Southwest Chicken Pasta
I made the mistake of wandering the garden department at Lowe's today.
I was supposed to be buying something really mundane like trash bags, but instead spent 20 minutes thinking about planting flowers and eating fresh garden vegetables and wishing for summer produce.
This probably has everything to do with the fact that two days ago I was drinking sparkly rum cocktails on the deck in the sunshine and today I had to wear 2 pairs of pants just to go outside.
Go away winter.
And you know... I love winter so that means an awful lot coming from me.
But it is time for flip flops. Really.
I think my summer lust has been influencing my menu choices as of late. I am cah-ray-ving Mexican food. And margaritas. Although... I am probably always craving margaritas.
Anyway. Chad and I put the kids in the car and drove around for a couple of hours the other day, scoping out some for-sale addresses in our area. We were just trying to get a feel for the kinds of houses and neighborhoods in our price range. But the town we live in in pretty small. So on our quest we drove past my favorite Mexican joint like 5 times.
And I was hungry.
And every single time we drove past I was like, "Hmm... I'm kinda hungry," and "Oh! I love that place!," and "I am hungry ... and thirsty... a margarita be really good right now." But Chad was either ignoring me or he is totally oblivious because he never stopped the car. I mean, I basically hit him in the face with a Mexican food rock and he did not catch the hint.
Another day, I guess.
This pasta has lots of southwest inspiration and flavor packed in it. Some spice, some cheese, a few black beans... it did the trick.
It is a kind of copycat recipe, inspired by Ruby Tuesday's Sonora Chicken Pasta, which is probably not on their fancy menu anymore, but used to be one of my favorites nonetheless. And it comes together really fast which leaves you plenty of time to pour a little tequila. On the rocks. With salt.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
- 1 pound rigatoni or penne pasta
- 1 (10 ounce) can Ro-Tel Original Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles (the mild or hot versions are fine, too - choose according to your heat preference)
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, cored and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk (I used 2 %)
- ½ cup sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup green onions to garnish
- Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Add the chicken and brown (for about 8-10 minutes).
- While the chicken browns cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- Add the can of Ro-Tel to the browned chicken and cook, stirring occasionally for another few minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside,
- Add the onions and peppers to the hot skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes until they are soft and fragrant. Add the garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cook for another minute before adding the butter.
- Let the butter melt in the skillet with the vegetables. Stir in the flour to make a roux - it will be pasty. Pour in the milk, stir, and let it simmer. Then stir in the cheddar and Parmesan cheeses.
- Continue stirring the mixture until the sauce is smooth. Add the chicken back in.
- Stir in the drained pasta and toss to coat. Stir in the black beans and half of the diced tomatoes.
- When serving, top each portion with more diced tomatoes and a sprinkle of green onions.
Made this last nite. It was a hit! Sooo good!
How did I miss this one? Sounds like a Saturday dinner to me!!!
Awesome! Hope you'll try it! Let me know Angie!
I am a diabetic...simply said...I love sweets and pasta....HELP!
I am so ready for winter to go away too! Pasta dishes like this will help me get through it thoug 🙂 Looks amazing Heather and love the southwestern flavors in here - yum!
That looks like a great pasta recipe with a ton of great flavors. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Thank you!
Aaah, I feel like I haven't been in contact with you for ages, with uni starting and all it has been hard! I am so sorry!
Glad to be back in time to see this chicken pasta, it looks so flavoursome! 😀
All those colours are calling to me - what would you substitute for chicken though?
Hey!!!! Great to hear from you! We all get busy -- sometimes I am the WORST at getting buried. Instead of the chicken you could certainly add more vegetables - larger slices of onions and peppers, etc. Cauliflower would probably hold up well and has a meaty texture. But really you could probably just leave it out all together & add a few more beans! Let me know how it turns out!
Pasta and Tex-Mex... can I say I love you! Of course I can... well I do and this recipe. Plus the photos look awesome which makes me want to eat this even more! 🙂
Look! I am on the ball today! Haha
Thank you so much! Also... me and this pasta love you back.
My Lowes garden center is buried under 3 feet of snow, LOL. I have fresh flowers all over my house to bring spring in my home. This recipe looks delish! I am a new fan of black beans, just tried them for the first time this year. Now I throw them in everything. I saw a food network show yesterday & they even used the beans in brownies. Not sure about that one, but they looked good---Rachel
No snow here! But still too cool to start veggies or spring flowers. The black bean brownies are a whole thing! You actually can't taste the beans. But they are definitely good in this pasta! thanks so much Rachel!
Love the flavors in this! And if it gives you time to pour a marg, even better! 🙂
Yes. The margaritas are very important!
House shopping can make you very hungry and it DOES make you need a margarita!! We desperately need winter to go away. I'm tired of being layered! This pasta will warm me up. I can eat anything southwest every single day!
Me too! Southwest for the win! Also TEQUILA. 🙂