My guilty pleasure is a factory...
A factory is the best way to describe this institution because it mass produces items. It mass produces any food item you can possible think of. Yes my friends, I am a die hard, devoted fan of The Cheesecake Factory. I love it. I love everything about it. I love its hard binder style menu. I love the staff's uniform white ensemble. I love the squiggly pattern cloth that lines all of their 6 feet long booths. I love their dark brown bread. I love that one time I audibly joked about hating the brown bread (who could ever?) and a manager arrived at my table to address my concern within seconds. To me, The Cheesecake Factory represents everything I could want in a factory.
I could write about The Cheesecake Factory for days. I even was actually published by Thought Catalog for a piece I wrote after having two glasses of wine and reminiscing about my experiences. I planned to plagiarize myself and repurpose that content for this post, but I realized I had more to say. I would like to present a defense of the restaurant. Give me one restaurant where you can order a vegan cobb salad, chicken enchiladas, a meatloaf, or a poke bowl all off of one menu. I would die to be able to enter their kitchen. How does it work? Item number two. The Cheesecake Factory often gets criticized and mocked for the caloric content of each dish. Do you not see the portion sizes? Your Carne Asada steak contains half of a cow. The only reason they get slammed for their calories is because they publicize them. Guarantee your favorite steak dinner at your local high end steakhouse tops 1,000 calories. Sometimes, people become so engrossed in my passion for this restaurant that they can't tell if I'm joking or not. I also struggle to tell if I'm joking or not. The one thing that is clear in my mind is that I haven't been there is five years! People these days don't seem to understand the demand. They don't get why you wait for two hours for a seat. They are ignorant. If any of you want to accompany me to The Cheesecake Factory, please reach out. Does The Cheesecake Factory have a bar? I know I would find Mr. Right there.
Honestly, I talk a big game. I am such a die hard fan, but I only order salads. Before you beat me up, these salads are no joke. They contain piles upon piles of barbecued chicken and fried onion strips. It's a lot to intake and I really just love salads ok? One common theme when I interview prospective friends about their experiences is the love of the Louisiana Chicken Pasta. I happened to do some researching of this dish on my own, and I get the appeal. If an entire box of Barilla pasta topped with crispy chicken was delivered to me for $14.99, I would get excited too. While this is one of the most regarded pasta dishes it also gets slandered by haters for its caloric content. It often tops the charts on health sites lists of worst restaurant meals. Since I have no one to attend the factory with me, I have settled to make its delicacies on my own. I have done a lot of research on this dish and it seems to me to be just a chicken cutlet, with pasta in a creamy veggie sauce. There are many ways that you can create a more healthy version of this dish. It's not hard.
Ingredients:
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
2 eggs lightly beaten
2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tbsp cajun seasoning, divided
3 tbsp olive oil divided
1 cup diced mushrooms
1 red bell pepper diced
1 yellow bell pepper diced
1 yellow onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup half and half
1 cup chicken broth
1 box bow-tie pasta
parmesan cheese for garnish
In a medium bowl combine 1 tbsp cajun seasoning and panko bread crumbs. Beat eggs in another medium sized bowl. Dip chicken into the egg mixture and then dip into the bread crumbs making sure to fully coat the chicken. Repeat with the remaining breasts. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Cook chicken until browned and crispy on both sides. Roughly 5 - 8 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside. Bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tbsp of olive oil and cook onions, garlic, and bell peppers over medium heat until soft. About five minutes. Add in remaining cajun seasoning and stir to coat vegetables. Cook for an additional three minutes. Add in cream and chicken broth and stir to combine. Put chicken back in the sauce and cook for an additional five minutes covered. Sauce will thicken up. Serve over cooked pasta and garnish with parmesan cheese.
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
2 eggs lightly beaten
2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tbsp cajun seasoning, divided
3 tbsp olive oil divided
1 cup diced mushrooms
1 red bell pepper diced
1 yellow bell pepper diced
1 yellow onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup half and half
1 cup chicken broth
1 box bow-tie pasta
parmesan cheese for garnish
In a medium bowl combine 1 tbsp cajun seasoning and panko bread crumbs. Beat eggs in another medium sized bowl. Dip chicken into the egg mixture and then dip into the bread crumbs making sure to fully coat the chicken. Repeat with the remaining breasts. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Cook chicken until browned and crispy on both sides. Roughly 5 - 8 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside. Bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tbsp of olive oil and cook onions, garlic, and bell peppers over medium heat until soft. About five minutes. Add in remaining cajun seasoning and stir to coat vegetables. Cook for an additional three minutes. Add in cream and chicken broth and stir to combine. Put chicken back in the sauce and cook for an additional five minutes covered. Sauce will thicken up. Serve over cooked pasta and garnish with parmesan cheese.
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