Healthy Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta
This healthy Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta is a healthy dinner recipe the whole family will love. It's a spicy take on your favorite chicken alfredo recipe!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 602kcal
Equipment
- Instant Pot 6 qt
- Instant Pot Trivet
- Vitamix Blender
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. chicken breast
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp cajun seasoning
- 3 cups water
- 4 cups whole wheat pasta
- ⅔ cup cheese parmesan
- ¾ cup cottage cheese 2%
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt 2%, plain
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
Instant Pot:
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute, then press the adjust button until "more" is selected under the display.
- Coat the chicken with olive oil and Cajun seasoning.
- When the Instant Pot reads "HOT," saute the chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side to make them crispy. Set the chicken aside.
- Add 3 cups of water to the Instant Pot and deglaze the pan. Deglazing is simply adding liquid to a hot pan to loosen any cooked bits at the bottom. Take a spatula to help scrape up the flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add pasta to your Instant Pot and give it a quick stir.
- Place a trivet on top of the pasta and then set the chicken on the trivet so it does not touch any water.
- Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure using the manual setting for 5 minutes. Let pressure release naturally.
- While the pasta is cooking, blend together the cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, garlic powder and pepper to make your alfredo sauce. Set aside until ready to use.
- When the pressure has fully released from your Instant Pot, remove the chicken and slice it.
- While the pasta is still hot, stir in the parmesan cheese and your blended alfredo sauce. Mix until the parmesan cheese is melted.
- Serve immediately and top with the sliced chicken.
Stove top:
- Coat your chicken breasts with olive oil and Cajun seasoning.
- Heat a large skillet on high heat on the stove.
- When the skillet is hot, sauté the chicken on each side for 2-3 minutes until it gets crispy. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Add the water to the skillet and deglaze your pan. Deglazing is simply adding liquid to a hot pan to loosen any cooked bits at the bottom. Take a spatula to help scrape up the flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add pasta to the water and give a quick stir.
- Move the chicken back to the pot and set on top of the pasta.
- Bring the water in the skillet to a boil, then cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium low, so that the liquid keeps simmering. Cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta and chicken are cooked through.
- While the pasta is cooking, blend together the cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, garlic powder and pepper to make your alfredo sauce. Set aside until ready to use.
- When your chicken is cooked through, remove and slice.
- Pour your alfredo sauce and parmesan cheese over the pasta and stir until it’s combined.
- Serve warm and top with the sliced chicken.
Nutrition
Calories: 602kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 56g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 495mg | Potassium: 824mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 538IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 232mg | Iron: 4mg