Cajun chicken linguine is one of those meals that just oozes comfort. The various spices, the creamy sauce and the delicious pasta, all culminates in a meal that you'll want to eat over and over again. Unfortunately, this dish is not usually something that is made as a family meal, as it often contains some heat as a result of the cayenne pepper, as well as a lot of salt, that isn't ideal for little ones. However, consider this now officially on the family meal time menu!
The secret to this recipe is my 'No Salt Cajun Seasoning'. Creating your own spice blends is something that I would encourage when you are cooking for babies/toddlers, as you are then in control of the contents of them. As an example, a lot of the traditional spice mixes that you can purchase in the supermarket are tailored to adult palettes, meaning that they usually contain a considerable amount of salt.
My 'No Salt Cajun Seasoning' however, is a blend of some of the traditional Cajun flavours, with slight alterations to eliminate the heat and salt content, whilst maintaining the flavour. This is achieved by grinding smoked paprika, onion powder/granules, garlic powder/granules, thyme and white pepper. You don't necessarily have to grind these, but I personally prefer to do this when using onion and garlic granules, as opposed to powders. This can be done in a pestle and mortar, but I have a hack that will make this a really quick, go-to meal!
Purchasing your own spice mills are a great way to save time and ensure you get consistent results with each meal. Why make your own Cajun seasoning every time you want this dish, when you can simply make a batch and save it in the spice mill, grinding directly into the pan whenever you want this meal again! Follow the link to this spice mill if you'd like to try it out!
The pasta itself is really quick and easy to make, only taking 5 minutes to create once the chicken and linguine have been cooked. Please feel free to deviate away from my base recipe when it comes to the veg... I have tried this with various vegetable bases, such as onion, celery and pepper, and they all work amazingly well. There is just something about the spices and the sauce of this dish that makes it decadent and delicious, so throwing in whatever you have can only add to it all the more.
Let me know what you think of this by commenting on this post, or tag me in your recreations on Instagram using @theblwdad.
Happy Weaning!