Creamy Chipotle Chicken Pasta

Creamy Chipotle Chicken Pasta is bursting with flavors and spice. Made with tender juicy chicken, spicy chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, perfectly cooked penne pasta. All tossed in a creamy tasty sauce with a nice heat. It all comes together in less than 20 minutes making it the perfect weeknight dinner.

Creamy Chipotle Chicken Pasta

There is nothing more satisfying and comforting than a delicious creamy pasta dish. Especially when it’s a spicy and creamy pasta dish. This Creamy Chipotle Chicken Pasta is one of the best pasta meals you will ever have. Made with tender juicy chicken, spicy chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, perfectly cooked penne pasta. All tossed in a creamy tasty sauce with a nice heat. It all comes together in less than 20 minutes making it the perfect weeknight dinner.

Ingredients needed to make Creamy Chipotle Chicken Pasta:

• Chicken Breasts– Can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
• For Chicken– Pink sea salt, black pepper, chili powder, dried oregano, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder.
• Olive Oil– For cooking.
• Penne Pasta– I use gluten-free but you can use conventional too.
• Aromatics, Spices and Herbs– Garlic, onion, pink sea salt, black pepper, chili powder, dried oregano, paprika, and cumin.
• Chipotle Chiles in Adobo Sauce– I only use 2 chiles to keep this dish mild and not too spicy for my kids. You can add more chipotles if you want it spicier.
• Adobo Sauce– Some of the sauce the chiles are in.
• Cashew Milk– Makes sauce creamy while keeping it light.
• Parmesan Cheese– Adds creaminess.
• Reserved Pasta Water– The starch in the water helps the sauce thicken.
• Fresh Parsley– For garnish.

Equipment needed to Creamy Chipotle Chicken Pasta:

• Large Pot– To cook pasta in.
• Large Skillet– For cooking chicken and making sauce.
• Large Mixing Bowl– To prep chicken in.
• Tongs– For tossing and mixing.

How to make Creamy Chipotle Chicken Pasta:

• Step 1– Fill a large pot with water and place on stovetop. Turn heat to high and bring water to a boil. Generously salt water once it has boiled and add in pasta. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. 
• Step 2– As water boils and pasta cooks prep the rest of ingredients; thinly dice onion, mince garlic, and thinly dice chipotle chiles. Grate parmesan cheese and thinly chop some parsley. 
• Step 3– Pat chicken breasts dry and cut into bite size cubes. Place in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with spices and herbs; pink sea salt, black pepper, chili powder, dried oregano, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder. Toss chicken with seasonings making sure it’s well coated. 

• Step 4– Place a large skillet on stovetop and drizzle with olive oil. Turn heat to medium-high and bring oil to a heat. Add in chicken and cook for 7-8 minutes stirring occasionally making sure it evenly cooks on all sides. Once chicken has cooked through and browned, remove from skillet. Transfer cooked chicken to a separate bowl and set aside. Leave skillet placed on stovetop set on medium-high heat. Do not clean skillet. 
• Step 5– Toss diced onion and minced garlic into the skillet. Sauté for about 1 minute. Add in diced chipotle chiles and continue sautéing for another minute. Pour in cashew milk and deglaze skillet. 

• Step 6– Add in adobo sauce and sprinkle in seasonings; pink sea salt, black pepper, chili powder, dried oregano, paprika and cumin. Give everything a good stir to combine. Stir in shredded parmesan cheese. Once cheese has melted into the sauce, pour in your reserved pasta water and once again give sauce a stir making sure everything is well combined. Bring sauce to a light simmer and reduce heat to low. 

• Step 7– At this point pasta should be cooked through, drain and add into sauce. Give pasta a good toss making sure it is well coated with sauce. Add chicken back in and toss again with pasta making sure everything is well combined. Turn heat off and garnish pasta with chopped parsley.
• Step 8– Serve immediately and garnish with more parmesan cheese and parsley if desired. Enjoy!

Tips and Substitutions:

1. Use what you have– This recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken breasts. If you have boneless skinless chicken thighs you can use that too. Chicken tenders work too.
2. Make sure to reserve pasta water– Not only does it help your sauce thicken, it also adds flavor to the whole dish.
3. Deglaze your pan– After chicken is cooked, do not clean your pan. Once you add the cashew milk make sure to deglaze it. That adds a ton of flavor to your pasta.
4. Sauce will thicken as it cools-down– The sauce may look a bit too liquid at first. As it cools-down it will thicken more.
5. Substitute for cashew milk– You can use almond milk to keep it plant-based. Use heavy cream if you prefer.
6. Use parmesan cheese that comes in a brick– Grate it yourself. Prepackaged shredded cheese has starchy preservatives to keep it from going bad. This prevents it from melting properly. Fresh grated cheese will melt just fine into sauce.
7. Add more heat– If you’d like this recipe to be spicier, add more chipotles and more adobo sauce for more heat!

How to serve Creamy Chipotle Chicken Pasta:

This pasta dish makes for a full wholesome meal on its own. I love serving it with more parmesan cheese and chopped parsley for a garnish. You can also serve with a side of garlic bread, green salad or steamed broccoli.

Variations:

1. Switch up your protein– This recipe is great with chicken. However, you can also use shrimp as a substitute. Sausage would be great too or even tofu.
2. Add veggies– Asparagus, bell peppers or peas are great.
3. Make it dairy-free– Use dairy-free parmesan or nutritional yeast.
4. Make it vegetarian– Omit the chicken and add veggies such as asparagus, zucchini, broccoli, peas, carrots, cauliflower, etc.
5. Make it vegan– Use tofu for a vegan protein. Substitute parmesan cheese with nutritional yeast or a dairy-free parmesan.

