Tuesday, January 22, 2019

THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY INSPIRED: SPICY CHIPOTLE CHICKEN PASTA

I'm a huge proponent of eating frequently at The Cheesecake Factory; they can just get every dish down top-notch and get five-stars every time I've had the food, not to forget their most beloved food mascot: the amazing cheesecakes. That being said, I feel like their spicy chicken chipotle pasta is a bit of an underdog when it comes to the hype. I don't hear a lot of people talking about it but it is just as amazing if not more delicious than the other pastas they have on offering. It has the most sumptuous honey-glazed chicken mixed in with asparagus, crispy tortilla sticks and a sweet, smokey, spicy lip-smacking chipotle sauce. If you haven't happen to catch this on the blog before, I love tangy dishes, especialy those which have a bit of spicy and sweet.

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The Cheesecake Factory's Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta recipe #restaurant #style #delicious #Pasta #chicken #chipotle #best #copycat

Long story short, my friend originally ordered this from The Cheesecake Factory first whilst we all ordered something else. On a side note, their Baja Chicken Tacos and Bistro Shrimp are delectable too. However, following tasting this dish from my friend, I was hooked.
The home-made version can easily be called a copycat recipe-except that I didn't really have Penne pasta on hand which is what is used in the original dish as well as any asparagus. If you can get those two ingredients right, then it's pretty much a copycat recipe. I had elbow macaroni available and green beans instead of asparagus so that is what I used.


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The Cheescake Factory inspired: Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta

Serves: 4-6 people
Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

300g Pasta of choice (Penne is best but I had elbow macaroni available)

For the chicken marinade:
1. 450g chicken fillet in bite sized chunks
2. 1 tbsp distilled vinegar/lemon juice
3. 2 tbsp smoked chipotle seasoning
4. 1 tbsp honey
5. Salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:
1. 3 tbsp unsalted butter
2. 1 small onion chopped
3. 1-2 bellpeppers chopped (in a mix of different colors for vibrancy)
4. Mixed frozen vegetables (the original dish calls for steaming asparagus separately and just peas for added veggies)
5. 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
6. 1/5th cup chipotle sauce
7. 2 tbsp smoked chipotle seasoning
7. 2 cups heavy cream (or substitute with half and half to make a lighter version)
8. 3 tbsp honey (or more depending on how sweet you'd like to go)
9. Whole Milk (optional)
10. Salt (to taste)
11. 150-200 g parmesan cheese + additional grated for garnish
12. Parsley flakes, dried for garnish
13. Crispy Tortilla chips, for garnish


Directions:

1. Begin by cooking your pasta according to the directions on the package and keeping aside.
2. In a separate bowl, mix in the chicken chunks with the rest of the marinade ingredients and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the veggies.
3. Add the butter to a non-stick sauce pan and toss in the chicken chunks flipping as needed till the surface is golden brown and cooked through.
4. Take out the chicken and keep aside. Do not clean the pan as the crusty bits from cooking the chicken give a ton of flavor. Add any additional butter if needed, otherwise toss in the bell peppers and onion, frying till translucent.
5. Add in the garlic next and fry it till it turns golden and becomes fragrant. Add the rest of the mixed vegetables until they slightly soften and then re-add the chicken back in the pan.
6. Next, mix in the two tablespoons of chipotle seasoning and the chipotle sauce and coat thoroughly. You might want to add slightly more or less depending on the heat you'd like. We love the heat to be moderately high but not too much.
7. Add in the whipped cream and bring to a boil. This is also when the sauce thickens. Add in the parmesan cheese next and keep an eye on how thick you want the sauce to go. If you find the sauce to be too thick, add in a dash of the milk to thin it down. Personally, I love the consistency of the sauce from The Cheesecake Factory. It isn't too thick that weighs your palate down but on the thinner yet still very creamy side.
     The sauce will thicken a lot more once the heat has been turned off which is something else to keep in mind when adding the milk.
8. Sprinkle on the salt according to taste and give it a final mix.

Mix in the pasta with the sauce. For plating, spoon in the creamy pasta on to the dish. Grate some extra parmesan on top and add in the crispy tortilla sticks right in the center. My tortilla chips were pre-seasoned from the package as well which made the experience so much more flavor and the crunch twice as satisfying. Finish with a sprinkling of parsley flakes and serve immediately.

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The Cheesecake Factory's Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta recipe #restaurant #style #delicious #Pasta #chicken #chipotle #best #copycat

Honestly, I cannot even begin to describe the sheer, mesmerizing delight the flavors of this dish bring to me. They are so addictive which is why I'm happy I now have a homemade version and my wallet does not have to cry because The Cheesecake Factory is not exactly the most budget-friendly place to begin with :)
I also love that you can change up the protein and use the same marinade for shrimp or fish and it would still be delicious. I think I might give a try with honey-glazed shrimps next time because I adore shrimp pasta.

