Chipotle Chicken Pasta

This unique pasta dish was a combination of Italian and Mexican and got completely gobbled up by my kids, particularly my teen son and his friend.  I was a little wary of the chipotle peppers so skipped the adobo sauce, but ended up wishing I'd  added it...especially when a couple of kids ended up adding hot sauce to spice it up.   You'll want to make sure you take the seeds out of the chipotle peppers before adding them, since they're painfully spicy.  The pepper itself without the seeds is fairly mild, but with the seeds you'll need a fire hose to quench your burning mouth.  

 Click here for printable recipe. 

The ingredients:

1 pound fusilli pasta (or other twisty noodles)
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 (leaving the seeds could make it unbearably spicy)
1/2 tsp. adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers)
2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:  Cook noodles in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water until al dente, firm but tender.  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 large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken; salt and pepper to taste and saute 5 minutes or until it begins to brown.

Add onion; cook 3 minutes.  Add garlic and cumin.  Reduce heat to medium; cook 1 minute.

Add chiles, adobo sauce, tomatoes, cream, salt, and pepper.

Lower heat; simmer 5 minutes.  Add cilantro.

Add pasta to sauce; toss. Stir in reserved pasta water as needed for a creamier consistency.

Serves 6.  Enjoy!