Cheesy Southwestern Chicken Pasta – the name for this amazing one-dish wonder says it all! Imagine the marriage of succulent chicken in a creamy southwestern sauce with tender pasta topped with ooey gooey cheese. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Ingredients
The Southwestern Chicken Pasta has similarities to the every popular King Ranch Chicken Casserole.
However, every time I made the King Ranch casserole, I thought that the tortillas produced a mushy taste. Even though I have no problem using canned cream of mushroom/chicken soup in recipes, I know that some people prefer not to. Finally, I thought that corn and a combination of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses would round out the taste.
Therefore, my Southwestern Chicken Pasta substitutes pasta for the tortillas, substitutes a béchamel sauce for the canned cream of mushroom/chicken soup and adds corn and Monterey Jack cheese.
All combined, this amazing one-dish meal has all of the southwestern flavors of the King Ranch casserole with some added surprises.
Making the Southwestern Chicken Pasta
I started by sautéing the onion and bell pepper in melted butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat until the vegetables softened. This took about 7 to 8 minutes.
Next, I added the garlic and cooked the mixture for about 30 seconds until the garlic was fragrant. After that, I added the chicken, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. I stirred the mixture and continued cooking the chicken until it was no longer pink. This took another 10 minutes or so.
Once the chicken had lost its color, I sprinkled on some flour. I stirred the mixture to ensure that the chicken and vegetables were nicely coated with the flour.
After another couple of minutes, I added the milk and canned tomatoes with green chilies.
I cooked the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickened. Once the sauce had thickened, I added the corn and cooked penne pasta and stirred to combine everything.
I poured the chicken/pasta mixture into a 2-1/2 quart casserole dish that I had sprayed with non-stick spray.
One of the beauties of this dish is that it can be made ahead of time. I covered the dish with aluminum foil and put it in the refrigerator until I was ready to heat it.
Finishing the Southwestern Chicken Pasta
Now was the time to heat the Southwestern Chicken Pasta. I removed it from the refrigerator and placed it into a preheated 350°F oven for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, I removed the dish from the oven and removed the aluminum foil.
Then, I sprinkled the top with a combination of Cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese. I returned the dish to the oven for another 15 minutes until the cheese had melted and the dish was bubbly.
I served the Southwestern Chicken Pasta with a simple side salad and chilled Chardonnay. It was amazing. What’s even better is that the leftovers reheated beautifully. Yum!
Chula’s Expert Tips
- I like to use a combination of green and red bell peppers in this dish because of the color. However, you could use just chopped green bell pepper instead.
- I used Penne pasta in this dish, but you could use any pasta of your choice such as rotini, ziti, etc. Just be sure that the pasta is cooked to the al dente stage according to the package directions.
- I generally use extra sharp Cheddar cheese. However, feel free to use regular Cheddar cheese or sharp Cheddar cheese in place of the extra sharp Cheddar cheese.
- If you prepare this dish in advance and refrigerate it, cook covered for 25 minutes. If you cook it immediately, reduce the time to 20 minutes.
- This makes excellent leftovers. Reheat in the microwave for several minutes, or in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Other One-Dish Wonders that Produce Amazing Leftovers
If you’re interested in recipes for other one-dish wonders that produce amazing leftovers, check out these:
- Easy Cheesy Mexican Rice with Chicken: Easy Cheesy Mexican Rice with Chicken is an amazing one-pot meal with an incredible blend of flavors and textures. It makes a lot, so be prepared for yummy leftovers!
- Easy Chicken Rice and Broccoli Casserole: Easy Chicken Rice and Broccoli Casserole is a one pot wonder that’s sure to become a family favorite. With the combination of chicken, rice, broccoli, and of course cheese, you know it’s going to be delicious. It can be made ahead of time and produces awesome leftovers.
- Pasta Jambalaya: Pasta Jambalaya replaces the rice with pasta in a more traditional jambalaya recipe to create an unforgettable meal!
- Creamy Chicken Broccoli Pasta: Creamy Chicken Broccoli Pasta is an amazing one-pot wonder that’s super easy to make and takes less than 30 minutes to put together. It makes a lot which is great given the the leftovers are just as yummy!
- Make-Ahead Shepherd’s Pie: Shepherd’s Pie is a traditional staple of British and Irish cooking. It’s easy to make, and incredibly tasty. Shepherd’s Pie can be made ahead and frozen for an anytime meal.
- One Pot Cream Tuscan Chicken: One Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken is the ultimate in simplicity and taste. Thinly sliced chicken breasts are pan-fried and finished in a creamy Italian style sauce that’s bursting with goodness and flavor. Served over pasta, One Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken is perfect for an elegant dinner party, but easy enough to serve any night of the week.
- Easy Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta: Easy Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta is an awesome twist on the classic Chicken Marsala. It’s easy enough for week-night meals, but elegant enough to serve at a dinner party. Tender pieces of chicken are cooked to perfection with caramelized onions and mushrooms tossed with pasta in a creamy dreamy Marsala sauce. Who could ask for more?
- Lasagna: If you’re looking for an incredible lasagna recipe, look no further. It has layers of thick and rich meat sauce, lasagna noodles, homemade ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Are you convinced yet? If not, let me add that it’s easy to make, produces awesome leftovers, and freezes beautifully!
- Spicy New Orleans Jambalaya: Nothing speaks classic New Orleans cuisine like Spicy New Orleans Jambalaya. Laizzez les bons temps rouler with this delicious one-pot meal. It combines rice, shrimp, chicken, and andouille sausage in a spicy tomato sauce enhanced by the holy trinity.
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Cheesy Southwestern Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup chopped onion (1 medium onion)
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped (See Tip 1)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 pound (16 ounces) skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 10 ounce can Rotel Original diced tomatoes and green chilies
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 8 ounces dried penne, cooked al dente according to package directions (See Tip 2)
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded extra sharp Cheddar cheese (See Tip 3)
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and bell peppers. Sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add chicken, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of flour on chicken mixture; stir to combine. Cook 2 minutes. Add milk and Rotel tomatoes. Cook, stirring constantly over medium heat until thickened. Add corn and cooked pasta. Stir to combine.
- Spray 2-1/2 quart casserole dish with non-stick spray. Transfer chicken/pasta mixture to casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil. May be prepared in advance up to this point.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake chicken/pasta casserole, covered for 20 to 25 minutes. (See Tip 4)
- Remove from oven; remove aluminum foil. Sprinkle top with cheeses. Return to oven for 15 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.
- Yield: 8 servings. (See Tip 5)
Video
Chula's Expert Tips
- I like to use a combination of green and red bell peppers because of the color. However, you could use 1 cup of chopped green bell pepper instead.
- I used Penne pasta in this dish, but you could use any pasta of your choice such as rotini, ziti, etc.
- Feel free to use regular Cheddar cheese or sharp Cheddar cheese in place of the extra sharp Cheddar cheese.
- If you prepare this dish in advance and refrigerate it, cook covered for 25 minutes. If you cook it immediately, reduce the time to 20 minutes.
- This makes excellent leftovers. Reheat in the microwave for several minutes, or in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
This was a hit. It was easy to make and the taste and texture were great. Even better warmed up the day after. My family said to add this dish to the “keeper” list.
Debora,
I’m so pleased that the Cheesy Southwestern Chicken Pasta was a hit for you and your family! It’s one of my favorites.
Chula