The Cheesecake Factory's Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta recipe #restaurant #style #delicious #Pasta #chicken #chipotle #best #copycat

The Cheesecake Factory's Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta recipe #restaurant #style #delicious #Pasta #chicken #chipotle #best #copycat

It is seriously ridiculous how tasty a little bit of sweet, spicy and smokey can combine to make something so irresistible. Remember though, portion sizes are very important :D

If you loved this recipe, you might love heading over to try other scrumptious cuisines I have recipes for on the blog. 



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Till next time, XO

Nash


Friday, December 14, 2018

FREE PRINTABLE GIFTWRAP PAPER!

Hello lovelies! I have a present for you all today. Here is a gorgeous new bundle of free giftwrap paper to jazz up your your presents. They are all sorts of sparkly (you guys know I adore gold) and the colors are nice, rich and autumnal (or winter-ish). I felt like the colors should be season-appropriate, what do you all think? Have I captured the winter palette well? If you have seen my super popular previous winter printables collection (The Better Winter Blues - check it out here for free download), you know my love for navy as well but instead of the hot fuchsia, I played with some peaches and maroons this time.

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Free Festive Giftwrap Papers by Craft A Doodle Doo #free #giftwrap #papers #Printables #party #winter #celebrate #gifts #patterns

Now we don't have snowy winters in my country and the maximum the temperature drops to is maybe 20 degrees Celsius (68F for the Americans) so we do have plenty of cool, pleasant winds blowing at least. I have never played with snow and I haven't cozied up in those huge woolly blankets either, but this is my way of capturing that winter charm- and hopefully I'll get to visit a place with snow-capped mountains and starry nights to enjoy soon, but until then: wishful thinking will do :D

Free Festive Giftwrap Papers by Craft A Doodle Doo #free #giftwrap #papers #Printables #party #winter #celebrate #gifts #patterns

Now you can use this paper for giftwrap sure- but as you can see you can also use them to customize envelopes like in the picture above or even as envelope liners. That would make a cute fun pop of color. You can also use as gift tags (I recently released a huge gift tag collection for free as well) or make some sweet cards with them (Check out ready-made printable gratitude greeting cards here). The possibilities are endless.


If you have trouble downloading, drop me an email at miraclespyer19(at)gmail(dot)com so I can send them over to you personally.

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Looking for more festive downloads?

Editable Festive Holiday Tags, Watercolor Christmas card set, Printable PDF Template for favor tags, Instant digital download at Craft A Doodle Doo



Love these?

CHECK OUT THE REST OF MY FREEBIES HERE


Free Art Prints, Illustrations and Graphic Resources by Craft A Doodle Doo




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Till next time, XO

Nash

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Friday, December 7, 2018

FREE GREETINGS CARDS PRINTABLES

Hello there! You must have heard actions speak louder than words- but, what if you better way to combine both actions and words to make a loud statement to a bestie or loved one? Now you can by printing one of these FREE super cute greeting cards, write a custom note inside and send it over as a sweet surprise to the hubby or BFF. Take a look below:

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Free Printable Greetings Cards by Craft A Doodle Doo #free #printable #greetings #cards #gifts #party #presents #festival #celebrate #love
Aren't they adorable? You just print one on some glossy, photo paper or good ol' cardstock, fold it in half and scribble on a hand-written note to brighten up that special someone's day-easy peasy! They would pair so beautifully with a hand-crafted present as well or simply with a box of delicious chocolates. The cards are all super crisp and high-quality and the colors sure pop out at first glance. Let me know what you think, all the files are available for download as a zip folder below.
Free Printable Greetings Cards by Craft A Doodle Doo #free #printable #greetings #cards #gifts #party #presents #festival #celebrate #love

I have created tons of printables before including gift tags that you can see in my last post and dozens of pretty digital paper too. If you're looking specifically for my winter printables, head over here!

Free Printable Greetings Cards by Craft A Doodle Doo #free #printable #greetings #cards #gifts #party #presents #festival #celebrate #love


Great to send over digitally too, of course, in case you are not the conventional card-writer or feeling crafty. I personally adooooore hand-written notes. 

I have TONS more freebies waiting for you! Check them out below:


Having trouble downloading the zip file?
Drop me an email at miraclespyer19(at)gmail(dot)com and I'll send them back to you! <3

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Till next time, XO

Nash



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