Cajun Chicken Alfredo

I want to rant so bad today but I won't because whenever you say something on the internet it becomes public property and most of the public is such an ass that they will say whatever they feel like regardless of your situation.

So I keep most of my personal life and stuff to myself because people usually don't understand shit until they have to go through it themselves.

Anyway, once in a while there comes a pasta recipe that is extremely easy to make and very delicious to feast on that you all of a sudden forget all of  your problems are willing to ignore your strict diet routine.

Cajun Chicken Alfredo is one of those pastas.

Yes you heard it right. Cajun seasoning is an all purpose seasoning which is used in a lot of foreign recipes. I bought it from Green Valley (Mall of Lahore) but you can also get it from Al-Fatah and essajee's if you are from Lahore.

Even if you can't find Cajun seasoning you can make it at home by compiling the following things:

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder (optional)

2 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Just combine all of these ingredients and you'll get your Cajun spice mix.

Now let's get down to our recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

450 grams of penne pasta

4 cooked chicken sausages, sliced

500 grams chicken breasts, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon cajun seasoning

Salt 1 tablespoon

400 grams cream

1/2 cup of milk

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup grated mozzarella

1/4 cup parsley/coriander

Boil the pasta as per the directions of the packet.

Meanwhile the pasta is being boiled you can finely chop your coriander/parsley and garlic cloves.

Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water. Keep it aside.

How on medium head add olive oil to a pan.

Add chicken, sausage slices and chopped garlic.

Cook until chicken is cooked and keep stirring so the garlic doesn't burn.

When the chicken loses the pink color add salt and cajun seasoning.

Mix and cook it with the pasta.

When the chicken is completely cooked and the spice mix has blended in, turn the heat to low and add the cream and milk.

Now add the grated parmesan, mozzarella and chopped coriander.

Give everything a good mix.

Add the pasta to the white sauce with chicken and mix it well until the pasta is completely coated. 

This is it.

Sprinkle some more chopped coriander over it and Cajun seasoning. Enjoy the creamy treat and get lost in the rich Cajun flavor.

Penne Arrabiata‏ w/ Grilled Honey Lemon Chicken

Unlike people tomatoes are amazing.

You can't make ketchup out of people but you can definitely make some ketchup out of tomatoes.

Tomatoes have a very important role in the making of various pizza and pasta sauce.

One of the most famous and easy to make pasta sauces of all time is Arrabiata. Arrabiata means angry which I am mostly without no reason and it is originated from southern Italy.

Arrabiata uses a great quantity of tomatoes which makes it tangy, spicy and unlike anything you've ever tasted before.

I was unaware of this sauce until Zowha from Islamabad made a request; who also thinks I look like Umair Jaswal but people are blind and tomatoes aren't. I found it quite simple but never knew it tasted this amazing.

Add Penne Rigato pasta to it, top it with some Grilled Honey Chicken and let me tell you that you Mr. or Miss will be experiencing a pasta meal of your lifetime.

Ingredients For Penne Arrabiata:

500 grams of Penne Rigato pasta

920 grams of canned peeled tomatoes with juice (around two and a half cans)

4 cloves of garlic crushed and finely chopped

1 tablespoon of red chili flakes

2 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley or coriander if parsley is not found

1 teaspoon of mixed herbs

1 small onion finely chopped

1 teaspoon pepper or more for taste

1 tablespoon salt or more for taste

Ingredients For Grilled Honey Chicken:

Juice of 4 lemons

4 teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

Now first and foremost is boiling the pasta perfectly. For that you need to boil water in a pan, add a tablespoon of salt and add the pasta.

Stir occasionally and let it cook according to the instructions of the packet.

Meanwhile our pasta cooked, I prepared marinade for the chicken and marinated it for 20-30 minutes.

Add lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, paprika, salt, black pepper and ginger powder in a bowl and mix it.

Place the chicken in between a plastic wraps and flatten it by using a meat hammer.

