Creamy Chipotle Chicken Pasta
Creamy chipotle chicken pasta with a blended chipotle, cream cheese, and roasted onion sauce tossed with penne and seasoned chicken. Medium spice, ready in 35 minutes.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
For the chipotle sauce
- ½ medium white onion, halved
- 2 cloves garlic, paper on
- 7 ounces chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, plus more for topping if desired
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
For the pasta
- Water, as needed
- 16 ounces dry penne pasta
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite-sized cubes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Chopped cilantro, for topping
Instructions
- Heat a cast-iron skillet or comal over high heat. Add the onion and garlic and dry roast, flipping every 30 seconds, until softened and charred on all sides.
- Peel the paper off the garlic and add it to a large blender along with the roasted onion, chipotle peppers, cream cheese, heavy cream, shredded cheese, honey, salt, cumin, and smoked paprika. Blend until smooth and set aside.
- Cook the pasta to al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water and drain the rest.
- While the pasta is cooking, season the chicken on all sides with the kosher salt, cumin, and black pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and fully cooked through.
- Add the cooked pasta, chicken, and blended chipotle sauce back into the large pot and gently cook over medium heat for an additional 2 minutes. Add the reserved pasta water as it thickens.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and extra shredded cheese. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Storing and reheating. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat over medium heat or in the microwave, adding a splash of cream or water since the pasta soaks up the sauce as it sits. It also freezes for up to 3 months, though the sauce comes back a little grainier.
- Adjust the spice. A whole can of chipotles lands at a medium heat once the cream cheese and heavy cream go in. For a milder sauce, start with half the can and taste before adding more.
- Heavy cream and cream cheese. To make this dish lighter, you can use half and half instead of heavy cream and reduced-fat cream cheese.
- Make it ahead. You can make the whole thing up to 2 days in advance. It keeps really well in the fridge and reheats without much fuss.
- Add veggies. Sauteed onion, yellow or orange bell pepper, mushrooms, or spinach all work well.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 552kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 823mg | Potassium: 642mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 689IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 2mg