Julie Clark
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Chipotle Chicken Pasta
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A copycat for Cheesecake Factory’s famous dish, Spicy Chipotle Chicken Pasta recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner since it’s made in one pot. It has a creamy sauce and is loaded with bell pepper, peas and asparagus.
When it comes to restaurant menus, there’s none bigger than The Cheesecake Factory. Not only do they have endless amounts of stunning cheesecakes like the Adam’s Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple, but they have classic comfort food from chicken romano to burgers and creamy pastas.
From that detailed menu comes this Spicy Chipotle Chicken Pasta recipe. It’s a flavorful pasta dish loaded with penne pasta, chicken and creamy chipotle sauce with a delicious smoky sweet flavor. You’ll love that it is made in one pot and can be ready for your dinner table in about 30 minutes.
Chipotle Chicken Pasta Ingredients
A few notes on key ingredients:
- Onion, yellow bell pepper and red bell peppers. Sauté these three vegetables together to give a great flavor to the base of this pasta dish.
- Chipotle chili powder and adobo sauce. These two ingredients combine to give medium heat and an excellent chipotle flavor. Add more chipotle powder if you prefer a higher spice level.
- Honey. The Cheesecake Factory recipe includes honey. The slight sweet pairs well with the smoky chipotle seasoning.
- Penne pasta. Or any type of pasta you have, but depending on the shape, cooking times may vary slightly. Use gluten-free pasta if needed.
- Heavy cream. This adds creaminess and tones down the chipotle flavor slightly.
- Rotisserie chicken. Using cooked chicken keeps the recipe prep time under 30 minutes. See the recipe card below to learn how to use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs in this recipe.
- Peas and asparagus. This adds a touch of color and the nutrition of veggies to this spicy chicken pasta recipe.
- Parmesan cheese. Buy a block of parmesan cheese and shred it at home for a parmesan cream sauce.
✨ See the recipe card for the full ingredient list and instructions. ✨
Make Chipotle Chicken Pasta in 5 Steps
- Pour the oil into a dutch oven or large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and diced pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes in the hot oil.
- Add the chipotle chili pepper powder, adobo sauce, garlic and honey to the skillet. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken stock and bring it to a low boil. Add the pasta and boil, covered, for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally until the pasta is al dente.
- Add the warmed cream and the chicken, peas and asparagus. Stir well. Cover and simmer over low heat for 3-4 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Stir occasionally while it simmers.
- Turn off the heat and slowly add in the freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, ½ a cup at a time, stirring between each addition.
Make it a meal.
Serve this spicy chicken chipotle pasta with the following:
- Sop up that spicy chipotle cream sauce with a piece of buttered Italian bread. Mmmmm so good.
- The spicy chipotle sauce is delicious drizzled over a baked potato or oven roasted potatoes.
- Serve a Caesar salad on the side.
- Follow the Cheesecake Factory copycat theme and make our Monster Cookie Cheesecake, which will impress your guests!
Other Easy Pasta Recipes
Chipotle Chicken Pasta
A copycat for Cheesecake Factory's famous dish, Spicy Chipotle Chicken Pasta recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner since it's made in one pot. It has a creamy sauce and is loaded with bell pepper, peas and asparagus.
Servings 6
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup yellow onion diced (one small onion)
- ¼ red bell pepper diced (½ cup)
- ¼ yellow bell pepper diced (½ cup)
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper powder
- ¼ cup chipotle adobo sauce from canned chipotle peppers
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 cups chicken stock or chicken broth
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- ¾ cup heavy cream warmed
- 2 cups diced rotisserie chicken cooked chicken
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ½ cup frozen diced asparagus
- 4 ounces freshly shredded Parmesan cheese about 1 ½ cups
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pour the oil into a dutch oven or large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and diced pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes in the hot oil. 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ cup yellow onion, ¼ red bell pepper, ¼ yellow bell pepper
- Add the chipotle chili pepper powder, adobo sauce, garlic and honey to the skillet. Cook and stir for 1 minute. 1 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper powder, ¼ cup chipotle adobo sauce, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 1 tablespoon honey
- Add the chicken stock and bring it to a low boil. Add the pasta and boil, covered, for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally until the pasta is al dente. 3 cups chicken stock , 8 ounces penne pasta
- Add the warmed cream and the chicken, peas and asparagus. Stir well. Cover and simmer over low heat for 3-4 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Stir occasionally while it simmers. ¾ cup heavy cream, 2 cups diced rotisserie chicken, ½ cup frozen peas, ½ cup frozen diced asparagus
- Turn off the heat and slowly add in the freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, ½ a cup at a time, stirring between each addition. 4 ounces freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with freshly snipped parsley or green onions. salt and black pepper–
Notes
- To use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs, season chicken with salt and pepper, then cut into bite-size pieces. Sauté the chicken with the veggies as in step 1. The chicken does not have to be completely cooked before continuing with the recipe. It will continue to cook as the pasta boils.
- Use fresh veggies instead of frozen if you prefer.
- Want to add more veggies to this creamy pasta recipe? Try mushrooms, diced zucchini or throw in some spinach leaves at the end.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks. The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 6, with 1 serving being ⅙ of the pasta. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Calories: 589kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 126mg | Sodium: 2819mg | Potassium: 377mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 957IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 281mg | Iron: 2mg
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! The only thing I’ll do differently next time is cook the pasta separately, then add. It was a little too al dente for our tastes. This one is a keeper.
I can’t get chipotle chili powder. What can I use instead?