Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Chicken Enchilada, meet pasta. Pasta, meet Chicken enchiladas. This recipe really needs no introduction, you will want to keep this one on regular rotation of your meal plan.

I found this recipe on Pinterest in 2011.  I have been making it regularly for 10 years because it is so so good and so fast!  I put frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot in the morning (add in some onion powder, cumin, and minced garlic) and let it cook for the day.  Then I shred it when I am ready to assemble dinner. 

If you want to make this a no-prep meal, have the shredded chicken in the freezer and you can assemble everything in 30 minutes.

Make this asap…and be sure to serve it with extra yummy toppings.  My kids love their with sour cream and extra cheese.  My husband tops his with salad fixings, and give me ALL the guacamole and black olives.  OH YUM!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 oz can mild, diced green chilis
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 cans (10 oz each) mild green chili enchilada sauce
• 2/3 cup red enchilada sauce
• 2 cups shredded Colby jack cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 lb penne or rotini pasta
• garnish with avocado, tomatoes, black olives, etc.

Instructions

1. Cook chicken and shred
2. Meanwhile boil pasta according to package and chop the veggies. The most time consuming part of this recipe is the time spent chopping the veggies. And seriously…it took like, 5 minutes 😉
3. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet and cook onions for about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic & red pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
4. Add cooked chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, & enchilada sauces. Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes.
5. Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through. Now toss in the sour cream, but whatever you do, DO NOT bring to a boil! Cook on low heat or the sour cream will curdle. Gross. Stir until sour cream is well mixed and heated through.
6. Drain pasta & return to pot.
7. Pour sauce over pasta and mix well.
8. Serve and garnish with avocado, tomato, green onion, and a dollop of sour cream
9. Enjoy!

Liked the Chicken Enchilada Pasta? Try my Creamy Chicken Pasta