Chicken Fajita Pasta

This Chicken Fajita Pasta is nice & spicy, ultra cheesy and bursting with flavour. Better still – it’s all made in one pot!

Welcome to the fusion dish you never knew you needed. Yes it does sound a little odd straight off the bat, but I promise you this is about to be your new favourite dinner. Follow me…

Fajita Chicken

For this recipe we’re going for chicken breast. I’m usually an ambassador for chicken thighs in a lot of recipes, but when it comes to pasta I feel breast works best. Plus, with a few tips and tricks you’ll get soft and juicy chicken every time.

Marinate the Chicken

Pop the chicken in a zip lock bag with fajita seasoning, olive oil & lime juice and marinate for as long as you have time for. Even just 10/15mins as you prep the other ingredients will work wonders. This is a really simple way to not only inject some flavour into the chicken, but the marinade helps tenderize it.

Two things to note – first is you’ll want to butterfly the breasts right through to make 2 skinner, even sized breasts. This will not only ensure the chicken cooks quicker and more evenly, but also ensures more of the surfaces area is coated by seasoning. Second tip is to ensure the chicken comes to room temp before you fry it. Frying chicken straight out the fridge will cause it to seize up and go chewy.

One Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta

The absolute beauty of this recipe is it’s all done in one pot. The benefit of this is not only do you reduce washing up (woo hoo!) but the starch from the pasta helps create a creamy sauce. I mean yes there’s already a cup of cream in this but you get the gist 🤣

Once you’ve fried the chicken you’ll be left with some gorgeous char in the base on the pan. This is flavour, do not wipe this out.

Temperature Control

One of the main tips when adding in the liquids is to make sure they’re at room temp. If you combine piping hot chicken stock and cream straight out the fridge you run the risk of it curdling.

How to make Fajita Chicken Pasta (quick summary)

1. Add chicken to pot.
2. Fry both sides and remove.
3. Fry peppers and onion.
4. Stir in fajita seasoning and tomato puree.
5. Pour in stock and cream.
6. Add uncooked pasta.
7. Simmer until pasta is cooked.
8. Add cheese and chicken.

What Cheese to use?

Here I use a combo of cheddar and Mexican cheese blend. You can use either or both of these, Monterey Jack also works nicely.

Can this be reheated?

Best to serve fresh, but you can tightly store in the fridge and gently reheat over the stove, using a splash of stock to loosen up the sauce again.

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this chicken fajita pasta shall we?!

How to make Chicken Fajita Pasta (Full Recipe & Video)

Chicken Fajita Pasta

This Chicken Fajita Pasta is nice & spicy, ultra cheesy and bursting with flavour. Better still - it's all made in one pot!

5 from 2 votes

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Servings (click & slide): 4

Course: Dinner / Main Course

Cuisine: American / Italian / Mexican

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Calories per serving: 838kcal

Author: Chris Collins

Cost per serving: £3 / $4

Equipment:

• Large Pot / Dutch Oven & Wooden Spoon
• Zip Lock Bag or Bowl & Cling Film (to marinate chicken)
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Jug (for stock)
• Cheese Grater
• Serving Spoon

Ingredients (check list):

Fajita Chicken

• ▢ 2x 9oz/250g Chicken Breasts
• ▢ 1 tbsp Fajita Seasoning
• ▢ 1 tbsp Lime Juice
• ▢ 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Fajita Pasta

• ▢ 10.5oz / 300g Short Cut Pasta of Choice (here I use Farfalle)
• ▢ 3 cups / 750ml Chicken Stock (not piping hot!)
• ▢ 1 cup / 250ml Double/Heavy Cream, at room temp
• ▢ 1 cup / 100g Cheese (see notes)
• ▢ 3 small Peppers, diced (preferably different colours)
• ▢ 1 medium Red Onion, finely diced
• ▢ 1.5 tbsp Fajita Seasoning
• ▢ 1 heaped tbsp Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste in US)
• ▢ Olive Oil, as needed
• ▢ Salt & Black Pepper, to taste

To Serve

• ▢ Fresh Coriander/Cilantro (can sub parsley if you're not a fan)
• ▢ Lime Juice

Instructions:

• Begin by butterflying your chicken breasts right through the centre to make 4 even sized breasts. Combine in a zip lock bag with 1 tbsp fajita seasoning, lime juice & olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Mix the bag with your hands to thoroughly coat. Marinate for as long as you have time for (up to overnight). If you're pushed for time just rest at room temp as you prep the other ingredients. You can also do this in a bowl and cover with cling film.
• Bring chicken to room temp if marinated in the fridge. Fry over medium-high heat in a large pot until nicely charred on each side and white through the centre. Rest on a chopping board until needed, then slice into thin strips just before adding to pasta.
• Add a drizzle more oil to the pot and add your peppers and onions. Fry until soft and just starting the brown, then sprinkle in 1 tbsp fajita seasoning. Fry for a couple of minutes, then stir in 1 heaped tbsp tomato puree and fry for a minute longer. Pour in chicken stock and cream. Important the stock isn't piping hot and the cream is at room temp or it risks curdling. Add in pasta.
• Give everything a good stir, scraping off any flavour stuck to the pot as necessary. Lower heat to low-medium and simmer, stirring fairly frequently, until the pasta is cooked through. If the sauce completely thickens before the pasta is cooked just add a drizzle more stock. The pasta should be al dente though.
• Turn heat off and stir in cheese and chicken strips. Add the remaining half tbsp of seasoning if you find it's not spicy/salty/seasoned enough (all brands are different). Serve individual portions with a good sprinkling of fresh coriander/cilantro (can sub parsley if you're not a fan) and a gentle squeeze of lime juice.

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Cheese - Here I use a combination of cheddar and Mexican cheese blend. You can use either of those by themselves, Monterey Jack also works nicely.

b) Fajita Seasoning - If you're using pre made fajita seasoning just be aware different brands have different spice levels. If at all weary just start with 1/2 - 1 tbsp in the pasta, then adjust accordingly after. They also have different salt levels, so just adjust once the pasta has cooked. Of course I recommend my homemade fajita seasoning! 🙂

c) Serving - This pasta is quite rich and creamy, so I highly recommend the lime juice at the end. It not only livens up the dish but also helps cut through the richness. A good sprinkling of coriander/cilantro also works nicely!

d) Reheating - You can allow to completely cool and store in the fridge for 2-3days (longer at your discretion). I recommend reheating on the stove with a splash of stock to loosen up the sauce again.

e) Calories - based on 1 tbsp olive oil for frying, 1 cup cheddar and no toppings. Shared between 4.

Your Private Notes:

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Chicken Fajita Pasta

Amount Per Serving

Calories 838 Calories from Fat 389

% Daily Value*

Fat 43.25g67%

Saturated Fat 21.048g105%

Trans Fat 0.345g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3.194g

Monounsaturated Fat 14.938g

Cholesterol 202mg67%

Sodium 943mg39%

Potassium 918mg26%

Carbohydrates 70.32g23%

Fiber 9.9g40%

Sugar 5.27g6%

Protein 42.94g86%

Vitamin A 1915IU38%

Vitamin C 85.4mg104%

Calcium 253mg25%

Iron 2.13mg12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'

If you’re looking for more fajita recipes then check out my Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas and Chicken Fajita Nachos!

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