Chicken Chipotle Pasta
Morita chiles are red, fully mature Chipotles. This gives them a unique, medium – hot smokey flavor which is popular in many Southwestern dishes. These can be added to sauces (including Mole) to add smokey flavor and maintain the red color of the sauces. These peppers are about 2-4 inches in length, 1 inch in width, and have a deep brick reddish brown color. The word Chipotle translated to smoked chile. Consider the Chipotle a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hottest). Scoville heat units 7,000-25,000.
Suggested Use:
Use Morita in enchilada sauces, chili, stews, barbecue ribs, and corn bread. Their smoky quality combines well with poultry, meats and fall squash.
Yield: (6 servings)
Ingredients
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1½ lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
½ cup thinly sliced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz.) petite-diced tomatoes, drained
¾ cup half & half
2 chipotle peppers, rehydrated in hot water, seeded, and chopped
½ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 lb. pasta (I used mezzi rigatoni)
Instructions
1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and chicken. Cook for 5 minutes, turning the chicken over after about 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic; cook an additional 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, half & half, chipotle peppers and salt. Stir to combine. Simmer, uncovered, for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cilantro.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking water.
3. Toss the pasta with the chicken sauce mixture. Add reserved water as needed to thin out sauce. Serve immediately.
From lovebakesgoodcakes.com