Cajun/Creole · main

Cajun Spaghetti

Name: Cajun Spaghetti
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: Cajun/Creole
Ingredients: 1 1/2-2 lbs chicken breast cubed into 1/2 inch pieces.; 12 oz package of frozen crawfish tails, thaw according to package. For better crawfish flavor use 3 lbs of freshly boiled spicy crawfish. Just peel the tails and keep about 10 heads to flavor sauce. Remove the legs off of the heads but keep claws on.; Canned and sliced mushrooms. About 13oz. For better flavor use mushrooms boiled with the crawfish.; Canned and sliced black olives. Two medium cans.; 3 table spoons (tbs) Olive oil.; Garlic Alfredo sauce. About 12 oz.; Red spaghetti sauce. About 20 oz.; 3/4 cup water; Salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, parsley flakes and season to taste. Be liberal with pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and parsley. Be careful with the cayenne.; 12oz noodles. It's the small package.; Large pot to boil noodles.; Large saute pan with high sides. About 2 inch sides or so.

Cajun Spaghetti reads richness 5.6, salinity 5.2 and umami 5.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Cajun/Creole main, about 55 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 6.3 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 2.6 / 10
Sour & Bright — 2.2 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.6 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.0 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 2.8 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 5.6 · Salinity 5.2 · Umami 5.1 · Marine & Briny 3.4 · Allium 2.7 · Funk & Ferment 2.5 · Bitterness 2.3 · Sweetness 2.2 · Sourness 2.1 · Earthy 2.0 · Fruity 1.4 · Nutty 1.1 · Herbaceous 1.0

What's in it (12)

1 1/2-2 lbs chicken breast cubed into 1/2 inch pieces.
12 oz package of frozen crawfish tails, thaw according to package. For better crawfish flavor use 3 lbs of freshly boiled spicy crawfish. Just peel the tails and keep about 10 heads to flavor sauce. Remove the legs off of the heads but keep claws on.
Canned and sliced mushrooms. About 13oz. For better flavor use mushrooms boiled with the crawfish.
Canned and sliced black olives. Two medium cans.
3 table spoons (tbs) Olive oil.
Garlic Alfredo sauce. About 12 oz.
Red spaghetti sauce. About 20 oz.
3/4 cup water
Salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, parsley flakes and season to taste. Be liberal with pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and parsley. Be careful with the cayenne.
12oz noodles. It's the small package.
Large pot to boil noodles.
Large saute pan with high sides. About 2 inch sides or so.

Time & effort: about 55 min (5 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 147.4 kcal, 9.8 g protein, 2 g fat, 22.1 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

Put 3 tbs olive oil in saute pan on medium high heat, if it smokes turn it down. Season cubed chicken breast with salt and pepper. Add chicken to hot saute pan, separate individual pieces to cook evenly and cook until light brown on two sides. To turn chicken I use a spatula and a fork. Check for doneness by cutting the largest piece in half and if it's white with no pink then it's done, or use a meat thermometer and it's done when 160 degrees in the center. If there is excess olive oil put chicken on a paper towel lined plate and drain excess oil from pan. Drain oil to an old coffee can or throw away container. Do not pour into the sink and make sure it's not super hot if using something plastic or glass jar.
Combine red and white sauce in saute pan with cooked chicken, crawfish heads, mushrooms, black olives, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, parsley flakes and 3/4 cup water. Simmer for 5 minutes while stirring often then taste sauce. Add seasoning according to your taste then continue simmering, stirring, tasting and seasoning until just right. Try to simmer for 30-45 min, any more time and the chicken will dry out. If the sauce gets too thick just add a little water. When the sauce is done remove crawfish heads then add crawfish tails because they are already cooked and only need to be warmed up.
Follow the directions on the pasta package to cook your pasta. Just season the water with 1tbs of salt and a little olive oil. When the noodles are almost done remember to taste them and make sure they're done to your liking before draining. Drain noodles and return to large pot. Pour sauce into pot with noodles and stir to coat evenly.
Then, FINALLY! ENJOY!
Tips:
Frozen crawfish tails are available in most grocery stores in the South US and are kept in the frozen seafood section.
Remember to remove crawfish legs off of the fresh boiled crawfish! They're not edible and fall off in the sauce while cooking.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo — Portuguese
Polpo alla Luciana — Italian · Naples
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca — Italian
Baked Salmon Puttanesca — Italian-American
Salade Niçoise — French

Keep reading: what richness, salinity, umami mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

See how this dish fits your palate — take the short taste test →

Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.