Fieri's Finest...

Making Cajun Chicken Alfredo

I went over my sister’s house a few weeks ago to see her kids and spend some time with her and her husband. I decided to make dinner while I was there, for an opportunity to cook, but also for a chance to help them out a bit. There was a recipe that I had really wanted to make for a long time, so I stopped at the store, and started cooking up a storm when I got to her house. 

One of my favorite food personalities is Guy Fieri. I met him in my uncle’s store in Long Beach Island a few summers ago when I was working. He’s a really nice guy, but he’s a bit of a douche (a story for another time). Anyway, I guess I really just want his job. Haha I would kill to be the host of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. I really like the food that Guy cooks and the flavors that his food produces. The recipe that I wanted to cook was the one that he made to get on the Next Food Network Star. The recipe was for Cajun chicken alfredo pasta. It sounded absolutely delicious, so I knew I had to try it.

It wasn’t super complicated to make, but it definitely took a little bit of time. Blackening the chicken is the key part to the dish because you need to make sure you get a good sear on it so that the seasonings stick to the chicken, even after they have been added to the alfredo sauce.

Everything turned out great! My sister, her husband, my friend and I all ate with gusto, and devoured what I had made. I will definitely be making it again in the future. The creaminess of the sauce really mellowed out the spice of the blackening seasoning. The al dente pasta was delicious as well, and the green onions incorporated at the end added a nice pack of punch and crunch to the dish. I have pasted the recipe below in case you want to give it a try! Cheers!

Ingredients

• 4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup blackening spice (recommended: Paul Prudhomme's Chicken)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound cooked fettuccine
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Dredge the chicken breasts in the blackening spice and place in a cast iron skillet over very high heat. Blacken both sides of the chicken and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Slice in strips on the bias and set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and the chicken slices. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half.

When the cream sauce is to desired consistency, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, and pasta.

Nest the pasta on large rimmed plates, pour sauce over pasta, and garnish with scallions and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.