Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Cook spaghetti
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente, about the package time range. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain, and set aside.
Blackened chicken
- Toss the chicken slices with 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning to coat evenly. Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat and sear the chicken for 4–5 minutes until blackened, then set aside.
Make Cajun cream sauce
- Melt butter in the same skillet and cook the onion and red bell pepper for 4 minutes. Add garlic and the remaining Cajun seasoning and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Pour in chicken broth and heavy cream and simmer for 5 minutes until thickened. Stir in parmesan until melted and smooth.
Toss and serve
- Add the drained spaghetti to the Cajun cream sauce and toss until the noodles are fully coated. Add reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce to a clingy texture.
- Top the spaghetti with the blackened chicken slices. Finish with fresh parsley and extra parmesan.
Notes
For the silkiest sauce, keep the simmer at a steady, gentle bubble while stirring in parmesan—heat too hard can break the cream. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of milk or broth to loosen the sauce. Freezing is not recommended because the cream sauce can separate after thawing. To make it lighter, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream (sauce will be slightly thinner, so simmer 1–2 minutes longer).
