Cilantro Lime Chicken Pasta (Printable)

Vibrant creamy pasta with tender chicken, fresh cilantro, and tangy lime yogurt sauce. Light, flavorful, and ready in 40 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta and Chicken

01 - 12 ounces rotini pasta
02 - 2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast

→ Cilantro-Lime Yogurt Sauce

03 - 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
04 - 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
05 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
06 - 1 teaspoon lime zest
07 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
09 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
10 - 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
11 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
12 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Optional Garnishes

13 - 1/4 cup cotija or feta cheese, crumbled
14 - Extra chopped cilantro
15 - Lime wedges

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook rotini pasta according to package directions. Drain thoroughly and set aside.
02 - While pasta cooks, combine Greek yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, garlic, olive oil, cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and vibrant green.
03 - In a large bowl, toss the cooked rotini and shredded chicken with the cilantro-lime yogurt sauce until evenly coated.
04 - Taste the mixture and adjust salt, pepper, or lime juice as needed to balance flavors.
05 - Transfer to serving plates and garnish with crumbled cotija or feta cheese, additional cilantro, and lime wedges. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The creamy yogurt sauce packs so much bright flavor that you will forget it is not a heavy cream based pasta
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes but tastes like something that simmered all afternoon
  • The leftovers somehow taste even better the next day when the flavors really settle in
02 -
  • The sauce will look almost too green when you first blend it, but that color fades a bit once it coats the warm pasta
  • If you make this ahead of time, reserve a handful of pasta water to loosen the sauce before serving because Greek yogurt thickens up in the fridge
  • The garlic flavor mellows significantly after sitting for 15 minutes, so do not panic if the raw sauce tastes intense at first
03 -
  • Chop your cilantro stems and all because they hold so much flavor and the blender takes care of any texture issues
  • Room temperature yogurt blends more smoothly than cold straight from the fridge
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