Cajun Spiced Chicken Fettucini

This is one of those recipes I've had in my stockpile for a few years now and I always think "I'll make that next week" but I never do. Part of the reason I never got around to it is that I have a faaaaavorite fettucini dish already, and I hate to feel like I'm cheating on it, and partially because this dish has a lot of ingredients that the hubs isn't very fond of, such as peppers. Since the hubs is deployed again, and I had a hankering for fettucini, I figured now was a good a time as any to finally get around to this dish. The kiddos definitely didn't like this dish, and they spent a total of 3 hours and 24 minutes at the table holding each noodle up in the air and plucking off each tiny piece of peppers, onions and mushrooms. I will bet my first born (heck, take them both) that the hubs wouldn't touch this dish, again because he isn't into the veggies. I thought this dish was ok. I am not very fond of too many peppers or onions either, but I still made the recipe according to the dish. Even if I skipped the veggies, there wasn't much of a flavor to the sauce to make me swoon over this dish, and I kept finding myself going back to get more Tony's to liven up this dish. I did, however, really, really like how the chicken turned out, so that made me happy! If you are a fan of peppers, this pasta dish may be up your alley, but I prefer my fettucini with ooey gooey creamy sauce, and this just didn't do it for me.

Cajun Spiced Chicken Fettucini

Serves 8

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon cajun seasoning (Tony's Chachare's is the best!)

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 package (8 oz.) presliced cremini mushrooms

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Creole mustard

3 cups 2% low-fat milk

1 cup green onions, thinly sliced, divided

1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated, divided

1/4 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped, divided

8 cups hot cooked fettucini (about 1 pound uncooked pasta)

1. Preheat oven to 350°. 



2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with Cajun seasoning. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan, and cook 7 minutes on each side or until done. Cut chicken into 1/4-inch-thick slices; set aside. 



3. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and next 4 ingredients (bell pepper through garlic); sauté 7 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle with flour, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the Worcestershire and mustard; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until slightly thick. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 cup green onions, 6 tablespoons cheese, and 3 tablespoons parsley. Add chicken and pasta to sauce mixture; toss well to combine. 



4. Spoon mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup green onions, 2 tablespoons cheese, and 1 tablespoon parsley. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes; uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes.