Emeril's Bayou Chicken Pasta

This is one of our favorite pasta dishes. It's got a cajun kick to it! Not the healthiest or easiest dish in the world, but sooooo yummy. The original called for a habanero pepper, but I thought that was way too much trouble, so I just substituted some ground red pepper. The Essence already has a kick to it, so adding ground red pepper made it plenty spicey for us without the habanero.

1 lb linguini (or I've used penne)

2 T butter (I use margarine)

1 T olive oil

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 T Emeril's essence (you can make this, but I bought it at Publix on the spice aisle)

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

1 cup finely choppped yellow onion

A few shakes of ground red pepper (to your preferred degree of spiceyness)

1 T minced garlic

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 cup diced tomatoes (I used canned)

1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water (I just used 1/2 water, bc I forgot to reserve some)

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 T chopped parsley leaves (not absolutely necessary)

Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain.

While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Set a 12 inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add butter and olive oil. Melt butter, then season chicken with 1 T of Essence and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and add chicken to pan. Cook chicken until well-browned on both sides and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add onions and saute until softened, about 4 min. Add garlic to the pan and saute until fragrant, about 30 sec. Add cream, remaining 1 T Essence, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook the sauce until the cream is reduced by half, about 2 min.

Return linguine to large pot, add sauce+chicken, water, and tomatoes, tossing to incorporate for 3-5 min. Remove from heat and add green onions, Parmesan and parsley and toss to blend. Serve immediately.