Cajun Chicken & Veggies

When fresh Zucchini stared at me at our local grocery store I felt tempted to get cooking with it. Then my philosophy of 'when days aren't going your way, just add chicken' paired up with my need for Zucchini and it resulted in a seriously yummy dish. Cajun Chicken and Veggies, my friends, is a gift from me to you for it is oh so delicious! First, it is healthy because so many veggies and chicken, Second, it is simple as all you have to do is cook the chicken and veggies in tomatoes and spices until done. Third, you can adapt it to your mood and taste as you like by changing the veggies and the cheeses. Oh and did I already say it is extremely tasty?

These Cajun Chicken and Veggies are a juicy delight that are swimming in a rich Cajun flavor. You must eat these with a giant spoon because the taste in your mouth will be just too incredible. This is also a really pretty dish to look at because you get to witness thy royal highness - The Chicken - surrounded by pretty colorful veggies. It looks beautiful! I've just come up with this recipe and already served it in front of guests at a girly lunch hangout because of how visually appealing it was and the mind blowing reactions it produces from people. Trust me when I say this, this recipe will not disappoint!

Ingredients:

• Boneless Chicken - About 5 breast pieces
• Oil
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp.
• Cajun Seasoning - 1 1/2 tbsp. divided
• Tomato Paste - 1 heaping cup (I used a can of tomato paste but puree and crushed are fine too)
• Mixed Vegetables - see my little babble*
• Salt - according to taste
• Black Pepper Powder - according to taste
• Cheese - I used, suggest, and swear by Parmesan and Mozzarella for this recipe

*My Little Babble: I tried to find out a perfect measure of how much veggies I used but when I cooked this recipe twice I realized I literally depended on my mood for the veggies. I wanted this to be equally loaded with veggies so that's what I did: I loaded it up with veggies! I used a blend of mixed veggies from Costco which included water chestnuts, carrots, snap peas, broccoli, squash, and mushrooms. I also added zucchinis, green bell peppers, yellow corn, and some crinkle cut carrots (because I think crinkle cut carrots are really pretty!). So you can basically do as you wish and use whatever veggies you like and however many too. If you take my suggestion though LOAD it up with veggies ... take my word for it!

Method:

Cut the chicken breast pieces into chunks. Heat oil in a pan and add ginger garlic paste to it. Cook for about a minute and then add the chicken, 1 tbsp. of Cajun seasoning, a heaping cup of the tomato paste, and a little bit of water (about a cup) for the chicken to cook in. Let it cook until the chicken changes color and turns white.

When the chicken changes color it is time to load up the veggies. I added all my veggies at this point except the green bell peppers because I had frozen ones which become a mush if you cook them for too long.

Add 1/2 tbsp. of the Cajun seasoning and mix well. Let the veggies fry with the chicken and the seasoning for about two to three minutes.

Next add water for the veggies to cook in. As I used frozen vegetables all of them left some water on their own too so add enough water for everything to be just submerged. Then cover with a lid and let everything cook, stirring occasionally to avoid burning.

When half of the water had reduced I added my frozen green bell peppers. This gave them enough time to cook together and absorb the seasoning but not become a total mush and disappear.

Keep cooking till oil leaves the sides of the pan and your veggies are fully cooked through.

Next add the Parmesan Cheese. I sprinkled a generous amount all over the Chicken and Veggies and then gave it a nice stir and let it simmer together.

Taste and adjust for salt and add black pepper according to taste.

Finally I added the shredded Mozzarella. Stir everything in, take it off the heat, cover the dish with a lid, and let the cheese melt and blend in with the chicken and the veggies. DELICIOUSNESS!

  

And you have the most delicious and super simple Cajun Chicken and Veggies ready! Juicy and extremely yummy!

See what I mean by finding crinkle cut carrots pretty? This dish is visually very appealing, like I said. It'll look beautiful no matter how you serve it!

You so want to pick up that piece of chicken right now, the one giving you the juicy looks! YUMMMM, I am drooling people!!! I need more of this in my life immediately! Cajun Chicken and Veggies can be served with anything! Eat it by large spoonfuls, take them with a side of boiled or seasoned rice, or even try with bread/roti. This will be just too delicious! Oh ... you're welcome! *winks*