This chicken fajita pasta is everything you love about chicken fajitas but in an easy-to-make midweek pasta. Packed with flavor, everyone will love this delicious chicken pasta dinner. Ready in just 30 minutes, this chicken fajita pasta is perfect for the whole family; it is comforting and familiar, full of delicious tender-crisp veggies, succulent chicken, and an easy-to-make Mexican-inspired sauce. Make this spicy or mild, depending on your family's tastes.
Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta, salt, and fajita seasoning. 12oz/340g pasta 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon fajita seasoning
Cook for 1 minute less than the packet suggests.
Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta. Do not rinse.
For the chicken
While the pasta water is coming to a boil, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.1lb/450g chicken
Add the fajita seasoning, olive oil, and salt to the chicken mix well. 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ teaspoon salt
Place a large skillet over high heat. Once hot, cook the chicken over high heat for 2 minutes.
Remove the chicken to a plate and set it aside.
For the sauce
Add the olive oil to the same skillet the chicken was cooked in. 1 tablespoon olive oil
Once hot, add the bell peppers and cook over very high heat for 1 minute. Add the onions and cook for a further 2 minutes.2 sliced bell pepper 1 sliced onion
Add the salt, pepper, sugar, oregano, and minced garlic and stir well. ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper ½ teaspoon sugar ½ teasoon oregano 3 cloves minced garlic
Immediately add in the chicken broth and allow it to come to a boil, scrape any bits from the bottom of the skillet. 1 cup chicken broth
Add the canned tomatoes, salsa, fajita seasoning and cayenne pepper (if using). 1 can crushed tomatoes ½ cup salsa 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning cayenne pepper (if using)
Bring to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add the cooked chicken and the drained pasta.
Cook for 1-2 minutes until the pasta is cooked to your liking. Add pasta cooking water if the sauce starts to dry out.
Serve with toppings of your choice. (see note 5)
Notes
You can use chicken breast or thighs for this fajita pasta. Note that the cooking time in the recipe card is for chicken breasts, so if you use thighs, you'll need to cook them for longer to ensure they are cooked through.
If using a storebought fajita blend, check the ingredients as they tend to have more salt and sugar in, so you will need to add less of these to the sauce.
Cayenne pepper adds heat; use it to taste or leave it out for a milder dish.
This dish lends itself to adding lots of delicious toppings!