A reasonable pass at Ruby Tuesday’s Sonora Chicken Pasta

So since I got off Facebook, there are Facebook notes I can mine for a cheap post here and there, aren’t there?  Heh.

Generally I only post once on the weekend, so this is a bonus anyway.  This is a great pass at Sonora Chicken Pasta, as it existed on the Ruby Tuesday menu several years ago:

Sonora Chicken Pasta has been off the menu at Ruby Tuesday for several years now, and Lea and I still miss it.  I found a recipe that claimed to replicate it at food.com.  I made it and we tried it, and it is very, very close.

I didn’t get the chicken quite right, but I didn’t have summer savory.  Presumably that would have iced the whole thing.  We’ll try it at least one more time as it sits, but with the summer savory.  Then I may start making passes at it to try to clean up its nutritional profile a little bit (which really isn’t particularly atrocious, but how much can I straighten up the cheese sauce without robbing its soul?)

I’ve cleaned it up a bit (addressed omissions, incorporated a slight tweak, and so forth).  It’s easy, but do read through it to get a sense of the logistics before you start so you don’t get out of sync.  Here it is:

An excellent pass at Ruby Tuesday’s Sonora Chicken Pasta (4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 15-oz. jar Cheez Whiz
Half-pint regular cream
2 tablespoons minced red chili peppers
4 tablespoons minced green chili peppers
4 tablespoons minced white onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 15-oz. can black beans
Dash of paprika
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon light vegetable oil
Dash of thyme
Dash of summer savory
1 16-oz. box penne pasta
1 tablespoon butter
4 green onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, diced

1.  Start the grill on low-medium heat.

2.  Combine Cheez Whiz and cream in a small saucepan on low heat.  Stir periodically.

3.  Sauté the red chili pepper, 2 tablespoons of the green chili pepper, 2 tablespoons of the onion, and half the clove of garlic in the olive oil for a couple of minutes.  Then, add the water to the pan so the peppers don’t scorch.  Simmer another couple of minutes or until the water has cooked off.

4.  When the cheese is smooth, add the mixture from step 3, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, the sugar, the vinegar, and the cumin and stir.  Leave on low heat and stir periodically until the other components are ready.

5.  Pour the can of beans, with liquid, in a saucepan on medium heat.  Add the remaining green chili peppers, the remaining onions, the remaining garlic, and a dash of paprika.  Bring the beans to a boil, stirring often, then reduce to low heat and simmer until the other components are ready.

6.  Rub the chicken breast pieces lightly with the vegetable oil.  Season with salt, thyme, and summer savory.

7.  Grill the chicken 12 minutes per side or until done.  When they are cooked, remove and slice into 1/2-inch pieces, but keep them together to retain the shape of the chicken piece for presentation.

8.  When you put the chicken on, prepare the pasta according to package directions. Drain in a colander, then toss with the butter.

OK, now all of the components are done.  Here is the assembly:

9.  Put a fourth of the pasta on each plate.

10.  Spoon cheese sauce heavily enough to just cover most of the pasta, leaving a slight uncovered edge for presentation.

11.  Carefully place the sliced chicken breast, preserving the shape, on one half of the pasta.

12.  Spoon a fourth of the black beans on the other half.

13.  Sprinkle a fourth of the tomatoes over the top of the chicken and beans.

14.  Sprinkle a fourth of the green onions over the top of the tomatoes.  Serve immediately.

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