Some nights, I simply want one thing cozy and completely simple to throw collectively, and this Creamy Hen Fajita Pasta has been a agency favourite for YEARS. It’s a type of dinners that saves me on busy nights as a result of it’s easy, family-friendly, and filled with daring Tex-Mex flavors. It’s wealthy and comforting with out being fussy, and you’ll tweak it with no matter you’ve got available. I can’t let you know how a lot I like having simple recipes like this in my again pocket for once I want a fast win at dinnertime. 😉
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“That is unbelievable! My youngsters all liked it, I needed to hold swatting their arms away from the hen whereas I completed the sauce. Making it once more lower than every week later.”
Lisa
Simple Recipe for Hen Fajita Pasta
This simple hen fajita pasta is a quick repair that doesn’t want an extended checklist of elements to be wonderful. All you actually need is a few pasta, a juicy hen breast, a bell pepper, an onion, fire-roasted tomatoes, spices, and just a little cream cheese to tug all of it collectively. In case your spice cupboard continues to be a piece in progress like mine as soon as was, you possibly can completely seize a packet of fajita seasoning on the retailer as an alternative of blending your individual. It nonetheless offers you all these smoky, zesty flavors that remind me of my favourite oven hen fajitas, simply in a creamy pasta model!
For those who can’t discover a whole lot on hen breasts, skinless, boneless hen thighs are an important swap. They’re often extra inexpensive, keep tremendous tender when cooked, and style simply as scrumptious. You may even use one other kind of meat, like pork chops if that’s what you’ve got available.
Creamy Hen Fajita Pasta
Creamy Hen Fajita Pasta is a quick and scrumptious weeknight meal with savory southwest flavors that the entire household will love.
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FAJITA SPICE MIX
- 2 tsp chili powder* ($0.20)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp cumin ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp sugar ($0.01)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
CHICKEN PASTA
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 1 boneless skinless hen breast (about 0.75 lb.) ($2.00)
- 1 (142g) inexperienced bell pepper, diced ($0.86)
- 1 (284g) yellow onion, diced ($0.70 )
- 15 oz can hearth roasted diced tomatoes ($1.29)
- 4 oz cream cheese ($0.88)
- 8 oz (227g) dried pasta (any form) ($0.62)
- 2 inexperienced onions, sliced ($0.24)
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Mix the spices for the fajita spice combine in a bowl and put aside. Cube the onion and bell pepper, and reduce the hen breast into 1/2-inch cubes.
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Convey a big pot of water to a boil for the pasta. As soon as boiling, add the pasta and proceed to boil till tender (7-10 minutes, or in keeping with the package deal instructions). Drain the pasta in a colander and set it apart till prepared to make use of.
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Whereas ready for the pasta to prepare dinner, warmth 1 Tbsp cooking oil in a big skillet over medium warmth. As soon as sizzling, add the cubed hen and the fajita spice combine. Sauté the hen and spices till the hen is cooked by and barely browned. Take away the hen from the skillet to a clear bowl.
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Add the onion and bell pepper to the skillet and proceed to sauté over medium warmth simply till they start to melt barely on the sides and have just a little brown shade. Add the canned tomatoes (with juices) and the cream cheese. Stir the combination over medium warmth till the cream cheese melts in and types a creamy sauce with the tomatoes.
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Lastly, add the cooked and drained pasta and cooked hen again to the skillet. Stir till every part is evenly mixed and coated in creamy sauce. High with sliced inexperienced onions and serve.
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Giant 12″ skillet
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Giant Pot
*The chili powder used here’s a delicate mix of purple chiles and different spices. The warmth on this fajita spice combine comes from the cayenne, so if you need it extra spicy, add extra cayenne, or if you need the pasta to be 100% delicate, simply go away the cayenne out. With the 1/8 tsp cayenne that I used, the pasta simply has a slight kick however isn’t too spicy.
Serving: 1servingEnergy: 490kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 29gFats: 17gSodium: 666mgFiber: 4g
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Learn how to Make Hen Fajita Pasta Step-by-Step Photographs
Prep your elements: Collect all your elements. In a small bowl, stir collectively 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt to make your fajita seasoning combine.
