Cheesecake Factory Chicken Chipotle Pasta is a copycat recipe with pasta tossed with honey glazed chicken pieces, asparagus, peppers, and peas, all in a spicy adobo cream sauce. It may sound like a lot, but trust me when I say this recipe is so flavorful and delicious your family is going to be asking for seconds!
The nature of my job means we try a lot of new recipes in our house. And some of them just hit different and we know right away it’s going to become a regular in our dinner rotation.
This is one of those recipes.
This chipotle chicken pasta is so full of flavor at every level. From the honey chicken pieces, to the spicy adobo cream sauce, to the oodles of veggies, this one is going to have your family fighting over the leftovers- if there are even any leftovers to begin with!
For another Cheesecake Factory copycat, check out Crusted Chicken Romano. For a recipe similar to this one, but without the vegetables, try this Spicy Chicken Pasta recipe.
For even more copycat dishes, try Texas Roadhouse Smothered Chicken, Texas Roadhouse Herb Crusted Chicken, and Popcorn Chicken Bowl (Copycat KFC Famous Bowl).
Ingredients
- Dry pasta: Cheesecake factory uses penne for this recipe, so that’s what I used as well. Any pasta will work though.
- Chicken: This recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken breasts cut up into bite-sized pieces. You can also use chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Honey: This may seem a little unusual, but trust the process. The little bit of sweetness it adds really amplifies the flavor of the chicken bites and offsets the spiciness of the dish perfectly.
- Vegetables: A mix of asparagus, bell pepper, and frozen peas.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic will give best flavor.
- Onion: Yellow onion is my go to for sauteing into sauces and soups.
- Adobo Peppers: You will find these in the mexican food aisle. You can use just the liquid in the can or blend up the peppers themselves. I use the liquid for ease.
- Heavy cream: Essential for making the creamy sauce.
- Parmesan Cheese: As always, I recommend freshly grated cheese for best flavor and meltability.
- Peas: Frozen peas work great in this recipe. No need to thaw them beforehand.
How to make cheesecake factory chicken chipotle pasta at home
Step 1. Cut chicken breasts into bite sized pieces. Add them to a bowl along with 1 tbsp. of adobo sauce, 1 tbsp. of oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 24 hours.
Step 2. Boil a large pot of water. This will be used for both the asparagus and pasta.
Once the water is boiling, add asparagus pieces and cook for 3-5 minutes depending on their thickness, thicker will take closer to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove asparagus pieces and immediately place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set to the side.
To the still boiling water, add pasta and cook until al dente. When draining, reserve ½ cup of pasta water to be used in the sauce.
Step 3. To a large deep skillet, add 1 tbsp. oil and heat over medium heat. Add diced peppers, minced garlic, and diced onions and cook until the onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Remove to a plate to the side.
Step 4. To the same skillet, add chicken pieces. Working in stages so you don't overcrowd the pan, brown chicken until cooked through.
Step 5. Reduce heat to medium low and add honey. Stir to coat chicken pieces and remove chicken to the side plate.
Step 6. Again to the same skillet, you are going to create the adobo cream sauce. Add reserved pasta water, heavy cream, ¼ cup of adobo sauce, and parmesan cheese. Simmer for 1-2 minutes to reduce.
Step 7. Add all ingredients back to the pan, including cooked honey chicken pieces, blanched asparagus, peppers, onions and garlic, frozen peas and cooked pasta.
Step 8. Stir to combine and enjoy.
Recipe Tips
- Be sure to reserve some pasta water when draining the noodles for use in the sauce. If you happen to forget, you can substitute in another liquid like water or chicken stock. It won’t have the thickening properties, but it will do in a pinch.
- You can do a lot of the prep work ahead of time for this recipe, such as marinating the chicken pieces and chopping up all of the veggies. This will make it easier on yourself when it comes to dinner time.
Storage
Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. This pasta dish reheats really well.
I wouldn’t recommend freezing it, as both pasta and cream sauce generally don’t freeze super well.
More Pasta Recipes
If you try this Cheesecake Factory Chicken Chipotle Pasta please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love to hear from you.
Cheesecake Factory Chicken Chipotle Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb. asparagus cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- 1 lb. penne pasta
- ½ cup pasta water reserved from cooking pasta
- 1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 tbsp. neutral oil divided
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- ¼ cup chipotle peppers in adobo plus 1 tbsp. for the chicken marinade, just the sauce
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 yellow bell pepper diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts into bite sized pieces. Add them to a bowl along with 1 tbsp. of adobo sauce, 1 tbsp. of oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 24 hours.
- Boil a large pot of water. This will be used for both the asparagus and pasta.
- Once the water is boiling, add asparagus pieces and cook for 3-5 minutes depending on their thickness, thicker will take closer to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove asparagus pieces and immediately place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set to the side.
- To the still boiling water, add pasta and cook until al dente. When draining, reserve ½ cup of pasta water to be used in the sauce.
- To a large deep skillet, add 1 tbsp. oil and heat over medium heat. Add diced peppers, minced garlic, and diced onions and cook until the onions are translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Remove to a plate to the side.
- To the same skillet, add chicken pieces. Working in stages so you don't overcrowd the pan, brown chicken until cooked through.
- Reduce heat to medium low and add honey. Stir to coat chicken pieces and remove chicken to the side plate.
- Again to the same skillet, you are going to create the adobo cream sauce. Add reserved pasta water, heavy cream, ¼ cup of adobo sauce, and parmesan cheese. Simmer for 1-2 minutes to reduce.
- Add all ingredients back to the pan, including cooked honey chicken pieces, blanched asparagus, peppers, onions and garlic, frozen peas and cooked pasta.
- Stir to combine and enjoy.
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