Blackened Chicken Alfredo & Chickpea Pasta

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If your reading this post, I have to fill you in on something we have started in our Facebook community page. Every Wednesday a share a food with the group that is a dynamite find and then the next week a share a recipe I created with that food. That’s how we have ended up here. Have you ever found a food or snack at the store and you can’t help, but think, where have you been all my life? Well this recipe stems form the Banza Penne made form chickpeas!

Nutrition reason to use this pasta…

1. It’s a rich source of vitamins, minerals and fiber.
2. Improves digestion.
3. Helping with weight management.
4. Reduces the risk of several diseases.
5. High in protein and make an excellent replacement for meat in vegetarian and vegan diets.
6. Perfect carb replacement for those with diabetes.

Let’s talk about what we need to know when cooking with this pasta…

Let me give you one tip when it comes to cooking this pasta. Make sure to cook it for 6 minutes and DO NOT let it cooking in a heavy boil. It will boil over and your pasta will develop a film. It’s still O.K to eat the pasta. It will just taste much better with the right amount of cooking time and a little love.

Let’s talk about the sauce!  Who doesn’t love alfredo sauce, unfortunately the reality is that how it is originally made for you in not anywhere on the healthy side. No worries I have you covered!

Tapioca starch is something I keep on hand all the time. It is my go to ingredient that helps to thicken all soups, stew and sauces. It works just like your cornstarch, just a healthier substitute. Why tapioca starch?

• It is low in sodium.
• Contains no fats.
• Contains iron.
• Easy to digest.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as my family did! Make sure to review notes in the recipe section to make sure you have the perfect alfredo!!

Print Recipe

Blackened Chicken Afredo & Chickpea Pasta

Enjoy a pasta that has more protein and fiber than any other pasta!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Keyword: Blackened Chicken, Chickpea Pasta, Dairy-free Alfredo sauce, spinach

Author: dishingupgrace30

Ingredients

• 1 box Banza Chickpea Pasta Penne
• 1 pound boneless chicken thighs
• 1 pound bacon
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3 Tbsp tapioca starch
• 4 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1/4 cup yellow onion diced fine
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh basil chopped
• Handful spinach
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup water
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cooking Your Chicken:

• Coat your chicken thighs with your seasoning. Add 1 tbsp. coconut oil to your skillet. When you skillet is hot, place your chicken in the skillet. Allow chicken to cook for a total of 8 minutes. Flip your chicken every 4 minutes. Continue to do this until you have reach 8 minutes. Temperature should be 165 degrees. Remove from skillet and place on a plate.
• Creating Your Sauce: In a skillet, place coconut oil in the skillet. Finely chop your onion and garlic. Add onion first, frequently stirring for 1 minute. Add garlic. Frequently stir for 30 seconds. Start to add your tapioca starch starting with a tablespoon at a time. You want to stir frequently and keep adding starch until it forms into a paste. Add one can coconut milk, 1/2 cup water, salt, pepper and nutritional yeast. Stir until combined and bring to a boil. The coconut milk will start to thicken as it boils. If your sauce becomes to thick start to add chicken stock a little at a time until you reach the consistency you like. finish it off by your spinach, basil and top with cooked chopped bacon. See my recipe for air-fryer bacon

Cooking Your Pasta:

• Fill a pot with water and 2 tbsp. salt. Add one box of pasta and bring to a boil and cook for 6 minutes. Drain and serve immediately.

Notes

Tip for cooking the pasta: When you add the pasta to the boiling water, make sure it is not a raging boil. Chickpea pasta will boil over very quickly which will leave a film on the pasta to make it taste over cooked. Make sure to take your time and watch that pasta!

Tips for cooking perfect blackened chicken thighs: The secret for creating that perfect, crunchy chicken skin is to make sure your skillet is heated well before placing the chicken in the skillet. If you add it to soon, your chicken skin will soak up all the oil and make your seasoning very wet.

Tips for the sauce: When making this sauce you can replace your coconut milk with unsweetened almond milk. You would just use 8oz almond milk. This recipe needs salt and nutrition yeast so make sure you are generous with both. The nutrition yeast will give you that delicious cheesy flavor.