Cajun Chicken & Sausage Pasta

This dish is out-of-control good! It is full of so much yumminess that we were all members of The-Clean-Plate-Club! I use a lot of bell peppers in my recipes each week, my kids love them, which makes me happy but I love that as soon as I take them out of the fridge, clean and start slicing them, I have to watch out for little hands that keep coming towards my cutting board for more. I always buy more than I need because I know when it is dinner time and my kiddos are hungry they will start reaching for peppers and they do not discriminate, they love all the colors! We tried growing them in our garden this year but only ever got one because the deer beat us to them every time.

 This was pretty easy to make some chopping at the beginning but I just did it all at once, first the veggies, then the meat then it was show time! This recipe was adapted from The Pioneer Woman who makes this with a lot more, oil, butter and cream so if you want the heavy duty full fat version go here. If you want something light, delicious and still full of flavor without the fat then stay right where you are :)

Ingredients

3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Cubes

1 package low fat Turkey Kielbasa sausage, sliced

3 t Cajun Spice

2 t Olive Oil

1 Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced

1 Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced

1 Large Red Onion, Sliced

3 cloves Garlic, Minced

4 Roma Tomatoes, Diced

1.5 cups Chicken Stock

3 T Half & Half

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 package of whole grain Linguini, cooked in salted water

Directions:

Slice all the veggies and put them aside, then dice the chicken and slice the sausage. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Season the chicken with 2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning. Add to skillet when the oil is hot and let the chicken sit for about 2-3 minutes, if you start to move it too soon it will rip apart, which is no good, just let it sizzle and cook for at least 2 minutes then stir and cook for another 3-5 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Place chicken on a plate then add the sausage to the pan, cook until browned on both sides, remove and place with chicken. At this point add one more teaspoon of olive oil, then add the veggies and the other teaspoon of Cajun seasoning, except the tomatoes. Toss around pan on high heat for about 2 minutes, if it seems like you need more oil, you can add a couple of spalshes of stock, it adds flavor and keeps things from sticking without added fat and calories, then move the veggies to a clean plate. You do not want the veggies overcooked, they may not seem done at this point but they will continue to cook while they are sitting on the plate. With the pan still on high heat add 1 cup of chicken stock to the pan and let sizzle and bubble while you scrape the bits of chicken, sausage and veggies off the pan and into the sauce, let it bubble for about 1 minute, then reduce heat and slowly add the half and half, one tablespoon at a time. Let the sauce cook for a couple of minutes but this will not be a very thick sauce, just a really yummy one! Finally add your cooked linguini, chicken, sausage and vegetables back to the pan, at this point add your fresh tomatoes and fresh parsley. Gently mix together and serve. 

Weight Watcher Friends: This was really good. I only used 1/2 a package of whole wheat linguini in the entire dish. There were so many vegetables and meat that we didn't even miss it! This amount made about 6-7 servings for 9 points per serving.

Source: The Pioneer Woman