If you love fajitas but also love easy dinners, this Chicken Fajita Pasta recipe is for you! You get all of the that amazing Mexican flavor in a one-pot meal.
No assembling your portion and trying to roll it in a tortilla. This dish goes right from the stove into a bowl where you can dig in immediately with a fork to enjoy.
As a kid, I used to eat a lot of boxed meals. Hamburger helper, boxed pasta salad, you name it I ate it. Once I got older, more aware of my health, and could buy my own groceries (a blessing and a curse) I started making more of my meals from scratch (or close to it anyways).
After a while, I started to miss those 30 minute one pot meals. Being as busy as I am, a 30 minute prep time on dinner is exactly what I need. Being a complete Pinterest addict, I stumbled upon a lot of recipes for DIY hamburger helper recipes and it dawned on me… all of these are totally customizable! You can literally make hundred of different versions of your favorite dishes in a “one pot meal” form.
Why Combine Fajitas and Pasta?
Well, I LOVE Mexican food. Any form. Anytime. No questions asked. So it made sense to start with my favorite food of all time, chicken fajitas. It was a very exciting thing the 1st (and 20th) time around to make and eat. All the amazing flavors of a chicken fajita are there. The only thing missing is the (annoying) juices running down the side of your hand dripping everywhere (will not be missed).
There’s just something extremely satisfying about mixing all the flavors of your favorite meal with pasta, having a meal on the table within 30 minutes, and seeing the appreciative smiles of your family as they enjoy what you made them. Chicken fajita pasta was an obvious choice.
How to Make Chicken Fajita Pasta
I know you don’t need anymore convincing, so here’s how to make it. First, gather up all your ingredients. For this chicken fajita pasta, you’ll need a chicken breast, taco seasoning, bell peppers, an onion, garlic, butter, chicken broth, sour cream, Rotel tomatoes and a box of pasta.
Thinly slice the chicken (longways). In a medium sized bowl, toss the chicken with the taco seasoning. There should be some cornstarch in the seasoning that gives the chicken a nice crust once fried in the butter.
In a large frying pan (at least 2” high walls) cook the chicken for three minutes on each side in the butter over medium heat. Using tongs, move the chicken to a plate and set aside Leave the butter in the pan for the veggies.
Thinly slice the onion and peppers. Cook with the garlic in the leftover oil you have in the frying pan until the veggies are softened. Move them to the same plate as the chicken.
If you prefer some crunch left in your peppers, just test it for the crunch factor before removing them from the pan.
Raise the heat to high, and combine the broth, Rotel, and pasta.
Bring to a boil , and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Keep checking the pasta for doneness every few minutes and give it a stir. The cook time just depends on what pasta you use. Look at the packaging for a rough guideline.
Once the pasta is done, add in the sour cream, veggies, and chicken.
Simmer an additional minute to reheat the other ingredients. That’s it! Your Chicken Fajita Pasta is ready to serve.
📋 Recipe
Chicken Fajita Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 large chicken breast
- 1 Envelope taco seasoning or fajita seasoning
- 1-2 bell peppers mix and match colors
- 1 onion
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 Tablespoons butter canola oil, or bacon fat will work well too
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 can Rotel
- 8 oz. pasta
Instructions
- Thinly slice the chicken (longways). In a medium sized bowl, toss the chicken with the taco seasoning. In a large frying pan (at least 2” high walls) cook the chicken for three minutes on each side in the butter over medium heat. Using tongs, move the chicken to a plate and set aside (leaving the butter in the pan).
- Thinly slice the onion and peppers. Cook with the garlic in the leftover oil you have in the frying pan until the veggies are softened. Move to the same plate as the chicken.
- Raise the heat to high, and combine the broth, Rotel, and pasta. Bring to a boil , and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Keep checking the pasta for doneness every few minutes and give it a stir.
- Once the pasta is done, add in the sour cream, veggies, and chicken. Simmer an additional minute to reheat the other ingredients and serve hot.