Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta

I consider it a win whenever I can get dinner ready in under an hour, especially on busy week nights! That’s the main reason this Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta is one of my favorite week night dinner recipes to make! This easy pasta dish is actually a copycat recipe from The Cheesecake Factory and I am completely in love with it! Let me tell you what brings this pasta dish to the next level! The juicy chicken is cooked to perfection in honey then blended with the creamy, spicy chipotle sauce! Garnish with cilantro, parmesan cheese and even tortilla strips if you’re up to it! Now that’s a meal I can eat over and over again!

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What To Serve With Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta?

I usually serve this chicken pasta dish with this Arugula Avocado Salad with Homemade Lime Vinaigrette! I’ve also served this pasta dish with homemade garlic bread as well! The garlic bread is definitely one of my favorite side dishes to go with this meal! And if you’re looking to end the night off on a great note, then definitely finish this meal off with a generous slice of this Guava Cheesecake!

Ingredients

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Asparagus
• Frozen Peas
• Penne Pasta
• Lime Juice
• Dry White Wine (optional)
• Salt
• Ground Black Pepper
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• Paprika Powder
• Granulated Garlic
• Butter
• Olive Oil
• Honey
• Heavy Cream
• Parmesan Cheese
• Chipotle Pepper Sauce (From Canned Adobo Peppers)
• Yellow Bell Pepper
• Red Bell Pepper
• Garlic Cloves
• Onion
• Cilantro
• Tortilla Chips (optional)

How to Make Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta

1. First, start by dicing your boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes. Place them in a bowl and season with lime juice, olive oil, dry white wine, salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, paprika powder and red pepper flakes. Set aside to marinate.
2. Next, chop the asparagus into 3 inch chunks. Boil the salted pasta water, add in the chopped asparagus and boil for about 3 minutes or until they are fork tender.
3. Immediately remove the asparagus from the pasta water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander. Shock the asparagus by running cold water over it.
4. Next, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook it until about 1 minute shy of what the directions on the package state.
5. While the pasta is cooking, chop and dice your bell peppers and onion. Next, chop and mince the garlic cloves and set them aside for later.
6. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water for later and drain the pasta. Immediately rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside for now.
7. In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and honey. Next, add the marinated cubed chicken breasts. Sauté and cook until they are golden brown and fully cooked through, then set aside.
8. Next, add butter to a large pot over medium heat. Once it melts, add in the chopped bell peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add in the onion and sauté until they become translucent in color. Add in the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
9. Immediately add the heavy cream, adobo sauce, parmesan cheese, lime juice and pasta water. Stir for about 5-7 minutes or until the sauce has thickened up.
10. Finally, add the asparagus, pasta, chicken and frozen peas. Stir to coat the pasta in sauce and enjoy!

Ideas For Garnishing

• Cilantro
• Parmesan Cheese
• Tortilla Strips
• Sliced Jalapeños

Storing Instructions

I recommend storing this pasta in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Do not freeze this dish! Spicy chicken chipotle pasta is made with heavy cream, and speaking from personal experience, creamy dishes usually do not freeze well!

Tips & Variations

• I definitely recommend keeping a close eye on the chicken breasts while they are cooking. Honey easily burns if it gets too hot. Make sure to toss the chicken around and sauté throughout the cooking process to avoid burning the outside too quickly. Use a thermometer to check for doneness. Once the internal temperature of the chicken breasts reaches 165 degrees F, you’ll know it’s ready.
• This isn’t really traditional to this pasta dish, however I’ve found that if you want to add an even bigger kick, top it off with sliced jalapeños. You’ll be surprised at how absolutely delicious it is! The seeds hold in all the spice, so whether you can handle leaving the seeds in is up to you!
• If you don’t have dry white wine to season the chicken with, don’t worry about it. It won’t break the dish. However, I really love adding white wine to season my chicken because it helps to keep the chicken nice and juicy as it cooks. Wine is widely used as a meat tenderizer.

Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta

This Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta is one of the best pasta dishes at The Cheesecake Factory. This is a copycat recipe that is sure to impress! The creamy sauce and flavors from the adobo sauce, peppers, onions and honey is what make this dish absolutely amazing!

5 from 1 vote

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Keyword: spicy chicken chipotle pasta, the cheesecake factory, copycat recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 807kcal

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
• 16 oz penne pasta
• 2 cups fresh asparagus chopped into 3 inch chunks
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 tbsp lime juice 1 tbsp to marinate the chicken and 1 tbsp for the sauce
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tbsp salt divided half to season the chicken and half for the sauce (or add more to taste)
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp paprika powder
• 3 tbsp adobo sauce from canned chipotle peppers
• 1 medium onion chopped and diced
• 6 garlic cloves chopped and minced
• 1 medium red bell pepper chopped and diced
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper chopped and diced
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup grated parmsesan cheese 3/4 cup to add into the sauce and 1/4 cup to top the pasta with at the end
• 1 tbsp cilantro for garnishing
• 1/2 cup tortilla strips for garnishing

Instructions

• First, start by dicing your boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes. Place them in a bowl and season with lime juice, olive oil, dry white wine, salt, ground black pepper, granulated garlic, paprika powder and crushed red pepper flakes. Set it aside to marinate as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• Next, chop the asparagus into 3 inch chunks. Begin boiling the salted pasta water and once it begins to boil, add in the chopped asparagus and boil for about 3 minutes or until they are fork tender.
• Remove the asparagus from the pasta water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander. Shock the asparagus by running cold water over it until it cools down.
• Next, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook it until about 1 minute shy of what the directions on the package state.
• While the pasta is cooking, chop and dice your bell peppers and onion. Chop and mince the garlic cloves. Set them aside for later.
• Next, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water for later and drain the pasta. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside for now.
• In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and honey. Add the cubed chicken breasts that have been marinating in the bowl. Sauté and cook until they are golden brown and fully cooked through. This took about 5 minutes on each side or you can use a thermometer to check for doneness. Once the internal temperature of the chicken breasts reaches 165 degrees F, you’ll know it’s ready. Set the cooked chicken aside for now while you make the sauce.
• In a large pot over medium high heat, add butter. Once it melts, add in the chopped bell peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes before adding in the onion. Add in the onion and sauté and cook until they become translucent in color. Add in the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.
• Immediately add in the heavy cream, adobo sauce, parmesan cheese, lime juice and pasta water. Stir for about 5-7 minutes or until the sauce has thickened up.
• Next, add in the asparagus, pasta, chicken and frozen peas. Stir everything well to coat the pasta in sauce.
• Finally, garnish with cilantro, tortilla strips and top off with more parmesan cheese if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 807kcal | Carbohydrates: 77g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 185mg | Sodium: 1689mg | Potassium: 594mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 1517IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 2mg