Creamy Avocado Pasta with Chicken

Try this Creamy Avocado Pasta with Chicken, and enjoy a different twist on pasta night with a simple 30 minute weeknight dinner recipe.

This week I found a couple of slightly overripe avocados in my refrigerator, so thought it might be fun to incorporate them into a flavorful sauce in today’s Creamy Avocado Pasta with Chicken recipe. Some seasoned chicken and a little Rotel (or your friendly neighborhood ALDI equivalent like I used here…) round out the dish, making it a filling weeknight dinner option.

I’ll be the first to admit that this is not exactly the most beautiful pasta I’ve ever made. But, as we all know: It’s not easy being green! More important than how it looks, though, is how it tastes — and this hearty avocado pasta recipe has such a nice balance of flavors.

Creamy Avocado Pasta with Chicken

Envision lime in here, too! It didn’t make it into the photo…

Ingredients

– for the chicken

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil, divided
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

– for the pasta

12 oz box rotini

– for the sauce

1/2 of a medium yellow onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
2 avocados, peeled & diced
1/2 cup sour cream
10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
Juice of 1/2 a lime, to taste

Directions

Start salted water boiling for the rotini. Once boiling, cook pasta al dente according to package directions, drain, and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, trim the chicken and chop it into bite-sized pieces. Season the chicken with sea salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne, and chili powder.

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet (use cast iron, if you have it) over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook chicken over medium-high heat for 7-9 minutes, stirring and flipping occasionally, until cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, cut up your onion, avocado, and garlic.

Remove the cooked chicken from the pan to a separate bowl. Reduce heat to medium under the skillet, and add 1 tsp olive oil.

Add the onion to the pan and cook over medium heat for four minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the garlic and continue to cook briefly over medium heat.

Reduce the heat to low and stir in the sour cream, tomatoes, and avocado for a minute or so to combine. 

Pour the avocado/sour cream/tomato mixture over the drained pasta. Squeeze in the lime juice, then toss gently to combine flavors and coat the pasta. Stir in the reserved cooked chicken, and serve immediately. 

Note: Cooking time on the chicken will vary depending on how small you cut it up, so keep an eye on it. You’ll get an especially nice sear in a cast iron skillet, but a regular skillet will also work for this recipe.

That’s a different twist on pasta night

The sour cream and avocado in this recipe cut the heat from the seasonings on the chicken and tomatoes nicely, giving creamy avocado pasta a lot of flavor — but without too much spice. Don’t skip the lime juice, because it just brightens up the taste at the end.

More pasta recipes?

If you are looking for more different ways to enjoy pasta night beyond the same old spaghetti & meatballs, check out some of these:

• Gyros inspired pasta with Greek yogurt sauce
• Butternut squash & kale browned butter pasta
• Roasted broccoli pasta with chicken & mushrooms
• Italian chicken, veggie, & pasta skillet
• Greek yogurt lemon linguine with asparagus & mushrooms
• Smoked sausage, zucchini, & spinach pasta

Don’t settle for just a jar of sauce, when there are so many other options for changing up your pasta!

Creamy Avocado Pasta with Chicken, printable recipe

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Creamy Avocado Pasta with Chicken

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Try this Creamy Avocado Pasta with Chicken & enjoy a different twist on pasta night with a simple 30 minute weeknight dinner recipe!

Course dinner

Keyword avocado pasta, avocados, chicken, pasta, weeknight dinner

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Rachel Singer

Ingredients

- for the chicken

• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil divided
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• Sea salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste

- for the pasta

• 12 oz box rotini

- for the sauce

• 1/2 of a medium yellow onion diced
• 1 tsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
• 2 avocados peeled & diced
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• Juice of 1/2 a small lime to taste

Instructions

• Start salted water boiling for the rotini. Once boiling, cook pasta al dente according to package directions, drain, and return to the pot.
• Meanwhile, trim the chicken and chop it into bite-sized pieces. Season the chicken with sea salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne, and chili powder.
• Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet (use cast iron, if you have it) over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook chicken over medium-high heat for 7-9 minutes, stirring and flipping occasionally, until cooked through.
• While the chicken is cooking, cut up your onion, avocado, and garlic.
• Remove the cooked chicken from the pan to a separate bowl. Reduce heat to medium under the skillet, and add 1 tsp olive oil.
• Add the onion to the pan and cook over medium heat for four minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the garlic and continue to cook briefly over medium heat.
• Reduce the heat to low and stir in the sour cream, tomatoes, and avocado for a minute or so to combine. 
  
• Pour the avocado/sour cream/tomato mixture over the drained pasta. Squeeze in the lime juice, then toss gently to combine flavors and coat the pasta. 
• Stir in the reserved cooked chicken, and serve immediately.

Notes

Cooking time on the chicken will vary depending on how small you cut it up, so keep an eye on it. You'll get an especially nice sear in a cast iron skillet, but a regular skillet will also work for this recipe.

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