Cajun Chicken And Sausage Pasta Recipes

Steps:

• Cook sausage in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until cooked. Remove sausage to paper-towel-lined plate.
• Season chicken, if desired, with salt and pepper. Cook chicken in same skillet, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
• Stir red peppers and onion into same skillet* and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in garlic and cook, 30 seconds. Stir in broth and Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise. Bring just to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 minute. Stir in fettuccine, chicken and sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute or until heated through. Season, if desired, with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.

Steps:

• The most important thing is to use the right equipment and I would suggest the following: a 2-gallon cast iron Dutch oven, a high BTU gas stove, and a large stainless steel chef's spoon.
• Use high heat to preheat the Dutch oven and add the sausage. Using a chef's spoon or large spoon, constantly move the sausage from the bottom of the pot. Be careful not to burn the meat. (Normally I use Manda's sausage because it has little fat, however at this point you may want to drain off all of the excess grease to reduce the fat content from the dish.)
• Add the thigh meat and brown the chicken on all sides. Again use the spoon to scrape the meat from sticking and burning to the bottom of the pot. Browning the sausage and chicken meats should take 20 minutes. Be careful not to over cook the thigh meat to the point that it shreds.
• Lower the heat to medium and add the onions and garlic; saute for about 15 minutes or until the onions are very limp and "clear". Scrape the bottom of the pot to remove all the "graton". This is where the jambalaya gets its distinct brown color and taste.
• Add the tasso, thyme, basil and black and white pepper. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. This will give the seasonings time to release their oils and flavors.
• At this point the jambalaya concentrate can be transferred to smaller containers, cooled to room temperature, covered and refrigerated for future use. (This is what we do commercially; it allows the seasonings to marry.)
• When you are ready to cook the jambalaya, add the stock to the concentrate and bring to a rolling boil. Add the rice, reduce the heat to medium and gently break up the rice. Using the stainless steel paddle, continue to insure that the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pot; this is very important!
• After about 5 minutes, fold in the parsley. Continue to scrape the pot to insure that no rice sticks to the bottom. When the jambalaya returns to a boil, reduce heat to the lowest possible setting and simmer, covered, for at least 25 minutes. Do not remove the cover while the rice is steaming.
• If Manda's brand sausage is not available, any lean smoked sausage can be substituted. You may have to remove any excess grease from the pot after frying down an unknown sausage.
• For a richer jambalaya substitute turkey stock for the chicken stock called for above.
• If no stocks are available, then chicken soup base can be used. Be careful with your seasoning, as bases are usually full of salt.
• Alternate Method:
• The jambalaya is best when served directly out of the cast iron pot. While the rice is steaming, the sausage and meat will have a tendency to float to the surface of the jambalaya. Therefore, after the rice has steamed for 25 minutes, use the paddle to gently fold in the meat and seasonings into the cooked rice. This should only be done once or twice, the rice will loose a lot of heat and the rice will break apart.
• Also note, I do not add salt to my jambalaya. This is because I like to use herbs, tasso and seasonings to satisfy the need for salt. I would suggest having the table set with salt shakers and a selection of hot pepper sauces.
• Plate Presentation:

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Sprinkle both sides of chicken breast with 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, or to taste.
• Grill chicken breast and pork sausage on the preheated grill until browned and no longer pink inside, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut chicken and sausage into bite-size pieces.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the farfalle pasta at a boil, stirring occasionally, until cooked through yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes; drain.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir green bell pepper, red bell pepper, onion, and garlic in hot butter until slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir chicken and sausage pieces into vegetables, reduce heat to medium-low, and pour 1 cup half-and-half into skillet. Stir to combine.
• Mix cornstarch into remaining 1/2 cup half-and-half in a small bowl until smooth; pour into skillet and stir until sauce simmers and thickens, about 5 minutes. Toss cooked farfalle pasta into mixture until coated; season with additional Cajun seasoning and dried basil.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add broth and wine. Bring to a boil; cook, uncovered, until liquid is reduced to 1 cup. Reduce heat. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, cumin, cayenne and pepper. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes., Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, cook sausage and peppers over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink and peppers are tender; drain. Stir in the tomato mixture. Serve over pasta.

Steps:

• Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat until hot.
• Add onion, garlic, bell pepper and sausage; and cook for 4-5 min or until the onion and bell pepper begin to soften, stirring occasionally.
• Add the chicken and saute for 3-4 min or until the outside of the chicken is no longer pink.
• Stir in the tomatoes, Cajun seasoning and salt.
• Reduce the heat to low.
• Cover and simmer for 10 min or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center.

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken strips with cajun seasoning and cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes in skillet sprayed with cooking spray.
• Remove chicken and set aside. Add sausage, mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers to pan and saute for about 5 minutes or until veggies are tender.
• Stir in chicken strips and tomatoes and cook until heated through.
• Add pasta and toss well.
• Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper.

Steps:

• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large, covered cooking pot over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in the hot oil, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add sausage to the pot and continue to cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes more. Stir in garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, heavy cream, pasta, and Cajun seasoning. Stir together and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and cook until pasta is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove the pot from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese. Stir in chopped parsley and sprinkle with additional Cajun seasoning if desired.