Cajun Chicken Pasta

Yield: 4 servings | Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes

Chili’s copycat recipe made at home with an amazingly creamy melt-in-your-mouth alfredo sauce. And you know it tastes 10000x better!

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
• 8 ounces penne pasta
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup heavy cream, or more, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. In a gallon size Ziploc bag, add chicken, 1 tablespoon olive oil and cajun seasoning, shaking to coat thoroughly.
2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a grill pan over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm.
3. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
4. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
5. Gradually whisk in heavy cream and lemon zest. Cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more heavy cream as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Stir in pasta and gently toss to combine.
7. Serve immediately with chicken, garnished with tomatoes and parsley, if desired.

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