Southwestern Grilled Chicken Pasta
This recipe was from a restaurant that my parents loved when I was a teenager. They were so sad when the restaurant closed. I remember when I first heard about ‘copycat’ recipes online. I googled it just to see if I could find the recipe, and low and behold, I found it in an old newspaper article. I was SO proud to surprise my parents with it and my whole family still makes it and loves it all these years later. This recipe is a little on the spicy side, but you can substitute mild rotel for the regular and you can also half the black pepper if making it for someone that doesn’t like a lot of heat…. We make ours the spicy way, and just be sure to have a lot of sweet tea ready 🙂
Southwest Grilled Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
4 chicken breasts, marinated, grilled and sliced (we used this recipe)
3 TBSP unsalted butter
16 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
1 large Onion diced
1 TBSP minced garlic (I think the recipe called for 1 tsp, but I always follow the rule of 3 with garlic…ha)
1 (14.5) oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can rotel tomatoes and green chilies (can substitute mild) undrained
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Black Pepper (If sensitive to heat, you can make this 1 tsp)
16 oz Heavy Cream
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (The kind in the green can)
16 oz Penne Paste, cooked al dente
Parsley for garnish
Directions
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onions and saute until softened. About 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute stirring constantly. Add the tomatoes, rotel, salt and pepper. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add the cream and parmesan cheese, and continue cooking until sauce thickens slightly, about 10 more minutes. Stirring occasionally. Meanwhile prepare Ziti noodles according to package directions. Toss cooked noodles with prepared sauce. Top with sliced grilled chicken. Garnish with parsley if desired.
