CAJUN CHICKEN PASTA

Chili’s copycat recipe made at home with an amazingly creamy melt-in-your-mouth alfredo sauce. And you know it tastes 10000x better!

INGREDIENTS:

1. 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2. 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3. 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning

4. 8 ounces penne pasta

5. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

6. 3 cloves garlic, minced

7. 1 cup heavy cream, or more, to taste

8. 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

9. 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

10. 2 Roma tomatoes, diced

11. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leave

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a gallon size Ziploc bag, add chicken, 1 tablespoon olive oil and cajun        seasoning, shaking to coat thoroughly.

2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a grill pan over medium high heat.  Add chicken and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes  on each side. Set aside and keep warm.

3. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package          instructions; drain well.

4. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring        frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

5. Gradually whisk in heavy cream and lemon zest. Cook, whisking constantly,    until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan until slightly thickened,  about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more heavy cream as    needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

6. Stir in pasta and gently toss to combine.

7. Serve immediately with chicken, garnished with tomatoes and parsley, if    desired.