Southwest Chicken Pasta Skillet

 

I had a throw it all in dinner the other night.  It came out amazing. Simply amazing.  I don't think it would have been better if I had planned for it.

Mexican, Southwest, spicy food is what we like to eat.  This meal is spicy with the canned hot red enchilada sauce that was hidden in the back of our pantry from who knows when. We also added jalapenos from our pickling experience this summer.

Winter months suck the energy out of me. After a long day at work, then an hour at the gym (don't be impressed, it is easy workouts), I normally barely have enough energy to wash the dishes.  Typically our nights are dinner, dishes, TV (maybe), and bed by 9pm.  Yes, we are that cool.

This dinner gave us an extra kick in the pants and we managed to be up past nine and had a lively night talking.  I think it was the spice.

 
So we will be making this again. It was delicious.  It only used one pan.  And it helped up beat the difficult 9pm threshold.  A miracle dish I tell you.

Southwest Chicken Pasta Skillet

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Keywords: saute entree black beans chicken Southwest

6039502

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• salt and pepper
• 2 skinless chicken breast, cut into bit sized pieces
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup jalapenos, chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen red, green, and yellow pepper medley, chopped pieces
• 1 14.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 10 oz can enchilada sauce
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with chilies
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 8 oz Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
• 8 oz rigatoni pasta

For Toppings:

• sour cream
• cilantro

Instructions

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in skillet. Brown on all sides, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.

Wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onions and peppers until soft, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, enchilada sauce, chicken broth, diced tomatoes and pasta. Cover and turn down heat to simmer. Cook until pasta is al dente, about 15 minutes.

Stir contents to unstick anything from the bottom. Reduce heat and add chicken, any accumulated juices back to the skillet as well as the cheese.  Keep a bit for final topping. Stir together. Cook until everything is heated through and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes longer.  Add the rest of the cheese to the top and wait till melted.

Serve with additional toppings.

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