Southwest Chicken Alfredo..wait, hear me out. Who wants to eat the same thing over and over? — The answer is no-one! I feel like sometimes when we are going about our week dealing with our busy schedule of softball, blogging or gardening among other things, we can often fall into the habit of eating the same old “go-to” meals
In our house those meals are Spaghetti, Tacos (which I am not too sure you can ever have enough), Sloppy Joes, meatloaf and too many other choices to list. Don’t get me wrong–we love our favorites but sometimes we want to try new things.
So, we love trying to find new and interesting recipes to try from Pinterest (If you are not following me on Pinterest, take a second and follow me) or other sites and then make them our own.
Here is our latest discovery!
If there is two cuisines that our family loves, it would have to be Southwest (or Tex-Mex) and Italian.
So, why not combine the two? I am sure that I am not the first to do this and will not be the last.
This is our Southwest Chicken Alfredo. It is a creamy tomato cream sauce with corn to give it some depth, topped with chicken seasoned with taco seasoning and a pepper-corn relish. It is fresh, light and full of flavor. We absolutely love this recipe! I hope you do too.
Southwest Chicken Alfredo
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 2 large chicken breasts, diced
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the Sauce:
- 1 lb Penne pasta
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup fire-roasted diced green chiles
- 1 can (15 oz) corn, drained
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt and pepper to taste
Optional Garnishes:
- Extra chopped cilantro
- Crumbled Cotija cheese
- Diced avocado
- Red pepper flakes
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken:
- In a bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper
- Toss diced chicken with the spice mixture until well coated
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat
- Cook chicken for 6-8 minutes until golden brown and cooked through
- Remove from pan and set aside
Cook the Pasta:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil
- Cook fettuccine according to package directions until al dente
- Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining
- Drain pasta and set aside
Make the Sauce:
- In the same skillet used for chicken, melt butter over medium heat
- Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant
- Add heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer
- Stir in Parmesan cheese until melted and smooth
- Add green chiles and diced bell pepper
- Cook for 2-3 minutes until peppers start to soften
- Add corn and cook for another 2 minutes
- If sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water a little at a time
Combine and Finish:
- Add cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to coat evenly
- Fold in the cooked chicken
- Stir in fresh cilantro and lime juice
- Season with salt and pepper to taste
- If needed, add more reserved pasta water to reach desired consistency
Serve:
- Divide pasta among plates
- Garnish with extra cilantro, Cotija cheese, diced avocado, and red pepper flakes if desired
- Serve with lime wedges on the side
Notes:
When reheating, add a splash of milk or cream to restore the sauce’s consistency
For extra heat, add a diced jalapeño with the bell pepper or increase the red pepper flakes
The sauce will continue to thicken as it stands
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days
Crowd Pleaser
Winner, winner–chicken dinner! Too corny..In all seriousness, it was delicious.
We are a big family with 6 kids. When everyone cleans their plate and asks for seconds, you know that the dinner was a success. This recipe fed our seven people that includes: two adults and 5 kids.
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