Southwest Mac And Jack

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 onions, finely diced
• 1/2 bell peppers, finely diced (preferably a mixture of yellow, green and red)
• 1 jalepeno pepper, seeds removed, diced (optional)
• 3 3/4 s (1 quart) heavy cream, reduced to 3 1/2 cups*
• 2 s (1/2 lb.) Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 leftover roasted or boiled chicken, shredded
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 lb. penne or other pasta, cooked in plenty of salted water according to package directions and drained
• 1/4 chipotle sour cream or regular sour cream
• 1/4 green onions, including green part, sliced thin for garnish

Directions

*To reduce cream, place in large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to boil. Boil cream about 10 minutes and skim top before adding to recipe. Watch carefully as cream may boil up suddenly.
In large saute pan over high heat, add butter (don’t wait for it to melt or it will burn), onions and peppers; saute until vegetables begin to soften and turn golden. Lower heat to medium and continue to cook until vegetables are very soft, about 4 minutes.
Add reduced heavy cream; bring to boil over high heat. Lower heat to medium-high and continue to simmer, about 5 minutes.
Add cheese; stir well until cheese is completely melted. Add shredded chicken and stir with wooden spoon to combine. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Continue to simmer another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Toss in cooked, drained pasta and mix well. To serve, top with dollop of chipotle or regular sour cream and garnish with finely sliced green onions.