Convey a big pot of water to a boil for the pasta. As soon as boiling, add 8oz. pasta and prepare dinner in keeping with the package deal instructions. As soon as the pasta is cooked by, drain it in a colander and set it apart till prepared to make use of. However whereas the pasta is cooking you can begin the remainder of the dish.
Slice the hen: Reduce one boneless, skinless hen breast into 1/2-inch cubes. This was a reasonably large hen breast, at about 0.75 lb. It’s also possible to use boneless, skinless hen thighs if that’s what you’ve got out there.
Cook dinner the hen: Whereas the pasta is cooking, warmth 1 Tbsp cooking oil in a big skillet over medium warmth. As soon as sizzling, add the diced hen and the ready fajita spice combine. Sauté the hen and spices till the hen is barely browned and cooked by. Take away the cooked hen from the skillet and place it in a clear bowl.
Sauté the veggies: Add the onion and bell pepper to the skillet and sauté for about 5 minutes, or simply till the sides soften and start to show brown.
Make the sauce: Add one 15oz. can of fireplace roasted diced tomatoes (with the juices) and 4oz. of cream cheese (reduce into chunks) to the skillet. Stir and prepare dinner over medium warmth till the cream cheese melts in and creates a creamy sauce with the tomatoes. Lastly, add drained pasta and cooked hen again to the skillet and stir till every part is coated within the creamy sauce.
Mix every part: Lastly, add drained pasta and cooked hen again to the skillet and stir till every part is coated within the creamy sauce.
Serve: High with 2 sliced inexperienced onions, then serve. That’s one huge skillet of goodness….I imply creamy hen fajita pasta.
Can I Make this In One Pot?
This fajita pasta recipe is very much like my one-pot cajun hen pasta, so it’s simple to make it multi functional pot if you wish to save on dishes. After sautéing the hen (simply till browned), onion, and bell pepper, add the pasta, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, and a couple of cups of hen broth. The hen doesn’t must be cooked by but as a result of it’ll end cooking as every part simmers. Let it bubble away till the pasta is tender and the hen is cooked by, then stir within the cream cheese.
If you would like your bell peppers to remain just a little extra crisp, simply sauté them first, take away them from the pot, after which stir them again in on the very finish with the cream cheese.
- Make it vegetarian. This recipe is sooo simple to make vegetarian-friendly. You may miss the hen, and it’s mechanically veggie, however I’d favor so as to add in some additional elements to bulk it up. Sauté some mushrooms earlier than including the bell pepper and onion, add some canned purple kidney beans, or use tempeh instead of the hen.
- Use a sufficiently big pan. I bear in mind once I first made this recipe again in 2016, I solely used a 10-inch forged iron skillet, and that was means too small. It was actually full and troublesome to stir with out spillage. I like to recommend utilizing a 12-inch skillet.
- Spice it up (or down). One in every of my favourite issues about mixing my very own fajita seasoning is how simple it’s to make it simply the way in which I prefer it. If I’m craving additional warmth, I simply toss in a bit extra cayenne. You may severely tweak any of the seasonings on this recipe to suit your style.
Serving Recommendations
If you wish to take this recipe for hen fajita pasta one step additional and make it EXTRA indulgent, I recommend sprinkling pepper jack (or Monterrey jack) cheese on high earlier than serving. A dollop of bitter cream would even be scrumptious. I’d additionally add just a few pickled purple onions for some tang, and if you happen to fancy one thing contemporary, our avenue corn salad could be the right match.
sTORAGE & rEHEATING
Hold any leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3–4 days. I often simply pop a bowl within the microwave for a brilliant fast and simple lunch the subsequent day. I don’t often freeze this one since creamy sauces can generally get just a little bizarre after thawing, and pasta turns into mushy. For those who don’t thoughts the feel, you might strive freezing it for as much as 3 months and thaw it within the fridge earlier than reheating.
Our Creamy Hen Fajita Pasta recipe was initially revealed 6/28/16. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be higher than ever 5/3/25.
