Mexican Chicken Pasta — The Comfort Food That Carried Me Through the Biggest Week of My Life

Thirty-four weeks. The baby is head-down. The hospital bag is packed (second time around — I know what to pack and what to skip; the cute going-home outfit is the same one Caleb wore because military families reuse everything). The midwife says everything is progressing normally. The book pre-orders have exceeded the publisher's expectations. Clara called: 'We've already hit our first-print target in pre-orders alone. We're going to do a second printing before publication.' A SECOND PRINTING. Before the book is even PUBLISHED. Before a single copy sits on a shelf, enough people have ordered it that they need to print more. 'How many?' I asked. 'Five thousand first printing. We're adding three thousand more.' Eight thousand copies. Of a book about a military wife's kitchen. Written from a three-square-foot kitchen in the Mojave Desert by a twenty-four-year-old college dropout. Nobody would have predicted this. Not me, not Mom, not Professor Kim, not the guidance counselor at Granby High. Nobody predicted that the girl who dropped out of ODU to marry a Marine would write a book that eight thousand people want to read. Except maybe Dad. Dad said, 'Keep writing. For all the Donnas.' Dad predicted it. Because Dad, who barely speaks, sees everything. The blog has been featuring excerpts from the book — teasers, small sections that give readers a taste. Each excerpt gets 20,000+ views. The audience is primed. The book is anticipated. The launch is April 12th. April 12th. Hazel is due February 22nd. That gives me seven weeks between birth and launch. Seven weeks to recover from childbirth, establish breastfeeding, adjust to two children, AND promote a book. This is insane. This is the most ambitious thing I've ever attempted. This is a military wife thing — the ability to manage multiple simultaneous crises with grace, or at least with the appearance of grace while internally screaming. Made Mom's chicken pot pie tonight. The from-scratch version. Crust, filling, golden top. Eight months pregnant, standing at a three-square-foot counter, rolling pie crust with a belly that bumps the counter edge. The pot pie was perfect. The crust was flaky. The baby kicked during dinner. Seven weeks until Hazel. Ten weeks until the book. The table is set for four. The pages are set in type. And somewhere between a pot pie and a publication, Rachel Abernathy became the writer she was always going to be. For all the Donnas. Here it comes.

The pot pie was Mom’s recipe and it will always be Mom’s recipe — but the truth is, most nights in this three-square-foot kitchen, I need something that delivers that same warmth and fullness with a little less rolling pin and a little more margin for a baby who won’t stop sitting on my bladder. This Mexican Chicken Pasta is the weeknight answer to everything the pot pie represented that night: a one-dish meal that feels like a hug, that stretches to feed everyone at the table, and that you can pull together even when you’re thirty-four weeks pregnant and quietly screaming on the inside. Make it for the Donnas in your life. Make it for yourself.

Mexican Chicken Pasta

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 12 oz penne or rotini pasta
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
• 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
• Sour cream and sliced green onions, for serving

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain and set aside.
2. Season and cook the chicken. Toss chicken pieces with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and lightly browned. Remove chicken and set aside.
3. Build the sauce. In the same skillet over medium heat, add the diced tomatoes with green chiles, black beans, frozen corn, and chicken broth. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer, about 3 minutes.
4. Melt in the cream cheese. Add the cubed cream cheese to the skillet. Stir constantly until fully melted and the sauce is smooth and creamy, about 2–3 minutes. If the sauce seems too thick, add reserved pasta water a splash at a time.
5. Combine everything. Return the cooked chicken and drained pasta to the skillet. Stir well to coat everything in the sauce. Add 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese and stir until melted and incorporated.
6. Finish and serve. Top with remaining 1/4 cup shredded cheese and allow it to melt over the top, about 1 minute. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired. Serve hot with sour cream and sliced green onions on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 520 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 54g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 720mg