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I've always had a soft spot for Cajun Chicken Pasta from Red Lobster and O'Charleys. The other night I had a huge craving and after looking around for recipes, I went with this Emeril one for
Bayou Chicken Pasta. I decided to leave several items out — the tomatoes and habaneros, for example.
I started out melting butter and olive oil.
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Then seasoned pieces of chicken with Louisiana Cajun seasoning.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I did not try this before using it. I figured, What the hey, I'll probably love it. This may have been a big mistake.
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I took the chicken out of the pan and added onions and garlic...
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Then added a cup of cream and a tablespoon of the seasoning and salt. BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER. I should not have added salt. What am I doing copying Emeril? He should not be emulated; clearly he likes things a bit spicier than I do.
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I added the chicken and pasta and tossed to coat. I was getting really excited and I was starving; it was nearly 9:30 before I sat down to eat.
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I topped the meal with scallions, which are my jam.
I sat down and twirled pasta with my fork and took a big first bite. It was SO SALTY. Like, I cringed. I'm not sure where I went wrong, but next time I'll be much more conservative with seasoning; I think a little bit of the Cajun seasoning goes a long way.
I was just so disappointed because it was the first time I've made this kind of mistake. I suffered through about half of the pasta, cringing and gulping water in between bites, but I wasn't able to finish it. It was just way too hard. Disasters!
Those [insert style of cooking] seasonings are usually salt in disguise. It's disappointing because they generally have awesome other spices in them.
ReplyDeleteNo tomatoes is where I bet you went wrong. The slight sweetness of tomatoes cuts the saltiness of other foods sometimes. I've done the same thing nuuuumerous times. I'm always surprised at what I can save with a little more cream... lol
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