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You have to try this spicy chicken Chipotle pasta recipe if you’re a fan of creamy pastas, bold flavor, and vegetables. It’s got everyone you need in one pot including honey glazed chicken, asparagus, pepper, and a spicy chipotle cream sauce. Learn how to make this copycat Cheesecake Factory recipe easily at home in one pot!
After having this creamy spicy pasta at The Cheesecake Factory I knew I had to set out to recreate it at home—so we can all enjoy this insanely delicious pasta.
The menu and Cheesecake Factory website make it very clear the meal contains honey glazed chicken, penne pasta, a creamy chipotle sauce, and fresh veggies. And that’s exactly what you have here. A recreation of the restaurant classic!
Why You’ll Love this Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta
- Colorful veggies like red bell peppers, asparagus, and peas.
- Turned a somewhat complicated recipe into an easy weeknight dinner
- You can make this entire cheesecake factory copycat recipe in ONE POT.
- The juicy chicken, creamy sauce, and al dente pasta and veggies create the perfect texture.
- It’s just as good (if not better) the next day.
Ingredient You Need
Here are the simple ingredients for Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta. Jump to recipe for exact measurements.
- Olive oil: Swap this for avocado oil—it has a high smoke point.
- Chicken breast: trim them then cut them into 1-inch chunks.
- Kosher salt: I always cook with kosher salt and finish dishes with sea salt.
- Chipotle powder: level up the spice and chipotle flavor with a little ground seasoning.
- Honey: gives it just right amount of sweetness!
- Yellow onion: this is the start of the pasta and chipotle pepper sauce to build flavor.
- Bell peppers: the original recipe uses 1 red bell pepper and 1 yellow bell pepper, but you can use any bell peppers you have on hand.
- Garlic: fresh garlic makes all the difference!
- Short cut pasta: We used a penne pasta like the restaurant version, however, any short cut pasta works.
- Chicken broth: this adds to the sauce flavor and helps the pasta cook right in the pan.
- Frozen peas: no need to thaw them first.
- Chipotle Adobo peppers: use the sauce around the chipotle peppers, rather than the peppers themselves for the spicy chipotle sauce.
- Heavy cream: ads richness to the recipe to give you a creamy sauce.
- Parmesan cheese: these ingredients are what make up the spicy chipotle parmesan cream sauce. It’s rich and spicy at the same time!
- Asparagus: this ingredient adds to the medley of veggies. Not many recipes have 3-5 veggies in one pot!
How to Make Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta
Here are the step-by-step instructions to make this spicy chipotle chicken pasta. Jump to the recipe card for printable instructions
Cook the Honey Glazed Chicken
Sear the chicken: Dice the chicken and season. Heat the oil and sear the chicken chunks until golden brown, 2-3 minutes.
Add the honey glaze: Turn the heat down add the honey, coating the chicken and letting it glaze the chicken. Remove the chicken to a separate plate or bowl.
Make the Pasta and Creamy Pasta Sauce
Saute the peppers and onions: Cook the onion and diced peppers until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
Cook the pasta: Pour the uncooked pasta and chicken broth into the pan and stir gently. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 6-7 minutes.
Make the creamy sauce: Open the lid and add the chipotle adobo sauce, cream, and parmesan cheese to the cooked pasta and stir to combine.
Steam the Veggies
Steam the asparagus and peas: Finish by adding the peas and chopped asparagus on top of the spicy chipotle cream sauce, without stirring. Close the lid and steam for 3-4 minutes until the asparagus is tender.
Add the Chicken and Serve
Add the cooked chicken on top then remove from the heat. Garnish with cilantro and crushed tortilla strips. You can also top it with cracked black pepper and a squeeze of fresh lime juice or lemon juice.
Can I Cook the Pasta Separately?
Yes, to cook the pasta separately, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the uncooked pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Reserve a cup of pasta water then drain.
Follow the instructions to make the pasta sauce, omitting the chicken broth and pasta. Let the sauce simmer and reduce for 8-10 minutes then stir in the cooked pasta and steam the veggies. Add the reserved pasta water if needed to thin the sauce.
If you love this Cheesecake Factory copycat spicy chicken Chipotle pasta, you love these creamy pastas: creamy chicken sausage pasta, creamy cajun chicken pasta, and chicken bacon ranch pasta.
FAQs
One serving of the Cheesecake Factory version is over 1200 calories. This homemade version comes in at about half of that, just over 600 calories.
I don’t recommend freezing this recipe because the pasta and cream won’t stand up well to freezing and being reheated.
I’m not a huge spice-lover and I could handle the heat level in this recipe. If you want to keep it really mild, omit the chipotle powder and use less chipotle sauce
Quick Tips
- Let the oil get nice and hot then add the chicken and cook, without stirring for a few minutes to get it really golden and crispy—just like these crispy garlic chicken bites.
