Stuffed Cheesy Cajun Chicken Pasta with roasted tomatoes & crispy pancetta
Wed, 15 February 2023
Stuffed Cheesy Cajun Chicken Pasta with roasted tomatoes & crispy pancetta
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 1 ball mozzarella
- 25g pancetta
- Salt & pepper to taste
-1 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 white onion
- 1 courgette
- 200g cherry tomatoes
- 200g light cream cheese
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 200g pasta of choice (linguine or fettuccine)
- 30g parmesan cheese
- Fresh Parsley
METHOD
1. For the stuffed chicken breasts: Carefully butterfly the chicken breast open (like opening a book) 3/4 the way through. Slice the mozzarella into thin slices and place into the sliced chicken. Fold back over and season with cajun spice, salt, pepper and olive oil.
2. Bake the stuffed chicken breasts in the oven on a baking tray with the cherry tomatoes for 25-30 minutes at 180oC until fully cooked.
3. Bring a pot of water to the boil and add your pasta to it to boil for 5-6 minutes. In a frying pan, fry the pancetta to render the fat and add the chopped onion, garlic and courgette to the pan. Sautee for 1-2 min to soften and colour.
4. Add the tomato puree to the frying pan with 1 tsp of cajun spice, mixed herbs and a generous crack of black pepper. Lower the heat and add the cream cheese to the pan and mix through.
5. Bring the pasta from the pot into the frying pan along with 1/2 a cup of the salted pasta water and the roasted cherry tomatoes from the oven. Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken.
6. Serve the creamy pasta and roasted tomatoes on a plate with some parmesan cheese, the sliced chicken breast on top and fresh parsley to garnish
