This spicy chicken Chipotle pasta recipe features a creamy chipotle sauce, tender chicken, and fresh vegetables. Chipotle adds a spicy kick to an easy and healthy pasta dish. Learn how to make this copycat Cheesecake Factory recipe easily at home in one pot.
Need another creamy pasta recipe? Try this one pot creamy cajun chicken pasta or easy one skillet lemon chicken orzo with fresh asparagus.
What Is Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta?
The original recipe came from one of our all-time favorite restaurants, The Cheesecake Factory. It's a Penne pasta tossed in a spicy, creamy sauce with honey-glazed chicken and fresh veggies.
You're going to see colorful veggies like red bell peppers, asparagus, and peas.
I wanted to take this somewhat complicated recipe and turn it into an easy weeknight dinner. You can make this entire cheesecake factory copycat recipe in ONE POT, without the need to cook and drain the pasta separately.
I'm also sharing options to keep it gluten-free and dairy-free.
Reasons to Love Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta
- Flavorful pasta dish with tons of veggies.
- Easy to make any night of the week.
- It's all made 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 Notes
The simple ingredients you need to make this Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta recipe include:
- Olive oil or avocado oil: I love to use avocado oil because it can withstand high heat without, smoking but both are great options.
- 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: grab a raw honey if possible!
- Yellow onion: this is the start of the pasta and chipotle pepper sauce and starts to build the 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 before adding them to the pasta!
- Chipotle Adobo peppers: we're using the sauce around the chipotle peppers, rather than the peppers themselves. This is the spice in the spicy chipotle sauce.
- Coconut cream or heavy cream: I love to use coconut cream to keep it dairy free, but heavy cream is what the original calls for.
- Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast: these ingredients are what make up the spicy chipotle parmesan cream sauce. It's rich and spicy at the same time! Use nutritional yeast if you want to keep it dairy free.
- Asparagus: this ingredient adds to the medley of veggies featured in this recipe. Not many recipes have 3-5 veggies in one pot!
HOW TO MAKE SPICY CHICKEN CHIPOTLE PASTA
The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post, but let’s walk through the steps with some photos and a video so you have a clear idea of what to expect. These step-by-step instructions will make sure this spicy chipotle chicken pasta turns out every time.
Cook the Honey Glazed Chicken
Sear the chicken: Dice the chicken and season generously with kosher salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of avocado oil or butter in a large skillet (make sure it's deep!) over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot and rippling, add the chicken chunks and stir to sear the sides until golden brown, 2-3 minutes.
Add the honey glaze: Turn the heat down to medium-low and add 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.
Make the Pasta and Creamy Pasta Sauce
Saute the peppers and onions: 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 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 and Serve
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.
Stir in 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.
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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
Expert Recipe 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! Only tender, juicy chicken please.
- 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.
Meal Prep and Storage
- 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.
Dietary Modifications
- Gluten-free: use a gluten free penne pasta. Our favorite brand is Jovial because it holds up well without breaking.
- 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.
More One Pot Pasta Recipes
- One pot taco pasta
- Lemon garlic and chicken asparagus pasta
- Creamy one pot buffalo chicken pasta (dairy free)
- One pot creamy cajun chicken pasta
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 (Copycat)
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons avocado, olive oil, or butter divided
- 1 ½ 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 or other short cut pasta gluten-free if needed
- 3 ½ cups chicken broth
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons sauce from chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (in a can)
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream or
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder
- ½ lb asparagus woody ends removed and cut into 2-3 inch pieces
- Garnish: cilantro and tortilla tortilla strips
Recommended Equipment
- Large, deep skillet
Instructions
Honey glazed 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Open the lid and add the chipotle adobo sauce, coconut cream (or heavy cream), and nutritional yeast (or 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.
- 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.
Michael I. says
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!
Michael I. says
I think my previous comment didn't register the rating so just in case I though I'd try it again.