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A flavor-packed Cajun pasta recipe made with sausage and chicken – like jambalaya but made with noodles instead of rice.
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 lbs andouille or smoked sausage
- 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups diced celery
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/2 cup flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water or milk
- 2-4 tablespoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 lb (16-oz) pasta
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut sausage and chicken into bite-sized pieces, trimming excess fat from chicken thighs.
- Sauté sausage over medium heat in olive oil in a wide pan or dutch oven until nicely browned. Remove sausage to a bowl using a slotted spoon; set aside. Pro tip: once in the bowl, carefully pour excess oil from the bowl back to the pan. The seasoned oil gives the dish tons of flavor and color.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Working in 2-3 batches (so not to overcrowd the pan), add chicken to pan then cook over medium-high or high heat until nicely browned (we want to brown the chicken as much as we can without burning the bottom of the pan). There should be plenty of oil in the pan but add more if necessary. Remove chicken from pan using a slotted spoon; set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium then add butter, celery, bell pepper and onion. Sauté for 10 minutes. Add garlic then continue cooking for 2 minutes. Stir in flour then continue cooking for 5 minutes. The bottom of the pan should be dark golden brown and veggies very tender.
- Add chicken broth, water, 2 tablespoons Cajun or Creole seasoning and pepper then increase heat to medium-high. Stir with a whisk until smooth, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Taste for seasoning then add more seasoning until broth is as salty as you’d like the pasta to be. Add cayenne pepper for extra heat if you’d like.
- Once the broth starts to simmer, stir in pasta, sausage and chicken. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover then cook until pasta is just tender (usually the time indicated on the box), stirring occasionally. Do not overcook the pasta.
- Remove from heat, uncover then let rest 10 minutes. Gently stir in heavy cream then serve.
Note
- I used corkscrew pasta in the batch pictured here but have used penne and rigatoni in the past. Bowtie pasta can be used though it is more delicate and may not hold up as well as the others.
- Yes, you can use chicken breasts (but thighs are better).
- You can add shrimp if you’d like! Either sauté after the sausage (before or instead of chicken) then add after the pasta has cooked OR add raw shrimp half way through cooking the pasta (the shrimp will only need a few minutes to cook).
- I use my 9-quart dutch oven to make this dish which is 12-in wide. If you don’t have anything that big, cook everything in a very wide skillet through Step 5 then transfer to a large pot to finish with the pasta.
- You can use water or milk in this recipe. The batch pictured here was made with water but if you’d like a creamier dish (more on the alfredo side), use milk.
- The heavy cream is optional (and probably not traditional) but makes the sauce luxuriously silky and rich.
- To reheat or if the pasta starts to dry out, stir in more heavy cream.
- Any Cajun and/or Creole seasoning can be used but some are saltier and spicier than others. Start with 2 tablespoons then add more if needed. Add cayenne pepper if your seasoning blend isn’t as spicy as you’d like.
- Add a can of petite diced tomatoes or Rotel (drain first) when you add the broth if desired.
- I used 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Zatarain’s Creole Seasoning when writing this recipe. Zatarain’s is on the salty side so you may need more if using another brand.