Put chicken in a container, spread the marinade over it and rub it properly on the chicken. Put the container in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile the chicken is marinating we will make the pasta sauce.

Heat up oil in a pan on medium heat.

Add garlic and stir for 1-2 minutes.

Add chopped onions and stir around for 2-3 minutes.

Now add red chili pepper flakes and stir fry for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes from the cans.

Add the herbs, salt, pepper and chopped parsley.

Mix everything properly and lower the heat now. Cover and cook for 20 minutes and your sauce is ready now.

Cover the sauce with the cooked pasta. Mix it properly till the pasta is coated with the sauce.

Set it aside so we can grill the chicken and plate everything later.

Brush some oil on a grill pan placed over medium low heat.

Place the chicken on the grill pan.

Cook for 4-6 minutes each side. Grilled chicken is all cooked.

It's up to you how you want to plate your chicken. I sliced it according to the idea I had of my presentation of both the pasta and the chicken.

Put the pasta in a bowl, sprinkle some chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese on it.

Place a layer of the sliced grill chicken and you're all set to go.

Ladies and gentlemen say hello to Penne Arrabiata‏ w/ Grilled Honey Chicken.

Chicken Kiev

DISCLAIMER

I AM NOT A CHEF

Now that's settled let me tell you all something which I have never before. Many times I have thought about ending this whole Chef Shamsher shabangabang because the purpose of doing this is no more and the person that I used to do this is no more but I really appreciate everyone who's been giving me constant feedback and everyone who's been a part of encouraging me to keep going on with this. There are many names that I want to mention over here but I won't because if I miss out anyone ya'll go crazy on me but regardless of anything thank you so much for all the nice things you all have said and done for me I really really appreciate that.

Now that the emotional gibberish is taken care of I am about to unveil my 100th recipe.

YES I know how to make a 100 things apart from the other 100 things that I make for daily consumption.

Not too long ago Talbia Humayun asked me to make Chicken Ala Kiev which is something I never heard of and never had the chance to taste it in any restaurant.

BUT after seeing how it's made I was scared and thought that I probably would end up messing it so I should get some more experience and maybe try it later.

SO! for my 100th recipe I decided to make Chicken Kiev with mashed potatoes and stir fried green beans.

Chicken Kiev is basically a chicken breast carefully filled with butter and different herbs, coated with crunch on the outside and is considered as a specialty dish in fancy restaurants.

Ingredients:

4 half chicken breast, butterflied and pounded thinly

4 butter sticks

4 tablespoons chopped parsley

4 garlic cloves

2 tablespoon chopped green parts of green onion

1 teaspoon of lemon zest

2 eggs

splash of milk for eggs

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper

We start off with chopping and mixing parsley, green onions, garlic and lemon zest in a chopper.

Now we cut the chicken in butterfly method by cutting it from the middle but not too much just so it can look like an open book.

Place a plastic rap over all the chicken breasts and mash it with a meat mallet.

Chicken is ready to be seasoned and filled.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and black pepper.

Put a tablespoon of the chopped parsley mixture in each chicken breast.

Cut the butter into sticks and place one stick in each breast over the chopped parsley mixture.

Wrap the chicken breast around the filling and close it carefully by using as much as toothpicks you want.

Now prepare your breading station by placing the bread crumbs, egg and milk mixture and flour next to the chicken.

Cover the chicken breast with the flour, dip it in the chicken and then cover it thoroughly with the bread crumbs.

I couldn't take much pictures of this step because I had no help and my hands were dirty.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the chicken breasts from 3-4 minutes on both sides.

Take the chicken out on a wire rack placed on a baking tray.

Preheat your oven on 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the chicken breasts inside for 20-25 minutes and your Chicken Kiev is ready.

Meanwhile the chicken was getting ready I made mashed potatoes and stir fried the green beans.

Set up the plates.

Ladies and gentlemen, I unleash you the beast and one of the most difficult things I've made so far Chicken Kiev.