One-Pot Mexican Chicken Pasta - A hearty dish that is bursting with all of your favorite Mexican flavors, plus it will be done and on your table in 30 minutes.
Things this time of the year are complete chaos at my house. Decorating, shopping, wrapping, shopping, entertaining, shopping, baking, oh and the blog *whew* I feel like I am spinning out of control sometimes. It seems like no matter how under control I have everything, something pops up and screams "Wait, what about me"! As much as I love this time of year, and believe you me I luuuuvvvvvvvs this time of year, it just seems like it is all a blur and then *poof* it is gone. A far cry from being a kid and feeling like it took forevvvvvvvvvvvvver for Christmas to get here.
But with all of the shopping, decorating, baking, and socializing, there still has to be time set aside to make food we can actually eat for a meal. I mean a girl can not live on cookies alone right? Well maybe I could, but that is only if I feel like wearing nothing but sweat pants for the entire month of January while I run a few marathons on the treadmill to work them off. Ummm, I will pass on that one gang. So yes, meals are important. However, I want them to be quick and easy. Bing, bang, boom, in and out of the kitchen with a tasty plate of food to show for it.
There used to be a day when that meant I broke out the frozen dinners, canned food, or the time saving (albeit completely tasteless and unhealthy) Hamburger Helper *blek*. I had forgotten just how horrible those things were until I had my surgery a few years back and Kevin was in charge of cooking dinners for a few weeks. He grabbed a few boxes of good ol' HH, along with a few canned/jarred items. Now, far be it from me to complain when I can not get into the kitchen and cook for myself. But holy crap that stuff is nazzzzty. Zero flavor! When we sat down to eat dinner we took a bite, looked at each other, and both said "How did we ever eat this stuff?"! After that, Kevin pretty much grilled every meal until I was able to get into the kitchen and take over the job again.
But that got me to thinking. I used to love those quick fix boxes of time saving magic. Hamburger (or chicken), water, and possibly some milk, 30 minutes, and DING food is on the table and everybody is grubbin'. We all seemed to like it too. So I decided I needed to come up with some dishes that were reminiscent of the ones we had enjoyed, that used minimal ingredients and were done as quickly as possible (preferably 30 minutes). So that is why I came up with Mushroom Swiss Cheeseburger Macaroni, and . Both have become family favorites and go to meals when I need to get something on the table that is fairly quick and easy.
That is where the inspiration came from. I wanted another quick and easy meal, but wanted it to revolve around a protein other that ground beef. Oh, you can make the other dishes with ground pork, chicken, or turkey, without changing the flavors very much. But I wanted something completely different. Then I had a some leftover and wanted to use it for something other than sandwiches, or chicken salad (although it would make some bombtastic chicken salad!). I thought let's put it together with some salsa, pasta, and of course cheese......you can't forget the cheese!
If you don't have leftover chicken like me, or are truly wanting a 30 minute meal, grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. They are a working Mom's best friend, I swear! Even a food blogger takes help where they can find it, and I have been known to grab a couple, shred them, and put them into 1 cup portions in zipper top bags. Pop those into your freezer, marking them with the date of course, and when you need cooked chicken TADA you have it right there, ready to go.
You can change this up by adding any additional toppings that trip your trigger. Sour cream, chopped tomatoes, black olives, diced avocado? Go crazy with it and make it your own. You can also use whatever heat level you want when it comes to your salsa. My homemade has a bit of zing, but you can grab a medium or mild store bought salsa and it is just as good!
1 year ago - Garlic Chicken Casserole
2 years ago - Chipotle Chicken Braid
3 years ago - Beef Stroganoff Over Buttered Egg Noddles with Herbs
One-Pot Mexican Chicken Pasta
Published 11/12/2014
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound cooked, shredded chicken (I used leftover Poblano Chicken, but store bought rotisserie is good)
- 2 heaping tablespoons taco seasoning (can use store bought low-sodium)
- 8 ounces uncooked fusilli pasta
- 2 cups salsa, (can use store bought)
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1 (15-ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup corn frozen kernels
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar/jack cheese
- Chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the shredded chicken and taco seasoning. Stir to coat the chicken and to warm it a bit, then add the pasta, salsa, chicken broth and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cover until pasta is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in corn and black beans, and gently toss to combine. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the corn and beans are heated through. Stir in cheese 1 cup of the cheese, just until melted through. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese
Total time: 30 mins.
Tags: chicken, tomato, black beans, Mexican, corn, cilantro, salsa, cheese, pasta
Do You Shop Amazon?
When you start your Amazon shopping here, I get a small affiliate commission. THANK YOU!!Like what you see?Let's stay connected!
Now here are more weekday supper ideas to keep your tummies full and happy:
- Monday - Pork Fried Rice by A Mama, Baby & Shar-pei in the Kitchen
- Tuesday - Happy Family Stir Fry by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
- Wednesday - One-Pot Mexican Chicken Pasta by Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
- Thursday - Pan-Seared Salmon with Asparagus by Magnolia Days
- Friday - Cheesy Penne with Turkey & Spinach by The Foodie Army Wife
Bobbi! This looks oh my gosh yummy!!! Definitely #onthemenu ! Pinning
ReplyDeleteThanks Christy!! I am so glad you like it :)
DeleteNow that's one big pot of deliciousness!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Renee! It is soooo good!!
DeleteLooks so good, definitely trying this one!
ReplyDeleteThanks David! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did :)
DeleteThis looks awesome! It's a dish my family would love and I'm a sucker or a "baked" pasta dish!
ReplyDeleteYour photography is awesome too btw!
Thanks so much!! I love a one-pot meal and agree about pasta too!
Delete