Description
This Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta combines tender chicken breasts with a creamy, smoky chipotle-infused sauce and vibrant sautéed bell peppers and onions. Tossed with perfectly cooked pasta and finished with fresh cilantro and lemon wedges, this dish offers a flavorful, comforting meal with a spicy kick that’s perfect for dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Vegetables & Aromatics
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Pasta & Garnish
- 12 oz pasta (such as penne or linguine)
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional, for garnish)
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Season the chicken: Season the chicken breasts evenly with salt and black pepper on both sides to prepare them for cooking.
- Cook the chicken: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken breasts and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side until golden brown and fully cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- Sauté vegetables: In the same skillet, add butter along with the sliced red and green bell peppers and yellow onion. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables are tender and slightly caramelized.
- Add garlic: Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant, ensuring it doesn’t burn.
- Make the sauce base: Pour the heavy cream into the skillet with the vegetables and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer to begin thickening the sauce.
- Incorporate chipotle peppers: Add the chopped chipotle peppers along with the adobo sauce to the cream mixture, stirring thoroughly to infuse the sauce with a rich smoky-spicy flavor.
- Add Parmesan cheese: Lower the heat to low, then stir in the grated Parmesan cheese until it melts smoothly into the sauce, creating a creamy and cohesive texture.
- Cook pasta: While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Slice chicken: Slice the cooked chicken breasts into thin strips for easy mixing with the pasta and sauce.
- Combine everything: Add the cooked pasta and sliced chicken into the skillet with the creamy chipotle sauce. Toss everything together thoroughly so the pasta and chicken are evenly coated.
- Serve: Serve the pasta hot, garnished with fresh chopped cilantro if desired and lemon wedges on the side to add a bright, zesty contrast.
Notes
- Adjust the amount of chipotle peppers for more or less heat according to your preference.
- Use Parmesan cheese fresh-grated for best melting and flavor.
- Reserve a bit of pasta water to loosen the sauce if it becomes too thick.
- Fresh cilantro is optional but adds a nice fresh contrast to the smoky flavors.
- Lemon wedges add acidity which balances the creaminess of the sauce perfectly.
