Chile and Lime Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Chile and Lime Chicken Enchilada Pasta features penne pasta coated in a creamy enchilada sauce. It’s the skillet version of my popular sour cream enchiladas!

$11.21 per recipe / $1.40 per serving

I saw a video on social media the other week for an enchilada pasta and I knew I had to transform my reader favorite Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada recipe into a pasta dish.

I love how it turned out and how easy it was to make!

This recipe works because it’s

• Flavorful and fun! All of the spices, the enchilada sauce, and the lime make this a flavorful dish that’s different from the everyday pasta recipe.
• Easier than traditional enchiladas. There’s no assembly required for this dinner. Just throw everything into the skillet and it will be done in less than 30 minutes.
• A One Pot Meal (almost). If you don’t count the pot you’ll need to cook the pasta (and I don’t because it’s so easy to wash), then you’ll only have one pan to clean up after the meal!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Cook 16 ounces of penne pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, add 2 cups of rotisserie chicken, 10 ounces of canned green enchilada sauce, 10 ounces of cream of chicken soup, 4 ounces of canned diced green chiles, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and ½ teaspoon salt to a large skillet. Stir to combine.

Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes until the flavors combine.

Add 1 cup of shredded Colby Jack cheese to the skillet and stir until melted.

Reduce heat to low and stir 1 cup of sour cream into the chicken mixture.

Add drained pasta to the skillet and stir to coat the pasta.

Serve with lime wedges and diced avocado.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

The lime juice really gives this pasta a good flavor, so if you don’t have fresh limes on hand, you can add a few shakes of bottled lime juice.

I wanted to keep a green color on the pasta, but you could also top it with:

• Diced tomatoes
• Sliced olives
• Sliced green onion
• Cilantro leaves
• Additional sour cream

If you don’t have penne pasta on hand, you can use any medium-length pasta.

You can add a can of drained black beans for additional protein or to replace the chicken if you’re a vegetarian.

Try these substitutes if you’re out of certain ingredients or can’t have them for dietary reasons:

• Substitutes for green chiles
• Substitutes for cream of chicken soup

I chose to go the easy route with leftover rotisserie chicken, but you could definitely cook and shredded some chicken breasts or even use cubed steak or sweet pork barbacoa.

Recipe Costs

This yummy dish is one of our most budget-friendly recipes. The entire meal costs $11.21 to make which is only $1.40 per serving! It ticks all the boxes of a quick and easy low-cost meal.

• Penne Pasta – $0.98
• Rotisserie Chicken – $2.98
• Green Enchilada Sauce – $1.98
• Cream of Chicken Soup – $0.68
• Diced Green Chiles – $0.84
• Chili Powder – $0.12
• Ground Cumin – $0.09
• Colby Jack Cheese – $0.99
• Sour Cream – $1.24
• Lime Wedges – $0.25
• Avocado – $1.06

More Like This

Looking for more Tex-Mex recipes? You’ll love these!

• Chile Relleno Casserole
• Avocado Picante Chicken
• Shredded Chicken Cafe Rio Salad
• Creamy Taco Soup
• White Chicken Chili

FAQs

I hope your family loves this chicken enchilada pasta! If you make it, be sure to take a picture and tag me on Instagram with @ashcroftfamilytable and use the hashtag #ashcroftfamilytable!

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