High Protein Creamy Southwest Chicken Pasta
Servings: 4 -6 servings
Ingredients
- 3 large chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp cajun seasoning*
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 12 oz penne pasta
- 1-2 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 8 oz frozen organic corn
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 1/2 medium yellow onion chopped
- 2/3 cup chicken stock
- 1.5 cups cottage cheese**
- 1/2 cup chopped green onion
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Begin by mixing together the cajun seasoning and salt. Heat up a large skillet to medium high heat.
- Rub chicken breasts generously with dry rub. You may have extra rub that you can use later to add to the creamy sauce.
- Add the oil to the skillet, and add chicken breasts. Sear for a 5 - 7 minutes each side until a dark brown color. Chicken may not be cooked all the way through, but set aside and keep warm. Keep the skillet hot and add additional tbsp of oil if needed for the vegetables.
- While chicken is cooking, heat up a large pot of water to a boil and add pasta. Boil according to package directions.
- Add onion, corn and bell pepper to skillet, reserving any seasoning. Saute until bell pepper is soft, and corn is cooked (approximately 7 minutes). Reduce heat to low.
- Meanwhile, make the creamy sauce. In a food processor or blender, blend the cottage cheese, chicken broth, and any leftover cajun seasoning until smooth and creamy.
- Add the creamy cottage cheese sauce to the veggies, and return the chicken to the pan. Cook on low for another 5 minutes or so, or until chicken is cooked through and the sauce has been gently warmed. Toss in pasta.
- Serve hot with additional garnishes like green onion, cilantro, and parmesan cheese.
Notes
Additional notes:
*You can use a homemade cajun seasoning of: 2 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper.
**I use reduced fat cottage cheese in this recipe (4%), I would not recommend non-fat. But full fat or reduced fat cottage cheese works well in this recipe.
Reheat Leftovers:
The cottage cheese can get extra sticky when refrigerated. You can gently reheat in a skillet over medium low heat and add in 1/2 cup milk or half and half to add some extra creaminess and better texture to this recipe.