with spiced olive oil. Set them aside.
  2. Same as the prawns, 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.
  3. Put some water to boil for pasta before starting the sauce.
  4. To make the sauce, place a large pan or wok on medium heat and melt the butter.
  5. When the butter starts sizzling, add the prawns 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.
  6. Remove the prawns to a plate and set them aside to use later.
  7. 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 prawns. The cooking time varies depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
  8. Add the garlic to the same pan and quickly sauté for 30 seconds with the remaining butter and then add the peppers.
  9. Sauté peppers for another minute and then add the tomatoes (and chilies if using).
  10. Cook the tomatoes until soft, for about a couple of minutes, and then add the double cream, salt, and pepper.
  11. 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).
  12. Reduce the cream down for a few minutes and then add the blue cheese (optional) along with the lemon juice.
  13. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring until the blue cheese(if using) melts into the creamy sauce before adding the cooked pasta.
  14. Add the rest of the cheese, chopped herbs, chicken, and shrimp last minute.
  15. Stir all well together until nicely combined and then remove the pan from the heat.
  16. Serve with some more grated cheese and chopped herbs.

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 Information

Calories 945kcal (47%) Carbohydrates 86g (29%) Protein 42g (84%) Fat 48g (74%) Saturated Fat 22g (110%) Polyunsaturated Fat 5g Monounsaturated Fat 16g Trans Fat 0.05g Cholesterol 221mg (74%) Sodium 1385mg (58%) Potassium 780mg (22%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 8g (16%) Vitamin A 2847IU (57%) Vitamin C 51mg (57%) Calcium 403mg (40%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 945

% Daily Value*

Calories 945kcal 47%
Carbohydrates 86g 29%
Protein 42g 84%
Fat 48g 74%
Saturated Fat 22g 110%
Polyunsaturated Fat 5g 29%
Monounsaturated Fat 16g 80%
Trans Fat 0.05g 3%
Cholesterol 221mg 74%
Sodium 1385mg 58%
Potassium 780mg 17%
Fiber 5g 20%
Sugar 8g 16%
Vitamin A 2847IU 57%
Vitamin C 51mg 57%
Calcium 403mg 40%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.