Southwest Chicken Alfredo 🌶🍝🍗 — Creamy Pasta with Bold Tex-Mex Flavor

Southwest Chicken Alfredo 🌶🍝🍗 — Creamy Pasta with Bold Tex-Mex Flavor

Southwest Chicken Alfredo – Creamy and delicious southwest-style chicken pasta is the perfect easy dinner recipe. Made with seasoned pan-seared chicken, onions, garlic, and penne pasta tossed in a mouthwatering southwest-style cream sauce.

Oh. My. Gosh. This pasta is cheesy, creamy, and absolutely knock your socks off delicious! The best part? It’s super easy to make. Southwest Chicken Alfredo is the perfect pasta for the whole family.

We served ours with a side of toasty garlic bread. I’ll link a few of my favorite easy bread recipes that pair perfectly with this pasta for you below. I am so excited to share this recipe with you!

This pasta serves about 4 people, giving each person a generous portion. You can easily store leftovers completely cooled in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Simply reheat in the microwave or on the stove over low heat. Let’s get cooking!

Southwest Chicken Alfredo Skillet!

One Pan Southwest Chicken Alfredo Skillet is the answer to your EASY WEEKNIGHT MEAL needs! Loaded with chicken, corn, beans, and more. SO yum.

Southwest Chicken Alfredo 💃🧀🍗

Ultra-creamy Alfredo meets bold Southwest vibes—juicy seasoned chicken, bell peppers, sweet corn, and black beans tossed with pasta in a silky parmesan-lime cream sauce. One-pan friendly and totally family-approved.

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 25–30 mins

Total: ~40–45 mins

Yield: 4–6 servings

Ingredients

• 12 oz pasta (penne, rotini, or fettuccine)
• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
• 1 tbsp olive oil + 2 tbsp butter, divided
• 2–3 tsp Southwest/Cajun seasoning (or chili powder 1 tsp, cumin 1 tsp, paprika 1/2 tsp)
• 1 tsp kosher salt + 1/2 tsp black pepper, divided
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup corn kernels (fresh, canned, or frozen)
• 1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream (or 1 1/4 c cream + 1/2 c milk)
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 oz cream cheese, softened (optional ultra-creamy boost)
• Zest of 1 lime + 1–2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro (plus more to garnish)
• Optional heat: 1/4–1/2 tsp crushed red pepper or a dash of hot sauce

Instructions

1. Cook pasta: Boil in salted water to al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain.
2. Season chicken: Pat dry and toss with 1–1.5 tsp Southwest/Cajun seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper.
3. Sear: Heat 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Sear chicken 3–4 min per side until cooked through (165°F). Transfer to a plate.
4. Sauté veg: Add remaining 1 tbsp butter. Cook bell pepper 2–3 min. Stir in garlic 30 sec until fragrant. Add corn and black beans; toss 1 min.
5. Make sauce: Pour in broth and simmer 1–2 min, scraping bits. Add cream (and cream cheese if using). Lower heat; simmer gently 2–3 min to thicken slightly. Stir in Parmesan until melted. Season to taste with remaining seasoning, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using.
6. Finish: Return chicken (and juices) to skillet. Add pasta; toss. If needed, loosen with splashes of reserved pasta water. Stir in lime zest/juice and cilantro.
7. Serve: Garnish with extra Parmesan, cilantro, and lime wedges. Garlic bread or simple salad is 👌.

Tips & Swaps

• Lighter: Use half-and-half + 1 tsp cornstarch slurry; skip cream cheese.
• Veg swaps: Add diced tomatoes, jalapeño, or spinach at the end.
• Protein: Sub shrimp (cook separately 2–3 min/side) or rotisserie chicken (add at finish).

Nutrition (est., per 1/6)

~560 kcal • Protein 32g • Fat 30g • Carbs 44g.

Southwest Chicken Alfredo FAQ

Can I make it one-pot?

Yes—use 12 oz short pasta, 3 cups broth + 1 cup cream. After searing chicken and sautéing veg, add pasta, simmer covered until al dente, then stir in cream, cheeses, and finishers.

What pasta works best?

Penne, rotini, rigatoni, or fettuccine—shapes with ridges/surfaces hold the creamy sauce best.

Too thick or too thin?

Loosen with reserved pasta water or a splash of milk. If thin, simmer gently 1–2 min or add 2 oz cream cheese to emulsify.

Make-ahead & reheating?

Best fresh. For leftovers, add a splash of milk/cream and reheat low and slow on the stove or 50% power in the microwave.

Gluten-free?

Use GF pasta and verify broth/seasoning are GF. Sauce is naturally GF.