Southwest Chicken Pasta: A Creamy, Cheesy One-Pot Win
Some nights you need a dinner that does everything—fills up the whole family, uses up that rotisserie chicken, and makes the house smell amazing. This Southwest Chicken Pasta is creamy, cheesy, loaded with peppers and corn, and finished with a crunchy tortilla chip topping that bakes until bubbling and golden.
- Total Time55 minutes
- Yield6 servings 1x
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Pasta & Base
- 1/2 lb rotini pasta
- 4 tbsp butter
Veggies & Aromatics
- 1.5 cups onion (diced)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1 whole green bell pepper (diced)
- 1 whole red bell pepper (diced)
- 2 whole jalapeños (seeded and diced (leave seeds for more heat))
- 10 oz corn kernels (frozen or fresh)
Sauce & Spices
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- salt & black pepper (to taste)
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Mix-ins & Topping
- 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided (1 cup for sauce, 1/2 cup for topping))
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken (shredded)
- 1.5 cups tortilla chips (crushed)
Instructions
- Preheat and Boil: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Bring a large oven-safe pot (like a Dutch oven) full of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the rotini for exactly half the time listed on the box. Drain and set aside.
- Sauté the Rainbow: In the same pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion, garlic, both bell peppers, jalapeños, and corn. Sauté for about 7 minutes until tender.
- Build the Sauce: Sprinkle the flour over the sautéed veggies and stir for 2 minutes to cook the roux. Pour in the chicken stock and whisk until smooth. Stir in the cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Let the sauce simmer and thicken until it coats the back of a spoon.
- Bring In the Cheese, Cream, and Chicken: Turn off the heat. Stir in the mozzarella, 1 cup of the cheddar, and the heavy cream until melted into a smooth sauce. Fold in the shredded chicken and the half-cooked pasta until coated.
- Crown It and Bake: Scatter the crushed tortilla chips evenly over the top, followed by the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar. Bake uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes until the edges are bubbling and the top is golden and crunchy.
Notes
Boiling the pasta for only half the recommended time is critical—it will finish cooking in the oven as it absorbs the sauce. Ensure you cook the flour for a full 2 minutes before adding the liquid so the sauce thickens properly and doesn’t taste raw.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Main Course
- Cuisine: American, Southwestern
Nutrition
- Calories: 520
- Sodium: 680
- Fat: 26
- Saturated Fat: 14
- Carbohydrates: 42
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 30