- Use a meat thermometer to know when the chicken is done. We don’t want rubbery chicken! Remove it from the pan when it reaches 165°F.
- Open the lid of the pasta to stir a few times while it’s cooking so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus with your hands rather than slicing.
Storing Leftovers
- To prep-ahead: This recipe is all made in one dish so cooking anything in advance is hard. Prep all of the ingredients in advance, like chopping the onion and peppers, dicing the chicken and cutting the celery. This will save a lot of time when you go to make it.
- To store: allow the pasta to cool completely then place it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- To reheat: add the pasta back to a large pot over medium heat and cook until heated through. You can also warm individual bowls in the microwave for a few minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Gluten-free: use a gluten free penne pasta. Our favorite brand is Jovial because it holds up well without breaking.
- Try another veggie: swap the asparagus for chopped broccoli or use snap peas instead of frozen peas. This pasta dish is great with most veggies from the fridge.
- Dairy free: swap the heavy cream for coconut cream and use nutritional yeast instead of parmesan cheese.
- Less sodium: use a reduced sodium chicken broth and omit extra salt added in the recipe.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks (Note 1)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 12 ounces penne pasta gluten-free if needed
- 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 2 Tablespoons sauce from chipotle peppers in adobo sauce from can
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1/2 lb asparagus woody ends removed and cut into 2-3 inch pieces
- Cilantro and tortilla tortilla strips to granish
Instructions
Honey Glazed Chicken
- Cube the chicken: Dice the chicken and season generously with kosher salt. Heat 1 tablespoons of avocado oil or butter in a deep saute pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot and rippling, add the chicken chunks and stir to sear the sides until golden brown.
- Add the honey: Turn the heat down to medium low and add the the honey, coating the chicken and letting it glaze the chicken. When the chicken is completely cooked, remove it to a separate plate or bowl.
Pasta and Cream Sauce
- Cook the peppers and onion: Add the other tablespoon of avocado oil to the pan and scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the onion and diced peppers and cook over medium heat until softened and fragrant. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Cook the pasta: Pour the uncooked pasta and chicken broth into the pan and stir gently. Cover with a lid and turn the heat up to medium-high to bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 6-7 minutes or until the pasta is just al dente. Open the lid and stir occasionally to avoid any burning on the bottom of the pan.
- Make the cream sauce: Open the lid and add the chipotle adobo sauce, chipotle powder, heavy cream, and nutritional and parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Finish by adding the peas and chopped asparagus on top, without stirring. Close the lid and steam for 3-4 minutes until the asparagus is tender.
- Finish and serve: Add the cooked chicken on top then remove from the heat. Top with cilantro and crushed tortilla chips.
Notes
- To prep-ahead: This recipe is all made in one dish so cooking anything in advance is hard. Prep all of the ingredients in advance, like chopping the onion and peppers, dicing the chicken and cutting the celery. This will save a lot of time when you go to make it.
- To store: allow the pasta to cool completely then place it in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- To reheat: add the pasta back to a large pot over medium heat and cook until heated through. You can also warm individual bowls in the microwave for a few minutes.
Video
Equipment
- Large, deep skillet
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I found this recipe as written to be incredibly bland. If you want any flavor at all I would recommend doubling or tripling the amount of adobo sauce and/or including the chipotle peppers. Also noted that chipotle powder is left out of written recipe.
Thanks, Hannah! Appreciate your feedback. Adobo can be spicy for some so you can definitely add more to taste.
I think my previous comment didn’t register the rating so just in case I though I’d try it again.
I made this yesterday and I gotta say it’s incredibly close to the “real” thing. I really wish I could post pictures cause the whole process was full of mouthwatering food preparation pictures.
As for the spiciness of the dish it’s incredibly simple to dial it in to your preference. It all comes down to the chipotle pepper adobo sauce. I used just over 2 tablespoons of just the sauce and I think it came out a bit less spicy than at cheesecake factory where they likely use the sauce and the peppers rather than let the peppers go to waste. So next time I plan on using either 2 tablespoons with some peppers or more than 2 tablespoons if I don’t use any of the peppers. I’m not a huge spice fan but I love it in this dish and my wife eats ghost pepper flavored everything like it’s just as mild as a saltine so a bit more spiciness would suite us.
I also noticed that there is a 1/4 tsp of chipotle powder in the ingredients list but it seems to have been left out of the directions so I put it in with the chicken broth and noodles.
I’ve wanted to make this recipe at home for a long time and I’m so glad I finally did! That honey glazed chicken is so good I plan on using it in other recipes. But be careful not to wait to long to add the honey cause as the honey cooks down and caramelizes the chicken will still cook. It’s obvious but still tricky to execute just right. It can be tricky getting a sear fast enough. Remember you can’t add the honey before you get a good sear and the honey takes time to cook down. So it’s a delicate balance but certainly worth the effort!
Anyways this recipe gets 5 stars from me! Did I mention it makes a ton!? Best leftovers ever!