Meal Prepping it:

Pasta dishes are one of my favorite meals to meal prep. This chipotle chicken pasta is one of my top meal prep recipes. It’s great to meal prep for dinner. However, I personally like to meal prep it for make-ahead lunches. I make a big pot and then divide it into Tupperware dishes and have it ready to go. I also like to make some steamed broccoli or a side salad to go with it for more of a wholesome meal.

How to store and reheat Creamy Chipotle Chicken Pasta:

Place any leftover chipotle chicken pasta in an airtight container. Keep refrigerated for up to 4-5 days. To reheat simply place in microwave or reheat back on stovetop. I must say, this recipe is one of those that is even better after it sits in the fridge overnight.

Did you like this Creamy Chipotle Chicken Pasta recipe? You may also like these other pasta recipes:

• Sausage and Peppers Pasta
• Chicken Pesto Pasta
• Seafood Scampi with Pasta

Print

Creamy Chipotle Chicken Pasta

Creamy Chipotle Chicken Pasta is bursting with flavors and spice. Made with tender juicy chicken, spicy chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, perfectly cooked penne pasta. All tossed in a creamy tasty sauce with a nice heat. It all comes together in less than 20 minutes making it the perfect weeknight dinner.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword Creamy Chipotle Chicken Pasta

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 13 minutes

Total Time 18 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 449 kcal

Author Angelica Arias

Ingredients

For Chicken:

• 2 large chicken breasts (about 1-1.5 lbs) boneless and skinless
• 1.5 tsp pink sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp olive oil

For Pasta:

• 16 oz penne pasta
• 1 yellow onion
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 2 cups cashew milk (unsweetened)
• 1-2 tsp adobo sauce (from chiles)
• 1 tsp pink sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
• fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Fill a large pot with water and place on stovetop. Turn heat to high and bring water to a boil. Generously salt water once it has boiled and add in pasta. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.

2. As water boils and pasta cooks prep the rest of ingredients; thinly dice onion, mince garlic, and thinly dice chipotle chiles. Grate parmesan cheese and thinly chop some parsley.

3. Pat chicken breasts dry and cut into bite size cubes. Place in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with spices and herbs; pink sea salt, black pepper, chili powder, dried oregano, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder. Toss chicken with seasonings making sure it's well coated.

4. Place a large skillet on stovetop and drizzle with olive oil. Turn heat to medium-high and bring oil to a heat. Add in chicken and cook for 7-8 minutes stirring occasionally making sure it evenly cooks on all sides. Once chicken has cooked through and browned, remove from skillet. Transfer cooked chicken to a separate bowl and set aside. Leave skillet placed on stovetop set on medium-high heat. Do not clean skillet.

5. Toss diced onion and minced garlic into the skillet. Sauté for about 1 minute. Add in diced chipotle chiles and continue sautéing for another minute. Pour in cashew milk and deglaze skillet.

6. Add in adobo sauce and sprinkle in seasonings; pink sea salt, black pepper, chili powder, dried oregano, paprika and cumin. Give everything a good stir to combine. Stir in shredded parmesan cheese. Once cheese has melted into the sauce, pour in your reserved pasta water and once again give sauce a stir making sure everything is well combined. Bring sauce to a light simmer and reduce heat to low.

7. At this point pasta should be cooked through, drain and add into sauce. Give pasta a good toss making sure it is well coated with sauce. Add chicken back in and toss again with pasta making sure everything is well combined. Turn heat off and garnish pasta with chopped parsley.

8. Serve immediately and garnish with more parmesan cheese and parsley if desired. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Tips and Substitutions:

1. 1. Use what you have– This recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken breasts. If you have boneless skinless chicken thighs you can use that too. Chicken tenders work too.
   2. Make sure to reserve pasta water– Not only does it help your sauce thicken, it also adds flavor to the whole dish.
   3. Deglaze your pan– After chicken is cooked, do not clean your pan. Once you add the cashew milk make sure to deglaze it. That adds a ton of flavor to your pasta.
   4. Sauce will thicken as it cools-down– The sauce may look a bit too liquid at first. As it cools-down it will thicken more.
   5. Substitute for cashew milk– You can use almond milk to keep it plant-based. Use heavy cream if you prefer.
   6. Use parmesan cheese that comes in a brick– Grate it yourself. Prepackaged shredded cheese has starchy preservatives to keep it from going bad. This prevents it from melting properly. Fresh grated cheese will melt just fine into sauce.
   7. Add more heat– If you’d like this recipe to be spicier, add more chipotles and more adobo sauce for more heat!

Nutrition Facts

Creamy Chipotle Chicken Pasta

Amount per Serving

Calories

449

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

10

g

15

%

Saturated Fat

 

4

g

25

%

Trans Fat

 

0.01

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

4

g

Cholesterol

 

35

mg

12

%

Sodium

 

1507

mg

66

%

Potassium

 

439

mg

13

%

Carbohydrates

 

64

g

21

%

Fiber

 

5

g

21

%

Sugar

 

4

g

4

%

Protein

 

25

g

50

%

Vitamin A

 

890

IU

18

%

Vitamin C

 

3

mg

4

%

Calcium

 

254

mg

25

%

Iron

 

3

mg

17

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Number of total servings in estimated. Actual number of servings may vary depending on your own personal preference in portion sizes.

**Nutritional values shown are general guidelines for 1 serving using the ingredients listed above. These numbers do not reflect and may vary depending on substitutions, additions and/or different brands and/or other ingredients that may be used. 

**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family.