Sonora Chicken Pasta {Ruby Tuesday’s Copycat, Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Paleo Option}

For all you comfort food lovers out there- this one is for you! This Sonora Chicken pasta is drenched in a creamy and spicy sauce, topped with tender chicken, black beans, tomatoes and cilantro. Best of all it’s gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and there is a paleo version as well.

The inspiration for this dish comes from my middle school years, which were awkward to say the least. And if I wasn’t awkward enough then at 13 I broke my ankle jumping on a trampoline. I broke it bad. Like, really bad.

It was a beautiful, warm, and sunny spring day and we were on the giant trampoline, giggling with joy, bounding into the air. We were playing “popcorn,” which involves alternating jumps, trying to send the other higher and higher. Sounds fun, right? Well, not so much! I’m not sure exactly what happened but as I was landing and bending my knees to take another death-defying leap, my ankle rolled and…..crunch!

It hurt like you know what. My mom took me for x-rays and I had broken both bones right above my ankle! Now I had to wobble around the school hallways, fumbling to open the classroom doors with crutches pinched under my arms, a brightly colored cast (which I thought was a good idea) adorned my leg, calling out for extra attention that I didn’t really want. Guess I didn’t think that one through! Lol.

Having a broken ankle definitely puts the damper on fun activities for a kid. No soccer, no riding horses, no running, definitely NO TRAMPOLINE-LIKE, EVER AGAIN! So my mom took me on little field trips and outings to keep me busy and prevent me from becoming bored-to-death. We would go to the mall often and eat lunch at Ruby Tuesday’s and I always ordered my favorite, Sonora Chicken Pasta. Good food always made me feel better, and this comforting dish was exactly that, comfort food. It tasted amazing going down and made me feel warm, fuzzy and full.

So now that it’s freezing cold, snowy and icy I had a hankering for some stick-to-the-ribs comfort food, but I’m not about to give up my grain-free diet because it keeps me feeling good, and not sluggish and weighed down. Here’s a look out my front door this week….. beautiful but cold! The perfect weather for some Sonora Chicken Pasta!

For the pasta in this recipe you have many option depending upon your dietary preferences. I do eat beans, so I opted for Tolerant brand Rotini(TOLERANT Organic Non-GMO (RED LENTIL) Rotini 8oz 6-PACK-(affiliate link))that’s made out of LENTILS- that’s it, just lentils! It the best gluten-free pasta I’ve ever had because it’s just like the real thing. You can even cook it al dente! One work of caution, it does froth up and boil over very easily so make suer you use a very large pot and keep an eye on it!

If you are strict paleo than just use butternut squash or zucchini noodles made with the spiralizer.

The creamy and spicy sauce is my Spicy & Creamy Sonora Dip. The flavor is perfect, earthy tomato, savory cheese, and a hint of spice. Then the dish is topped off with some delicious chicken, black beans (omit of paleo), chopped fresh tomato, and aromatic cilantro. Yum!

Creamy, spicy, fresh and bursting with flavor!