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Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Chicken Enchilada Pasta is an easy pasta recipe that is inspired by the Tex Mex flavors of Chicken Enchiladas. 

Make sure to try my Chicken Enchiladas Recipe if you’re a fan of Tex Mex food!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

This Chicken Enchilada Pasta is so super simple, loaded with flavor and easy to prepare! You have all the makings of chicken enchiladas in this easy pasta recipe. 

Chicken Enchiladas are an easy dinner idea that we have in our house on a regular basis, but I thought I would get a little creative and do a recipe mash-up! Tex-Mex food is always a good idea and this recipe will feed a crowd!

What is Chicken Enchilada Pasta?

I love the flavor of red enchiladas. But strangely it seems like it’s one of those dishes I only order when I go out to a Mexican restaurant! But I decided to take all those flavors and create an easy pasta recipe. This not only is great for a weeknight dinner because you will most likely have leftover, but this is also why it works for feeding a crowd. 

What Kind Of Chicken Should I Use?

This recipe uses cooked chicken. You can simply bake, grill, or pan fry chicken breasts and cube it up. You can also make my super easy Shredded Chicken, which is done in 30 minutes, or use a store-bought rotisserie chicken. If you want to go the extra mile for a more flavor-packed option, try my Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken recipe!

How to Make Chicken Enchilada Pasta

This recipe has a few steps, but they are all very easy, and can easily be prepped ahead. As a matter of fact, this whole recipe is a great make-ahead meal!

a red bell pepper, a jalapeno, a spanish onion, and a green bell pepper on a white cutting board with a chef's knife

Chop up your veggies: you will be using a combo of red pepper pepper, jalapeno, onion, and green bell pepper. 

red bell peppers, green bell peppers, and onion diced on a white cutting board

Saute those vegetables until they’re soft in a large, deep skillet in some olive oil. This will take about 10 minutes. (I used this skillet that I’ve had for years. It’s 5- quarts and it worked perfect for this recipe.)

Once the veggies are soft add in your cooked chicken.

adding diced chicken breast to a deep nonstick skillet with a wooden spoon

Then stir in a can of enchilada sauce, a can of refried beans (which works great for added protein and flavor, as well as a way to thicken up your sauce), some cumin, kosher salt, and lime juice. Cook this for 5 minutes, just to heat it through. This is the base for your pasta!

You can adjust the seasoning of the sauce at this point. Add some more salt or pepper if you would like, or you can add in some cayenne pepper for heat.

Next you’re going to add in a pound of precooked  pasta (drain it well) and stir it up evenly. I usually boil the pasta while the onions and peppers are cooking. I like using the short Rigatoni (Mezzi Rigatoni) for this pasta recipe, but you could use penne, shells, rigatoni etc. Any short pasta will work.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta in a deep skillet

Transfer the saucy pasta into a 9×13 casserole baking dish and cover that with grated cheese. You can use the pre-grated or grate your own.

Bake it until the cheese is all melted and the pasta is bubbly. This only takes about 15 minutes because everything is already warm and cooked!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta Topping Suggestions:

This pasta begs to be topped with all the things! Here are some of my favorite ideas:

  • Chopped cilantro
  • Diced jalapeno
  • A drizzle of Avocado Salsa
  • Sour Cream
  • Black Olives
  • Diced Avocado
Baked Enchilada Pasta being served with a large spoon from the casserole dish

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Store this pasta airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can reheat it in individual servings in the microwave most easily!

To Freeze: This is a great recipe to freeze before baking. Store the whole casserole in the freezer for up to 3 months airtight. I find it best to thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before baking. 

More Weeknight-Friendly Pastas

Looking for more pasta recipes? Try these:

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Baked Chicken Enchilada Pasta topped with melted cheese in a 9x13 white baking dish

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

  • Author: Cookies & Cups
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: serves 6-8 1x
  • Category: Pasta
  • Method: Oven/Stove Top
  • Cuisine: Tex Mex

Description

This Chicken Enchilada Pasta an easy pasta recipe that has all the flavors of the Tex Mex classic!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound Mezzi Rigatoni
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large red pepper, chopped
  • 1 large green pepper, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
  • 4 cooked chicken breasts, chopped or 1 shredded Rotisserie Chicken
  • 2 (10- ounce) cans red enchilada sauce
  • 1 cup refried beans
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 1/22 cups grated Mexican blend cheese (1/2 cheddar, 1/2 jack)
  • optional garnishes: Sour cream, diced avocado, black olives

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C
  2. Boil the pasta according to the package directions, and rinse with cool water.
  3. While the pasta is cooking heat the olive oil a large skillet over medium heat. Place all the peppers and onion in the pan and saute until they are soft, about 10 minutes.
  4. Add the chicken to the pan, followed by the enchilada sauce, the beans, cumin, salt and lime juice.
  5. Stir to combine and cook on medium-low for 5 minutes until heated through and smooth.
  6. At this point salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Add in your cooked pasta to the skillet and stir to combine evenly.
  8. Transfer the pasta mixture into a 9×13 baking dish and cover with grated cheese.
  9. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted.
  10. Serve immediately

Notes

store airtight in refrigerator for up to 5 days

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 566
  • Sugar: 5.5 g
  • Sodium: 715.7 mg
  • Fat: 20.2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 53.8 g
  • Protein: 40.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 94.4 mg

Keywords: pasta recipe, dinner recipe, cookies and cups, chicken recipe, tex mex, chicken enchilada

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14 comments on “Chicken Enchilada Pasta”

  1. I made this this wknd, & it couldn’t have been easier. I didn’t have any rigatoni on hand so I used large macaroni shells, & it was great!

  2. Katy | Her Cup of Joy

    MMMM! I love easy pastas like these, I made something similar with leftover grilled chicken yesterday! Always my favorite meal to cook after work 🙂

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