Louisiana Chicken Pasta

This is a copycat recipe I found online and I have to say the flavors are pretty identical to the dish you’d get at The Cheesecake Factory.

One of my all time favorite pasta dishes is Cheesecake Factory’s Louisiana Chicken Pasta. The taste is out of this world. The spicy flavor and perfectly cooked pasta brings home the meaning of a hearty meal for me. There are a lot of delicious vegetables and flavors in this dish and the thinly sliced, breaded chicken paired with a few bites of pasta at a time yields a party in your mouth. I make this once in a while for dinner, since it is so rich, it deserves to be savored.

Louisiana Chicken Pasta inspired by The Cheesecake Factory

Prep Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins
Servings: 5-7

Ingredients

Chicken

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese ( grated)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons flour

Cajun Sauce

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small yellow pepper ( chopped)
• 1 small red bell pepper ( chopped)
• 3/4 small red onion ( chopped)
• 3 whole garlic cloves ( minced)
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/4 pints whipping cream
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 4 tablespoons fresh basil ( thinly sliced)
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 (12 ounce) packages bow tie pasta
• 1 cup mushroom ( sliced)

Directions

1. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add yellow and red bell peppers, mushrooms, and onion to same skillet,until crisp-tender, about 4 minute.
3. Add garlic and crushed red pepper to skillet and saute 3 minutes.
4. Add whipping cream and chicken stock.
5. Simmer until sauce re-heats and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
6. Add basil and 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese to sauce, stirring to incorporate.
7. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, simmer; sauce will reduce and thicken.
8. Wash and drain chicken breasts.
9. Pound until very thin (the thinner the chicken breasts the better).
10. Mix breadcrumbs, flour, and Parmesan cheese together.
11. Place milk in dish for dipping.
12. Dip chicken in breadcrumb mixture and then in milk and then back in breadcrumbs.
13. Place in fry pan that the oil has been heated and fry at medium high temperature until golden crisp and cooked through.
14. Add more oil as needed.
15. Remove and drain chicken; keep warm.
16. Meanwhile, cook bow-tie pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite.
17. Drain and return to pot.
18. Add sauce and toss to coat.
19. Place pasta with sauce on plate, and top with chicken breast.
20. Serve, passing additional Parmesan separately.