Sonora Chicken Pasta

Karen Sokol

This is my variation of Ruby Tuesday's Sonora Chicken.

Cheese Sauce:

1 lb. Velveeta cheese (or 1 16-oz.) jar Cheese Whiz

1/2 canned milk or light cream

2 T. minced red chili pepper

4 T. green chili pepper (1/2 pepper), minced

4 T. minced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp. olive oil

2 T. water

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 T. vinegar

1/4 tsp. vinegar

Combine the cheese spread with the canned milk or cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir the cheese often until it melts and becomes smooth.

Sauté red chili pepper, 2 T. green chili pepper, 2 T. onion, and 1/2 clove garlic in the olive oil for a couple minutes then add water to the pan so that the pepper do not scorch. Simmer another 2 minutes or until the water has cooked off. (The remaining pepper, onions, and garlic will be used in the beans)

When the cheese is smooth, add the sautéed vegetables, 1/4 tsp. salt, sugar, vinegar, and cumin. Leave on very low heat stirring occasionally until other ingredients are ready, or just turn off heat and re-heat when ready. It can scorch fast and get thick, so you might need to thin it down with more cream or milk.

Beans:

1 15-oz. can black beans

Dash paprika

1 can diced tomatoes

Pour the entire can of beans with the liquid into a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining minced pepper, onion, garlic plus the paprika and can of tomatoes. Bring the beans to a boil, stirring often, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer until everything else is ready. By this time the beans will have thickened and the onions will have become transparent.

Chicken:

Rub 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves with salt and seasonings. I use lemon pepper but you can use a thyme, or whatever you like to season chicken.

Cook the breasts on a broiler pan and broil for about 6 to 7 minutes on each side. You can grill the chicken on the barbeque or use left over chicken. When the chicken is done, remove and use a sharp knife to slice each breast into 1/2 " slices. Keep the shape of the chicken breast by keeping slices in order as you slice.

As the chicken cooks, prepare the Pasta:

1 16 oz. box penne pasta

1 T. butter

Cook the pasta in 3 to 4 quarts of boiling water for 11 minutes, (do not add oil to the water. We want the sauce to coat the pasta.) Drain and toss with butter.

When everything is ready, re-heat the cheese sauce if you turned it off, spoon 1/4 of the pasta onto each plate. Pour 1/3 cup of the cheese sauce over the pasta. Add the chicken; keep the shape as you lay in on the pasta. Spread 1/3 cup of the black beans over chicken. Or you can serve each part separately in serving bowls and let everyone create their own plate. Serve immediately, it cools off quickly!