Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta packs the delicious flavors of chipotle seasoning into a creamy sauce. This simple chipotle pasta recipe is a perfect Cheesecake Factory Copycat that will have you cooking in over going out any night of the week!
WHAT IS SPICY CHICKEN CHIPOTLE PASTA
This creamy pasta recipe is an absolute must make dinner! Whenever we go to the Cheesecake Factory there are a few dishes we just can't pass up. We always get the Avocado Egg Rolls and this Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta. Since we can't go to the Cheesecake Factory every night, I wanted to be able to bring a little bit of the Cheesecake Factory to the house with this pasta recipe!
We just love making this simple chipotle pasta recipe because it's a quick dinner recipe you can make any night of the week. Just over 30 minutes is all it takes to make this creamy dish. I also love how it is a complete meal all on it's own. This creamy pasta is packed with carbs, protein, and vegetables making it the perfect all in one dinner!
HOW TO MAKE SPICY CHICKEN CHIPOTLE PASTA
INGREDIENTS
Pasta- penne pasta coated in a spicy chipotle cream sauce stars in this dish.
Spicy Chipotle Cream Sauce- bell peppers, onions, garlic, asparagus, chipotle seasoning, heavy cream, and chipotle pepper sauce make this creamy chipotle sauce.
Marinated Chicken- juicy grilled chicken in a chipotle seasoning marinade adds protein packed bites to this chipotle pasta recipe.
STEPS
To start this delicious pasta recipe begin by cooking the pasta to al dente according to the package instructions. When the pasta finished cooking, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain and set pasta aside.
While the pasta cooks, steam the asparagus for 1 minute. Then, chop and dice the red bell pepper, orange bell pepper, and yellow onion. Mince the garlic and chop the steamed asparagus into 1 inch pieces.
Next marinade the chicken breasts. Mix olive oil, chipotle seasoning, lemon juice, and paprika together in a small bowl. Cover both sides of the with the marinade. Grill the chicken on a grill pan or griddle until fully cooked. Remove from heat and cover to let the chicken rest.
While the chicken cooks, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté onion, garlic, bell peppers, and peas until tender. Add cumin, chipotle seasoning, paprika, black pepper, salt, chipotle pepper sauce, heavy cream, and the reserved pasta water.
Cover and simmer on low for 2-4 minutes while the sauce thickens up. Add the pasta, asparagus, and parmesan cheese. Mix to combine everything well with the sauce.
Slice the chicken into 1 1/2 inch slices and add to the pasta, stir and cover to allow the pasta and chicken to absorb the sauce. Remove from heat and garnish with grated parmesan cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and chopped parsley.
HELPFUL TIPS FOR MAKING CHICKEN CHIPOTLE PASTA
- To steam the asparagus, place the asparagus in a steamer basket over boiling water for 1 minute.
- Use a pre-made chipotle seasoning or make your own. I have a few simple chipotle seasoning recipes on my Sauces and Seasonings Board on Pinterest!
- Check the temperature of the chicken to make sure it is cooked through. The FDA recommends 165°F, I like to remove mine around 160°F while it's covered it will continue to cook up to 165 without drying out the chicken.
VARIATIONS TO THE RECIPE
I used a penne pasta just like you would get at the Cheesecake Factory with this chipotle pasta recipe. If you do not have penne pasta any ridged pasta will do. Rigatoni, rotini, and shells all have ridges that will cup and cradle the chipotle sauce. To make this gluten free you can also sub in a gluten free pasta.
You can also swap out the chicken and use shrimp instead, just keep an eye on the cooking time as the shrimp will not need as long to cook as the chicken. If you want to keep this a vegetarian dish simply omit the chicken.
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OTHER CREAMY PASTA RECIPES
- Creamy Shrimp Penne Pasta with Red Pepper Sauce
- Tomato Basil Chicken Pasta
- Sun-Dried Tomato Penne Pasta
- Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Shells
Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 oz. Penne Pasta
- 1 c. Pasta Water reserved from cooking the pasta
- 1 Red Bell Pepper diced
- 1 Orange Bell Pepper diced
- 1 Yellow Onion small, petite diced
- 1 c. Green Peas
- 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 4 Cloves Garlic minced
- 1 Asparagus Bunch small, trimmed and cut in 1 inch pieces
- ½ tsp. Cumin Powder
- 1 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
- 2 tsp. Chipotle Seasoning Low or no sodium
- 1 tsp. Paprika
- ¼ c. Chipotle Pepper Sauce from canned adobo sauce
- 2 c. Heavy Cream
- ¾ c. Parmesan Cheese shredded
- ¾ tsp. Salt
- Parmesan cheese, tortilla chips, chopped parsley to garnish
Chicken Marinade
- 2 Chicken Breasts whole
- 2 tsp. Chipotle Seasoning low or no sodium
- 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 tsp. Lime Juice or lemon juice
- 1 tsp. Paprika
Instructions
- Begin by cooking the pasta al dente according to the package instructions. Reserve 1 c. pasta water when finished cooking the pasta.
- Chop and dice the bell peppers and onion and mince the garlic. Steam the asparagus for 1 minute and chop into 1 inch pieces.
- In a small bowl mix together the chicken marinade- 2 tsp chipotle seasoning, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp lime juice, and 1 tsp paprika. Coat the chicken front and back with the marinade.
- Grill the chicken until fully cooked on a griddle or grill pan. When done, cover and allow to rest.
- In a large skillet heat the olive oil. Sauté the onion, garlic, bell peppers, and peas until tender. Add the cumin, ground black pepper, chipotle seasoning, and paprika. Add the adobo pepper, heavy cream, and the reserved pasta water. Cover and simmer on low for 2-4 minutes for the sauce to thicken up.
- Slice the chicken into 1½ inch strips while the sauce simmers.
- Add the pasta, asparagus, and parmesan cheese to the skillet. Mix to coat everything well with the sauce. Then add in the sliced grilled chicken. Stir and cover for a few minutes to allow the pasta and chicken to absorb the sauce.
- Remove from heat and garnish with some grated parmesan cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and chopped parsley.
Yummy