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Chipotle Chicken Pasta is served on a marble platter and features rigatoni pasta topped with a rich, creamy shibutli sauce, mixed with tender pieces of chicken and garnished with fresh parsley

Best Chipotle Chicken Pasta Recipe | Creamy Spicy Weeknight Meal

By Nancy
Make this Chipotle Chicken Pasta Recipe with juicy chicken, tender pasta, and a creamy smoky chipotle sauce for an easy restaurant-style family dinner.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Tex-Mex, Italian-Inspired
Servings 6
Calories 520 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 lbs Chicken breast or thighs 1.5 lbs
  • 12 oz Pasta 12 oz – penne, rigatoni, or rotini
  • 2-3 Chipotle peppers in adobo 2-3
  • 1 cup Heavy cream 1 cup
  • 1 cup Chicken broth 1 cup
  • 4 4 cloves Garlic yellow onion (1 medium)
  • Cumin smoked paprika, salt, pepper
  • ½ cup Parmesan grated
  • 1 Lime juiced

Instructions
 

Step 1: Season and Brown the Chicken

  • Pat the chicken dry. Season it generously with cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper, then sear it in a hot skillet until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.
    Golden-brown, seasoned chicken cubes roasting in a white-enameled Dutch oven

Step 2: Prepare the Aromatic Base

  • Remove the chicken and set it aside to rest. In the same skillet, sauté the onion and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly so nothing burns.
    Chopped onions and minced garlic are sautéed in oil in a Dutch oven placed on a marble surface.

Step 3: Blend the chipotle sauce

  • Combine the chipotle peppers, broth, and a little cream in a blender until the mixture is smooth and silky. Pour this mixture back into the skillet. Let it simmer gently for 5 minutes.
    Creamy chipotle sauce made by blending whole chipotle peppers, broth, and heavy cream

Step 4: Simmer and Thicken the Sauce

  • Stir in the remaining cream and let the sauce simmer until it coats the back of a spoon. Slice the chicken and return it to the pan, along with any remaining juices.
    The creamy chicken and shibutli pasta sauce simmers gently in an orange-colored white Dutch oven, rich with chopped onions, ground black pepper, and golden-brown seared chicken pieces.

Step 5: Toss with the pasta

  • Boil the pasta until it is al dente, then add it directly to the sauce to continue cooking there. Add a little of the pasta cooking water if the sauce seems too thick.
    Finish the dish with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and a squeeze of lemon juice.
    Rigatoni pasta tossed in a creamy, orange-colored chipotle sauce, with grilled chicken pieces and diced onions

Notes

Nutritional Information

  • Calories: 520
  • Protein: 34g
  • Carbohydrates: 42g
  • Fat: 24g
  • Fiber: 3g
  • Sodium: 610mg
Keyword Chipotle Chicken Pasta