Cajun Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Cajun spices liven up the depth and richness of sun-dried tomatoes, and it all makes a delicious match with an otherwise basic chicken pasta. In case that's not enough, we added bocconcini, darling little marble-sized balls of fresh mozzarella.
Servings
Produce
Garlic (Organic)
4 2 Clove
Yellow Onion (Organic)
1/2 0.25 Whole
Broccoli (Organic)
8 4 oz
Spinach (Organic)
6 3 oz
Cremini mushrooms
6 3 oz
Protein & more
Chicken Tenders
1 0.5 lb
Penne
10 5 oz
Sun-dried tomatoes
3.5 1.75 oz
Bocconcini (in water)
6 3 oz
Pantry items
Sea salt
1 0.5 teaspoon
Olive oil
2 1 tablespoon
Spice mix
Sweet paprika
1 0.5 teaspoon
Granulated Onion
1 0.5 teaspoon
Granulated Garlic
1 0.5 teaspoon
Dried thyme
1/4 0.125 teaspoon
Dried oregano
1/4 0.125 teaspoon
Sage, ground
1/4 0.125 teaspoon
Black pepper
1/8 0.065 teaspoon
White Pepper
1/8 0.065 teaspoon
Cayenne powder
1/8 0.065 teaspoon
Prep ahead (optional)
a. Chop spinach bite-sized. b. Chop broccoli into small bite-sized florets; thinly slice stems. c. ¼” dice yellow onion. d. Chop cremini mushrooms into ¼”-thick slices. e. Mince garlic.
Instructions
1
Prep chicken:
a. Chop chicken tenders in 1” pieces.
b. Season with ½ tsp salt and cajun spice mix. Set aside.
2
Cook penne:
a. In a large saucepan or dutch oven over high heat, add 8 cups water (4 cups for 2-person portion). Cover and bring to a boil.
b. Add 1 tsp salt and penne; immediately stir.
c. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook penne until al dente, about 10-13 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup cooking water, then drain the pasta but don’t rinse. Set aside.
3
Cook chicken and vegetables:
a. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil.
b. Add seasoned chicken tenders; cook until beginning to caramelize, about 3 minutes.
c. Add garlic (mince), yellow onion (¼” dice), broccoli stems (thinly slice), and ½ tsp salt. Cook until onion is translucent, about 2-3 minutes
d. Add broccoli florets (small bite-sized) and about ¼ cup pasta water. Cook until broccoli begins to soften, about 2-3 minutes.
e. Add cremini mushrooms (¼”-thick slices) and sun-dried tomatoes (thinly slice); cook until mushrooms are caramelized, about 2 minutes.
f. Add penne and toss to combine.
g. Add spinach (chop bite-sized); toss until wilted, about 1 minute.
h. Add bocconcini and toss to combine.
4
Serve:
a. Divide pasta among plates. Pour the wine and dig in!
Chef's notes
As far as Cajun spice mixes go, this is a mild one with only a pinch of cayenne. Still, if you have a sensitive palate, start with just a third or half of the spice mix until you can give it a taste and feel ready to add more.
All spice mixes and dressings made by Inner Chef from scratch with organic ingredients, local when possible.
This week’s local ingredients across all Inner Chef meal-kits come from:
Gundermann Acres,
Wharton County, TX
Wharton County, TX
Fagan Family Farm
Lone Star Herbs,
League City, TX
League City, TX
G&S Groves,
Mission, TX
Mission, TX
The Farm Patch,
Pleasanton, TX
Pleasanton, TX
Kitchen Pride,
Gonzales, TX
Gonzales, TX
Fruitful Hill Farm,
Bastrop, TX
Bastrop, TX
J&B Farms,
Hondo, TX
Hondo, TX
Martinez Farms,
Pleasanton, TX
Pleasanton, TX
J&D Farms
Village Farms,
Marfa, TX
Marfa, TX