Cajun Chicken Pasta

Cook the pasta. Bring about 3.8 litres of water to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the linguine and the fine salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 240 ml of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pan.

Sear the chicken. Meanwhile, sprinkle the chicken breasts with 2 tsp of the Creole seasoning. Heat 30 ml of the olive oil in a 30 cm non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook the chicken until browned and it registers 74 °C in the thickest part, 4-6 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and wipe out the frying pan.

Build the sauce. Heat the remaining 15 ml oil in the same frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the peppers and cook until softened and well browned, 5-7 minutes. Add the spring onion whites, garlic, thyme, cayenne and the remaining Creole seasoning and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the cream, chicken stock and crushed tomatoes and bring to the boil, scraping up any browned bits; cook until thickened, 4-6 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, butter and hot sauce.

Combine and serve. Add the sauce to the pasta and set over low heat. Slice the chicken crosswise into 6 mm-thick strips. Stir the chicken and any accumulated juices into the pasta until well coated, loosening with the reserved pasta water as needed. Transfer to a platter, sprinkle with the spring onion greens and serve.