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close up of pasta with chicken and peppers.
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Creamy fajita pasta

This 20 minute weeknight pasta dish with fajita seasoned peppers and chicken combines Italian and Mexican flavors perfectly. A light weight and healthy family meal.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Course: Dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: International, Italian, Mexican
Keyword: chicken, pasta, peppers
Servings: 4
Calories: 309kcal
Author: Tonje
Cost: Medium

Ingredients

  • 250 g dry pasta
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 chicken breast fillets, diced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon hot paprika powder or regular paprika
  • ½ teaspoon coriander
  • 2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 ½ peppers, sliced thinly
  • 300 ml creme fraiche

Instructions

  • Boil pasta according to package instructions.
  • Saute onion in some oil, butter, cooking spray or water until translucent. Use a large saute pan on medium heat.
  • Add minced garlic and cook for another minute.
  • Add diced chicken breast, and spices. Cook while stirring for about 3 minutes until the chicken is slightly browned on all sides.
  • Add sliced peppers, and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the peppers are softened and the chicken has cooked through.
  • Pour over the creme fraiche, and stir to combine. Leave to cook for 1-2 minutes before adding cooked and drained pasta. Stir through and serve!

Notes

This recipe makes 4 portions of pasta. 

Ideas if you're on a diet

If you want to reduce the amount of calories, consider reducing the amount of pasta, and increasing the amount of peppers and chicken in the dish. You can also use whole wheat pasta for a more hearty, filling meal.

Tips for a great result

It's all about the spices. In this recipe we use cumin, coriander, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper to bring out those fajita flavors. I would not recommend omitting any of these spices, or you will end up with a pretty bland dish. If you want to try out this recipe, but don't want to go out and buy a bunch of new spices, you could replace them with about half of a fajita spice packet instead.
Use fresh produce. You could make this recipe with frozen peppers and thawed chicken, but for the best results I suggest using fresh produce, especially fresh peppers. That way, you can cook them until they are slightly soft but still have a crunch to them - this gives the dish a much more interesting texture, and is generally more pleasurable to eat.
Multicolored peppers. You can use whatever peppers you have available, but I think fajitas always look more interesting when you use multicolored peppers. As this recipe requires 1 ½ peppers, I used ½ green, ½ red and ½ yellow pepper.
Add spice to taste. This recipe is designed to create a fajita flavored, family friendly dish that is not spicy. If you would like to add some spice to the situation, simply add some chili powder to taste along with the other ingredients, or serve with chili flakes sprinkled on top.

Storing leftovers

You can keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat in a microwave before serving. I would not recommend freezing this dish, as the creme fraiche can split when thawing.

Nutrition

Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 398mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 17IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg