Fajitas are a staple of Tex-Mex cuisine – seared meat, often with bell pepper and onions, generously seasoned and wrapped in small tortillas. This Chicken Fajita Style Pasta offers a similar experience, only swapping the tortillas for pasta. We love this simple, hearty weeknight dinner that comes together very quickly.
We love it when dinner is uncomplicated and ready quickly. Pasta dishes usually fit the bill perfectly. You just need to boil some pasta, which can be done quickly, and while the pasta is cooking you whip up a sauce to go with it. In this case, the sauce features chicken, bell peppers, onions, and a whole range of spices that add a bit of heat to the dish. Just a little bit…
We almost always have a stash of tortillas in various sizes at home. They store well when properly packaged, and we love making tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, and other dishes that call for them. But if we happen to run out, pasta makes a great substitute.
Of course, turning a fajita mix of meat and veggies into a pasta dish will give you a different experience compared to the dish served with tortillas. Yet, the result holds its own against the original version. After all, pasta instead of tortillas is simply another form of carbs. Eating plainly with your hands might be tricky, though. Tortillas are much better for that. But most of us have forks at home – so everyone should be fine here.
Anyway. Chicken and veggies cooked in a typical fajita-style, whether served with tortilla or with pasta, make for a fantastic meal when you want to keep prep work to a minimum. You can easily cook a larger portion of the meat/veggie mixture and store the leftovers in the fridge or even freeze it for later. Whenever hunger strikes, simply grab a portion from the fridge/freezer and heat it up – no matter with some tortillas or pasta on the side. Or maybe you want to bake it in the oven topped with cheese… also a great option here.
Preparing Chicken Fajita Style Pasta is quite simple. Basically, you just need to cook/sear everything well (one after another) and season it generously. The pasta is cooked separately and added to the pot or pan with the sauce at the end. The key to this dish is searing the veggies and meat over high heat. You want to develop those delicious roasted flavors that give the dish its authentic taste.
If your stove and pan work well together, you can do it all in one go (using the same pan) – meaning you sear the veggies and chicken one after the other. If you would like to ensure both are seared perfectly, you can use two frying pans. Alternatively, you can sauté the veggies and meat one after another in the same frying pan, removing whatever you cooked first and setting it aside temporarily so nothing overcooks or undercooks…
We also have a recipe for chicken fajitas with tortillas on the blog. If you’re looking for a particularly quick and easy version, be sure to check out our Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas. There you simply throw everything into an Air Fryer, which means there’s very little work involved. That leaves more time to focus on the presentation and side dishes for the fajitas.
In case you like hearty stuff for breakfast already I can recommend our Breakfast Tacos with Chicken. So good! They can be served all day, though. They are not exclusively for breakfast. If you prefer a slice of toast with jam in the morning… go for that and make it later in the day.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(4 servings)
some olive oil for frying
1 large white onion, in wedges
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 bell peppers (e.g., red, orange, yellow), cut into strips
14 oz. (400g) chicken breast, cut into strips
1 tsp. smoked paprika powder*
1 tsp. dried oregano*
1 tsp. dried coriander leaves*
1 tsp. Ancho chili powder*
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper*
1/2 tsp. chilli flakes*
1/4 tsp. ground cumin*
3 tbsp. tomato paste*
3.4 fl. oz. (100ml) milk
3.4 fl. oz. (100ml) water
14 oz. (400g) dried pasta (e.g., Fusilli or Rigatoni)
salt, pepper
some chopped parsley for decoration
some grated Parmesan (optional)
(4 Personen)
etwas Olivenöl zum Anbraten
1 große weiße Zwiebel, in Spalten geschnitten
2–3 Knoblauchzehen, gehackt
3 Paprikaschoten (z.B. rot, orange, gelb), in Streifen geschnitten
400g Hähnchenbrust, in Streifen geschnitten
1 TL Smoked Paprika Pulver*
1 TL Oregano*
1 TL Korianderkraut*
1 TL Ancho Chilipulver*
1/2 TL Cayennepfeffer*
1/2 TL Chiliflocken*
1/4 TL Kreuzkümmel (Cumin)*, gemahlen
3 EL Tomatenmark*
100ml Milch
100ml Wasser
400g trockene Nudeln (z. B. Fusilli oder Rigatoni)
Salz, Pfeffer
etwas gehackte Petersilie für die Dekoration
etwas geriebener Parmesan (optional)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Start by preparing the veggies and the chicken. Peel the onion and garlic. Cut the onion into thin wedges and chop the garlic finely. Wash and dry the bell peppers, remove the insides and cut them into thin strips. Clean the chicken and cut it also into thin strips. Have everything else ready for cooking. Set up a large pot with salted water for the pasta.
2. Heat a large frying pan with some olive oil. Add the onion wedges and sauté them until soft and glossy – this can take several minutes. You want only minimal browning. Next add the garlic and bell pepper and continue sautéing the veggies until softer and with minimal browning – you have probably have to stir constantly. At this point you can start cooking the pasta according to the instructions on the package – the pasta should be »al dente«. Keep some of the cooking water for later.
3. If your frying pan is large enough, you can push the veggies to the side of the pan and cook the chicken in the center. When using a smaller frying pan, it might be better to heat a second pan and cook/brown the chicken separately and then add add it back to the frying pan with the veggies.
4. When the chicken is nicely browned, add the herbs and spices as well as the tomato purée and mix in. Let everything roast/cook for a moment, then deglaze with the milk and water. Let the veggies and chicken cook for a moment in the liquid, then add the cooked and drained pasta and mix everything well. If the sauce has been sucked up too much, add a little of the pasta water you kept on the side. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Serve in bowls, decorated with some chopped parsley and grated cheese to your liking (optional).
1. Mit dem Gemüse und Hähnchen starten. Dafür die Zwiebel und den Knoblauch schälen. Die Zwiebel in dünne Spalten schneiden und den Knoblauch fein hacken. Die Paprikaschoten waschen, trocknen und von den Innereien befreien, dann in dünne Streifen schneiden. Die Hähnchenbrust säubern und in dünne Streifen schneiden. Alle anderen Zutaten fürs Kochen bereithalten. Einen großen Topf mit Salzwasser für die Nudeln vorbereiten.
2. Eine große Pfanne mit etwas Olivenöl erhitzen. Die Zwiebelspalten dazugeben und so lange andünsten, bis sie schön glasig sind – das kann einige Minuten dauern. Die Zwiebeln sollten hier nur minimal bräunen. Als Nächstes den Knoblauch und die Paprikastreifen dazugeben und ebenfalls einige Zeit andünsten lassen, bis die Paprika weicher geworden sind und minimal Farbe angenommen haben. Man sollte hier ständig umrühren, damit nichts anbrennt. In der Zwischenzeit kann man die Nudeln nach Packungsanleitung kochen – die Nudeln sollten »al dente« sein. Ein wenig vom Nudelwasser auffangen und beiseite stellen.
3. Ist die Pfanne groß genug, kann man das Gemüse an den Rand schieben und das Hähnchen in der Mitte anbraten. Bei einer kleineren Pfanne ist es oft besser, diese Aufgabe in einer separaten Pfanne zu erledigen, das Hähnchen also separat anzubraten und dann zurück zum Gemüse in die Pfanne geben.
4. Sobald das Hähnchen etwas Farbe abbekommen hat, die Kräuter/Gewürze, sowie das Tomatenmark in die Pfanne dazugeben und alles gut vermengen. Alles noch einmal kurz mit anbraten/rösten lassen, dann mit Milch und Wasser ablöschen. Das Gemüse und Hähnchen einige Zeit in der Soße köcheln lassen, dann die gekochten Nudeln dazugeben und alles gut vermengen. Sollte die Soße zu stark eingekocht sein, einfach noch etwas vom zurückbehaltenen Nudelwasser dazugeben und untermischen. Das Gericht nach Belieben mit Salz und Pfeffer abschmecken und dann in Schüsseln servieren. Wer mag, kann auch noch etwas gehackte Petersilie als Dekoration darübergeben und mit geriebenem Käse verfeinern (optional).
Craving more? Keep in touch on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for new post updates and more. You can also contact me with any questions or inquiries!
Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Chicken Fajita Style Pasta Skillet
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:20
- Total Time: 00:40
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: -
- Cuisine: International
Description
This Chicken Fajita Style Pasta is an easy dish you can whip up quickly on a weeknight – perfect to feed the whole family. We love it!
Ingredients
some olive oil for frying
1 large white onion, in wedges
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 bell peppers (e.g., red, orange, yellow), cut into strips
14 oz. (400g) chicken breast, cut into strips
1 tsp. smoked paprika powder*
1 tsp. dried oregano*
1 tsp. dried coriander leaves*
1 tsp. Ancho chili powder*
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper*
1/2 tsp. chilli flakes*
1/4 tsp. ground cumin*
3 tbsp. tomato paste*
3.4 fl. oz. (100ml) milk
3.4 fl. oz. (100ml) water
14 oz. (400g) dried pasta (e.g., Fusilli or Rigatoni)
salt, pepper
some chopped parsley for decoration
some grated Parmesan (optional)
Instructions
1. Start by preparing the veggies and the chicken. Peel the onion and garlic. Cut the onion into thin wedges and chop the garlic finely. Wash and dry the bell peppers, remove the insides and cut them into thin strips. Clean the chicken and cut it also into thin strips. Have everything else ready for cooking. Set up a large pot with salted water for the pasta.
2. Heat a large frying pan with some olive oil. Add the onion wedges and sauté them until soft and glossy – this can take several minutes. You want only minimal browning. Next add the garlic and bell pepper and continue sautéing the veggies until softer and with minimal browning – you have probably have to stir constantly. At this point you can start cooking the pasta according to the instructions on the package – the pasta should be »al dente«. Keep some of the cooking water for later.
3. If your frying pan is large enough, you can push the veggies to the side of the pan and cook the chicken in the center. When using a smaller frying pan, it might be better to heat a second pan and cook/brown the chicken separately and then add add it back to the frying pan with the veggies.
4. When the chicken is nicely browned, add the herbs and spices as well as the tomato purée and mix in. Let everything roast/cook for a moment, then deglaze with the milk and water. Let the veggies and chicken cook for a moment in the liquid, then add the cooked and drained pasta and mix everything well. If the sauce has been sucked up too much, add a little of the pasta water you kept on the side. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Serve in bowls, decorated with some chopped parsley and grated cheese to your liking (optional).
Notes
Let’s cook something amazing!
Links marked with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links (advertising/Werbung) to Amazon Germany. If you click on one of those links and buy something via this link, I will get a commission for that sale. The price of whatever you buy is not affected in any way by this.
