Day 284: Chipotle Chicken Pasta

I absolutely love chipotles!  I'm always looking for new ways to use them.  They just have such a great smokey flavor and a really nice kick!  I've been looking forward to trying this recipe.  I would have never thought to use chipotles in a pasta dish.  I adapted this recipe from Recipe Shoebox.

Chipotle Chicken Pasta
12" dutch oven

1 pound fusilli pasta (I used rotini)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2-lbs.)
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and finely diced
1/2 tsp. adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers)
2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
2 (4 oz.) cans sliced olives, drained
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

Over a full spread of coals, cook noodles in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.

Meanwhile, cut chicken into 2 x 1/2 x 1/2-inch strips. Heat oil in a 12" dutch oven over a full spread of coals. Add chicken; saute 5 minutes or until it begins to brown. Add onion; cook 3 minutes. Add garlic and cumin; cook 1 minute.

Add chiles, adobo sauce, tomatoes, cream, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add cilantro. Add pasta to sauce; toss. Stir in reserved pasta water as needed for a creamier consistency. Serves 6.

The Finished Product

The Review

We loved this pasta dish!!  It was really different from the pasta I've been making.  Its sort of Mexican meets Italian.  My kids ate this like there was no tomorrow.  There wasn't enough chipotles in it for me though.  I did add some extra peppers and sauce, but not enough for my tastes.  But my kids wouldn't have been able to eat it if I had added what I thought was enough.  My suggestion is start with what is in the recipe and add more if you need to.  This makes great leftovers, but the pasta does soak up the sauce and it gets a little dry.  My solution was to stuff it in a pita pocket with a little mayo and lettuce and have it for lunch.  Yum!  Grade A-.