Chipotle Lime Chicken Pasta

Ingredients

• 48 oz Skinless chicken thighs
• 7 oz Chipotle peppers in adobo
• 2 tbsp Honey
• 0.75 cup Red enchilada sauce
• 150 g Yellow onion (Diced)
• 450 g Bell peppers (Diced)
• 6 tbsp Lime juice (Juice of 3 limes)
• 1 tsp Lime zest (Zest of 3 limes)
• 1 cup Cilantro (Chopped)
• 80 oz Cooked rigatoni (The source identifies this as 32 oz uncooked pasta, yielding 80 oz cooked; cook for half the package time.)
• 1.5 cup Nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 cup Light sour cream
• 1.5 cups Fat-free ultrafiltered milk
• 2.5 cups Reduced-fat mozzarella
• 1 tbsp Tajin
• 2 tbsp Salt
• Garlic powder (Amount unspecified)
• Cumin (Amount unspecified)
• Black pepper (Amount unspecified)

Steps

1. 1

   Cook the rigatoni for half of the cooking time stated on the package. Drain it and set it aside.

2. 2

   Add the chicken thighs, chipotle peppers in adobo, honey, red enchilada sauce, diced yellow onion, diced bell peppers, Tajin, salt, garlic powder, cumin, and pepper to a slow cooker.

3. 3

   Cook on High for 3–4 hours or on Low for 4–5 hours, until the chicken is tender.

4. 4

   Shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker.

5. 5

   Add the lime juice, lime zest, and chopped cilantro to the shredded chicken mixture, then stir to combine.

6. 6

   Stir in the cooked pasta, nonfat Greek yogurt, light sour cream, and fat-free ultrafiltered milk.

7. 7

   Top the mixture with the reduced-fat mozzarella. Cover the slow cooker and let it cook for 20 more minutes, until the cheese has melted.

8. 8

   Separate the finished pasta into 10 equal servings and store the portions in the freezer.

9. 9

   To reheat a refrigerated portion, microwave for 2 minutes, stir, add a splash of water, and microwave for 2 additional minutes.

10. 10

    To reheat a frozen portion, microwave for 3 minutes, stir, add a splash of water, and microwave for 3 additional minutes. The transcript also describes reheating frozen portions for about 4 minutes before stirring; use the detailed written directions as the primary reheating instructions.

Notes

The written directions specify High for 3–4 hours or Low for 4–5 hours, followed by 20 additional minutes after adding the cheese. The source does not specify amounts for garlic powder, cumin, or pepper. Freeze portions after dividing. The stated yield is 10 servings at 517 calories and 45 g protein per serving. The transcript says to cook the pasta for about half its package time and describes the slow cooker as cooking on medium for about four hours, which differs from the detailed written directions.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• Mexican-inspired
• slow-cooked
• freezer-friendly
• meal prep
• high-protein
• pasta
• chicken