Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken Penne with a Late Cream Finish
Chicken breasts slow-cooked with tomatoes, pepper, onion, broth, and Cajun seasoning, finished with cream and separately boiled penne.
Ingredients
Slow Cooker Base
- 2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts 1–1¼ pounds total, fully thawed
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup canned diced tomatoes
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 1 small bell pepper diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- to taste salt and black pepper check the Cajun blend before adding salt
- 1 tablespoon water for softening onion
Late Finish
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz dry penne boiled separately
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan optional serving topping
Instructions
- Microwave finely diced onion with 1 tablespoon water in a covered suitable bowl about 2 minutes until starting to soften; drain surplus liquid carefully. Combine with pepper, garlic, broth, tomatoes, and Cajun seasoning in the cooker.
- Arrange fully thawed chicken breasts totaling 1–1¼ pounds into the tomato-broth mixture. Put the lid on and cook at low for roughly 2–4 hours, beginning checks early, until thickest centers reach 165°F. Remove to a clean plate and shred.
- Stir heavy cream into the sauce and heat on high about 15–30 minutes until hot. Meanwhile boil penne separately to package al dente and drain.
- Return chicken and fold in pasta, warming briefly until hot throughout and 165°F if the chicken cooled while waiting. Taste seasoning and divide into 4 servings with optional Parmesan.
Notes
Cook pasta separately and add cream late. The time estimate allows up to four hours for chicken plus the cream stage, with pasta boiling overlapping. Use chicken temperature rather than a fixed long hold.