Creamy Chicken Mexican Pasta Bake is made with fresh vegetables, herbs, and chicken- making this a flavorful dish with Mexican flavor.
This recipe combines two of my favorite things, first being Mexican food, and the second being that this is a baked dish. Prepare in the morning, reheat and bake in the evening, or make all at once & enjoy this pasta filled with fresh ingredients and flavor.
The Orzo pasta allows all the flavors to be present by not over powering the sauce and vegetables with too much noodle in one bite. This makes great left overs too! When I make this, I keep half for my family and give the other half to friends or family. Serve with fresh pico and some Cojita cheese rounding it out to be one fantastic meal.
Enjoy from my oven to yours.
XOXO San
How do you make Creamy Chicken Mexican Pasta Bake?
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Heat oven to 350. Lightly spray baking dish with cooking spray, I use a 1-2 qt. oval one, but you can use square too.
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Cook pasta as directed and drain, set aside.
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Dice peppers and onion, cook and cut into 1-inch cubes, toss together and set aside in a bowl.
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In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, cook until it starts to turn a light golden brown color. Gradually stir in broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; remove from heat.
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Stir in milk, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Add Monterrey Jack cheese and stir until melted, remove from heat.
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Add in vegetables and chicken, green chiles, then add in pasta. Stir until well combined.
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Pour into prepared pan, cover, and bake in oven until pasta is warm and bubbly, about 15-20 minutes.
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Remove from oven and serve. Top with Cotija cheese and fresh pico.
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Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Season to taste and stir. Enjoy!
Be sure to check out my other creamy pasta bakes, like this Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake, Creamy “BLT” Pasta, and Chicken Fettuccine Bake!
Don’t forget to pin this to your favorite Pinterest board to save for later!
Creamy Chicken Mexican Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1 pound Orzo pasta boiled to al dente and drained
- 2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast sautéed or grilled, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 ears of corn cooked and kernels removed or 1 ½ cups of corn (I prefer fresh or frozen)
- 1-1 1/2 cup fresh cilantro torn into small pieces
- 2 fresh jalapenos diced
- 4 ounces diced green chiles
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 14.5 ounces chicken broth
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups Monterrey Jack Cheese
- 1/2 cup Cotija cheese
Fresh Pico: 1 cup
- 1 large tomato diced
- 1/2 white onion diced
- 1/2 lime juiced
- 1/3 cup cilantro leaves
- salt to taste
- garlic powder to taste
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350. Lightly spray baking dish with cooking spray, I use a 1-2 qt. oval one, but you can use square too.
- Cook pasta as directed and drain, set aside.
- Dice peppers and onion, cook and cut into 1 inch cubes, toss together and set aside in a bowl.
- In a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, cook until it starts to turn a light golden brown color. Gradually stir in broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; remove from heat.
- Stir in milk, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper and salt. Add Monterrey Jack cheese and stir until melted, remove from heat.
- Add in vegetables and chicken, green chiles, then add in pasta. Stir until well combined.
- Pour into prepared pan, cover, and bake in oven until pasta is warm and bubbly, about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and serve. Top with Cotija cheese and fresh pico.
Fresh Pico Recipe
- Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Season to taste and stir. Enjoy!
Kids review: They loved the pasta. At first they didn’t want to try it because they thought it was rice but after they learned it was like a Mexican Mac & Cheese they were willing to give it a go and it was a hit.
This looks delish! Your pictures look good enough to eat!
Thanks Jeni! xo San
oh great, now I want this yumminess for dinner 🙂 I am hopping over from tasty Tuesday. I hope you will share this at my hop on Thursday too. Hugs!
Thanks for coming by. xo San
Oh looks yummy and creamy and delish!
This looks so good! Stopping by from #WakeupWednesday.
Hopped over from Miz Helen’s Full Plate Thursday…I love Mexican food and this looks really delicious!
Thanks for coming by. xo San
Oh. my. goodness. This looks awesome! Pinning and making! Thanks for linking up 🙂
Thanks Lauren!! xo San
Thanks so much for sharing your delicious Creamy Chicken Mexican Pasta Bake with us at Full Plate Thursday, it is pinned! Have a great week and come back soon!
Miz Helen
This looks so good! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week!
Congratulations!
Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Enjoy your weekend and your new Red Plate!
Come Back Soon,
Miz Helen