Louisiana Chicken Pasta

We've been going on a Cheesecake Factory kick lately. Last night we made this, and tonight we decided to try this pasta dish. I was a little worried because the sauce wasn't thickening up, but alas- a little patience and it finally did. It did take the entire time cooking the recipe for it to thicken up to the right consistency. Since it was just my DB and I, we halved the recipe and still had enough leftovers for the next day. I did adapt the original recipe to include more vegetables, and I wouldn't add the fried chicken until the very end- I loved the crispy texture with the warm rich cream sauce.


Loved the crispy goodness!
Ingredients:
Cajun Sauce
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow pepper, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
3/4 small onion, chopped
3 whole garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
4 Tbsp fresh basil (thinly sliced)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12-oz package bow tie pasta

Chicken
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Creole seasoning
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
1 cup milk
4 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:
Cajun Sauce
1. Melt butter and olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add yellow and red bell peppers, and onion to same skillet, until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.
3. Add garlic and crushed red pepper to skillet and sauté 3 minutes.
4. Add whipping cream and chicken stock.
5. Simmer until sauce re-heats and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
6. Add basil and Parmesan cheese to sauce, stirring to incorporate.
7. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, simmer; sauce will reduce and thicken. (It took a long for it to thicken- almost the length of time until the remaining steps were complete.)

Chicken
8. Wash and drain chicken breasts. Season chicken with creole seasoning.
9. Pound until very thin (the thinner the chicken breasts the better).
10. Mix breadcrumbs, flour, and Parmesan cheese together.
11. Place milk in dish for dipping.
12. Dip chicken in breadcrumb mixture and then in milk and then back in breadcrumbs.
13. Place in fry pan that the oil has been heated and fry at medium high temperature until golden crisp and cooked through. Add more oil as needed.
14. Remove and drain chicken; keep warm.
15. Meanwhile, cook bow-tie pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite.
16. Drain and return to pot.
17. Add sauce and toss to coat.
18. Place pasta with sauce on plate, and top with chicken breast.
19. Serve, passing additional Parmesan separately.

Source: RecipeZaar, Inspired by The Cheesecake Factory