Southwest Chicken Pasta
Southwest chicken pasta with fresh tomatoes, sweet corn, and cilantro tossed in a chipotle cheese sauce is a 30-ish-minute pasta recipe with fresh flavors.
This southwestern chicken pasta, also known as summery ingredients tossed with pasta and chipotle cream sauce, is one of my favorite summer pasta recipes. It’s loaded with chicken, fresh cherry tomatoes, sweet corn – all kinds of fresh flavors. The best part is the chipotle cheese sauce. It’s creamy and a little smoky with a kick of heat that’s a nice contrast to the tomatoes and corn.
Ingredients
- Rotini: This corkscrew-shaped pasta holds the creamy sauce really well, but any short pasta will work, such as penne, cavatappi, orecchiette, or farfalle.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce: I chop up a pepper and use a few tablespoons of the adobo sauce.
- White cheddar cheese
- Frozen corn kernels
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cilantro
- Heavy cream
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
How to Make It
☑️ Boil the Pasta
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
☑️ Cook the Chicken
Cook the chicken in a large pan over medium heat until it’s browned and cooked. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
☑️ Make the Chipotle Cheese Sauce
Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped chipotle pepper and adobo sauce. Add the cream, and once it’s steaming hot, add the shredded cheese and cilantro. Stir until the cheese is melted.
☑️ Finish It Up
Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce. Add the tomatoes and corn, stir well to combine, and it’s ready to enjoy!
More Chicken Pasta Recipes
Southwest Chicken Pasta
Tender chicken, corn, cherry tomatoes, and pasta all tossed together in a smoky chipotle cream sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Southwestern
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rotini pasta
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see note)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 chipotle pepper, finely chopped (see note)
- 3 tablespoons adobo sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese (see note)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 cup frozen corn (see note)
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
Instructions
- Boil the pasta following package instructions.
- Slice the chicken breasts in half crosswise. Season each with the salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Place the chicken breasts in the pan and cook them for four to five minutes on each side or until they are cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Melt the butter in the same pan over medium heat. Once melted, add the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce and stir to combine. Add the cream and, once it’s heated, add the cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth. Add the cilantro and stir.
- Add the chicken, corn, and tomatoes. Stir to combine and serve.
Notes
To make it even easier, use shredded rotisserie chicken and skip cooking it. Make the rest of the recipe as directed and add the shredded chicken at the end.
For an extra smoky flavor, substitute the same amount of smoked cheddar cheese in place of the white cheddar.
If you leave the corn out at room temperature while you make the dish, it will thaw by the time you add it. Even if it’s still cold, it will warm up quickly in the sauce.
Nutrition
- Calories: 672
- Sugar: 5.5g
- Sodium: 570mg
- Fat: 40g
- Saturated Fat: 22g
- Trans Fat: 0.8g
- Carbohydrates: 41.8g
- Fiber: 2.8g
- Protein: 34.2g
- Cholesterol: 157.6g
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
More Dinner Recipes
- BBQ Chicken Bowls with Feta Corn Salad
- One Pan Beefaroni
- Beef Enchilada Casserole
- Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Happy cooking!
This post has been updated from the archives. It was first published in May 2015.
Aww, you’ve got a sweet husband!
It’s funny because I’m the only one in our group of friends and family that does this — I figured all my blogger friends would understand!