Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch Chicken Pasta
Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch Chicken Pasta uses the popular sauce to make a spicy, creamy noodle dish in just minutes with an Instant Pot! One of the best uses for this condiment is in pasta recipes. Try it with shrimp or other seafoods for a fun twist.
You guys know I love Trader Joe's as much as the next guy. We make a trip to our nearest store only occasionally, so before I go, I like to quickly research the newest popular items in the store.
A few months ago, I picked up a jar of the famous Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch - reviews online absolutely raved about this stuff. It was touted as slightly spicy and loaded with rich flavor - perfect for pastas, mixed with chicken/veggies, or even as a topping for toasted bread. I was so excited to find a jar!
Then - it sat in our pantry. For months. I honestly forgot about it. I think I was kind of intimidated by it because I had no idea what to do with it. But, leave it to a global pandemic and quarantine to force me to clean out my pantry and finally make use of it.
When in doubt, I throw it in a pasta dish - and it worked beautifully this time! Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch Chicken Pasta is definitely a meal with a kick. The Chili Onion Crunch added a serious dose of heat. I balanced it out with a creamy sauce that worked so well to bring the whole thing together.
It was super easy to whip up. Just throw it in the Instant Pot if you've got one (and, even if you don't, it will still work well - you'll just use a couple more pots and pans).
Here's how I did it! (Printable recipe at the bottom, if needed.)
First, heat your Instant Pot using the Saute mode. Throw in 1.5lbs chopped boneless, skinless chicken breasts with a couple of tablespoons of the oil from your Chili Onion Crunch. Brown for 5-6 minutes.
Turn off Saute mode. Toss in 12oz linguine, 3 cups of water, and the rest of the jar of Chili Onion Crunch. (Make sure pasta is mostly submerged in water.)
Set your Instant Pot for manual, 4 minutes at high pressure. Once cook cycle is over, quick release the pressure.
Stir in 1.5 cups of sour cream.
And that's it. Seriously easy and so yummy.
Here's the printable recipe!
Trader Joe's Chili Onion Crunch Chicken Pasta
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Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped
- 1 jar Chili Onion Crunch
- 12 oz linguine noodles
- 1.5 cups sour cream
Instructions
- First, heat your Instant Pot using the Saute mode. Throw in 1.5lbs chopped boneless, skinless chicken breasts with a couple of tablespoons of the oil from your Chili Onion Crunch. Brown for 5-6 minutes.
- Turn off Saute mode. Toss in 12oz linguine, 3 cups of water, and the rest of the jar of Chili Onion Crunch. (Make sure pasta is mostly submerged in water.)
- Set Instant Pot for 4 minutes at high pressure. Once cook cycle is over, quick release the pressure.
- Stir in 1.5 cups of sour cream.
Anyway to make this less spicy without loosing flavor?
Adding more sour cream helps tremendously. You could cut down to half a jar of the chili onion crunch to help with spice (but, of course, that's going to affect flavor too) - I'd sub in onion powder, garlic powder, and chili powder to help counteract that.
It was so good! I used cream cheese and sour cream to make it less spicy.