Chicken Fajita Pasta

This Chicken Fajita Pasta is decent and fiery, ultra messy and overflowing with flavor. Even better – it’s totally made in one pot!

Welcome to the combination dish you never realized you required. Indeed it sounds a little odd straight off the bat, yet I guarantee you this is going to be your new most loved supper.

For this formula we’re going for chicken bosom. I’m generally a diplomat for chicken thighs in a great deal of plans, yet with regards to pasta I feel bosom works best. In addition, with a couple of tips and deceives you’ll get delicate and succulent chicken without fail.

Marinate the Chicken

Pop the chicken in a zip lock sack with fajita preparing, olive oil and lime squeeze and marinate however long you possess energy for. Indeed, even only 10/15mins as you prep different fixings will do some incredible things. This is a truly basic approach to infuse some flavor into the chicken, however the marinade softens it.

Two things to note – first is you’ll need to butterfly the bosoms directly through to make 2 skinner, even estimated bosoms. This won’t just guarantee the chicken cooks speedier and all the more equally, yet in addition guarantees a greater amount of the surfaces territory is covered via preparing. Second tip is to guarantee the chicken comes to room temp before you fry it. Singing chicken straight out the ice chest will make it seize up and go chewy.

Ingredients:

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.

Notes:

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.
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! 🙂
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!
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.
Calories – based on 1 tbsp olive oil for frying, 1 cup cheddar and no toppings. Shared between 4.

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