Louisiana chicken pasta is one of my favorite recipes from Cheesecake Factory, creamy pasta smothered in delicious Cajun creamy sauce with crispy parmesan chicken, the ultimate comfort food. I mean who doesn’t love chicken and pasta.
If you’re like me and live at least 2 hours away from Cheesecake factory, I got you, were going to replicate this delicious pasta dish and make our own homemade that tastes just as good or dare I say even better.
Ingredients
- 4 Skinless Chicken Breast
- 1 cup of Heavy Cream
- 2 red Bell Peppers
- 8 oz. Porcini Mushrooms
- half a red onion
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 box of bow tie pasta
- 2 eggs
- Flour Mixture (1/2 cup all purpose flour, 2 tbsp. bread crumbs, and 2 tbsp. parmesan cheese, season with salt and black pepper.
- oil for cooking
- basil
- 1/2 cup of chicken broth or half of bouillon cube
- green onions for garnish
- 1 tbspt Cajun Seasoning (we love slap ya mamas Cajun spice blend)
- 1/3 pasta water
- oil for cooking (( either olive oil or avocado oil)
- red pepper flakes (optional)
How to make cheesecake factory’s louisiana chicken pasta
- The first step is to prep and measure all your ingredients. Wash and dry bell pepper, then dice the red bell pepper, half onion and slice mushrooms.
- Cut chicken breast in half and pound it thin.
- In a small bowl combine the breadcrumb mixture (flour, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper, whisk together all the dry ingredients).
- Whisk to eggs in a separate bowl and arrange it next to the flour mixture bowl.
- Take your chicken dip both sides with egg then place it in the second bowl with the panko mixture and gently drench both sides with the panko mixture. Shake off any excess flour and fry it in the fry pan about 5 mins on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 165°
5.Set cooked chicken aside ( I like to cover the chicken with a lid so it stays warm). In the same pan that you fried the chicken add more oil and sauté first bell pepper for about a minute then add in your onion and mushrooms and sauté until tender for about 5 to 6 minutes on medium-high heat, add pressed garlic and using a wooden spatula mix all the vegetables.
6.While the vegetables are cooking, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water (follow the instructions on the package or until the pasta is cooked al dente)
Make the Cajun Sauce
- Add 1 cup of heavy cream to the pan with the vegetables, simmer for a minute then add a 1/2 cup of chicken stock or I just used half a cube of chicken bullion cube and dissolved it in warm water .Once the sauce starts to thicken add 1/3 cup pasta water and 1 cup parmesan cheese. Season sauce with salt, pepper, and 1 tbs of cajun seasoning.
- Add drained and cooked pasta to the sauce and using a wooden spatula mix everything making sure that every bit of pasta is coated in sauce. Cook on medium low heat for about 3-4 minutes. Add fresh basil, green onion and sprinkle a pinch of red pepper flakes if you like a little heat.
- Place your perfectly cooked crispy chicken on top of the pasta. Serve immediately.
Notes
Prep and measure out your ingredients, this will help you stay organized and make cooking so much smoother.
For crispier chicken, double coat the chicken in the egg and mixture, its important to shake off the excess flour from the chicken. You dont want to be biting into dry flour.
This Cajun pasta is a little spicy, if you are sensitive to spicy food, start with less cajun seasoning, especially if have little kiddos. You can always add more seasoning later.
Use only fresh basil, basil is very fragrant and adds so much flavor to the dish.
For lighter pasta, you can use half and half and milk.
How to store Leftovers?
Any leftovers can be stored it in airtight container in a fridge for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.
If you loved this Cajun chicken pasta recipe, I would love for you to share it or if you have any questions ask away and I would love to get back to you. And if you want to see more restaurant copycat recipes check out this delicious olive garden zuppa toscana copycat recipe.
Looks delicious!