Recipe: Chicken Cajun Pasta from Einstein's

I am looking for recipes for the artichoke dip, Cajun chicken pasta and chicken salad from Einstein’s. They were the best items they had on the menu circa 1990s, but they’re no longer available. Any help you can provide in getting these recipes would be appreciated. — John Alvarado, Atlanta

Ken Storr of Metrotainment Cafes, owners of Einstein’s as well as eight other restaurant concepts including Guaco Joe’s, Hudson Grille, Joe’s on Juniper and Sugar Shack, dug way back into the files to find the recipe for their Cajun Chicken Pasta, a dish that is no longer on the menu. We published the artichoke dip recipe back in August, and the chicken salad recipe is sadly now lost to history.

Back in the day when the restaurant served this dish, they made the Cajun Cream Sauce in batches of about six gallons and each serving included 8 ounces of pasta. We’ve scaled down the sauce and turned that one serving of Cajun Chicken into two.

Vegetable base can generally be found in the soup aisle of your grocery store. Chili garlic sauce is generally on the shelves with other hot sauces.

Recipe: Einstein’s Cajun Chicken Pasta

3/4 cup Cajun Cream Sauce (see recipe)
6 ounces cubed cooked chicken
1/2 cup diced fresh tomato
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
8 ounces cooked penne pasta, warm
1 teaspoon chopped parsley

In a large skillet or medium saucepan, warm Cajun Cream Sauce over medium-high heat. When sauce is hot, stir in chicken, tomatoes and green onions. Add pasta and toss to coat pasta evenly. Garnish with parsley and serve. Serves: 2

Nutritional information

Per serving: Per serving: 423 calories (percent of calories from fat, 29), 33 grams protein, 40 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 13 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 102 milligrams cholesterol, 845 milligrams sodium.

Recipe: Cajun Cream Sauce

2 3/4 cups water, divided
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup half-and-half
5 tablespoons Lee Kum Kee Chili Garlic Sauce
5 tablespoons white wine
3 1/2 teaspoons celery salt
4 tablespoons vegetable base
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cornstarch

In a large saucepan, combine 2 1/2 cups water, cream and half-and-half over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Add chili garlic sauce, white wine, celery salt, vegetable base, garlic and salt.
In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup water. Add to the hot mixture, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Remove from heat when sauce has the consistency of a cream sauce. Allow to cool and refrigerate until needed. Can be made up to 3 days in advance. Makes: 4 cups

Nutritional information

Per serving: Per 1/4 cup: 74 calories (percent of calories from fat, 73), 1 gram protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 6 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 20 milligrams cholesterol, 516 milligrams sodium.

From the menu of … Einstein’s, 1077 Juniper St., Atlanta. 404-876-7925, www.einsteinsatlanta.com

Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of restaurant in the subject line.

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