Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta with Smoked Sausage (Recipe 155 of 125)

Photo from What's in the pan

This one, my friends, is going into the favorites drawer. Holy smokes was this good. 

I am 100% convinced, however, it has everything to do with the right sausage. I went to Double DD Meats to get their Polish sausage because I believe it's some of the best around. I had the BFF over for dinner and she and I agreed that the sausage was the winner in this meal. In fact, we thought the chicken didn't even need to be there. 

The sauce turned out creamy and flavorful. It had a kick to it because of the cajun seasoning, but that's okay. If you like things less spicy, uses less seasoning. Like maybe just season the chicken with it and not add more later. 

I used Farfalle pasta because that's what was in the pantry. I think any pasta would work fine for this.

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta with Smoked Sausage
Recipe from Whatsinthepan.com

Serves 4

• 3 T butter (unsalted and divided)
• 1 lb. chicken breasts
• 6 oz. smoked sausage (sliced into ¼ inch pieces)
• 8 oz. baby Bella mushrooms (sliced)
• Cajun seasoning to taste
• Italian seasoning to taste
• Salt and pepper (to taste, optional)

Creamy Parmesan Sauce:

• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 c chicken broth (sodium free)
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 c heavy cream
• 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 tsp Paprika
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ¾ c Parmesan cheese  
• sea salt (to taste)

Pasta:

• 8 oz. penne pasta

Boil pasta in salty water according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Chicken, sausage and mushrooms:

Generously season chicken with salt, pepper, Cajun and Italian seasonings. Do not slice it yet - you will be cooking it whole. Slice sausage into ¼ inch circles and slice mushrooms.

In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon butter and melt it over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add whole chicken breasts and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side until browned for a total of 8-10 minutes. Remove chicken onto a plate and slice into strips.

Add sliced sausage pieces and brown them on medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side until darker in color around the edges. Remove from the skillet onto a plate.

Deglaze the pan with a splash of water and add 2nd tablespoon of butter and sliced mushrooms into the skillet (add more butter as well, if needed). Saute until your mushrooms should look nice and moist, and dark. Once cooked, remove them from the pan as well.

Sauce:

To make the sauce, add remaining 1 tablespoon butter to the pan, allow it to melt and then cook garlic in it until slightly browned – only for a couple of minutes. Next add chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce and heavy cream and bring to a light simmer. Add Cajun seasoning, paprika and garlic powder and mix into the sauce.

Add Parmesan cheese and whisk to blend for 2-3 minutes to thicken the sauce. Taste the sauce and add salt to taste.

Add cooked pasta into the sauce and mix in well. Next add the chicken, sausage and mushrooms back into the pan and allow them to reheat for 2-3 minutes. Close the lid to help the heat stay in. Serve immediately!