Chicken fajita pasta
Smoky fajita chicken, peppers and onions tossed with penne in a creamy, cheesy tomato sauce, Tex-Mex comfort in one bowl.
- 35 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.66 a serving
- 750 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 12 oz penne
- 1 lb chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
- 12 oz frozen pepper and onion blend
- 1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles
- 4 oz cream cheese, cubed
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup Mexican blend cheese
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp salt, divided
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Each serving has about 750 calories, 48 g protein, 76 g carbs and 28 g fat, and costs about $2.66 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No penne? Rigatoni or elbow macaroni works.
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No Mexican blend cheese? Shredded cheddar or cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Fill a large pot with water, add 2½ teaspoons of salt, and bring it over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
the chicken with the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder and the rest of the salt, and wash your hands and board.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Cook the penne until , about 11 minutes, then .
Al dente. Al dente is Italian for “to the tooth”: pasta cooked until tender but with a slight firm bite in the center. It holds up in sauce and keeps softening a little after you drain it.
How you’ll know: Bite a piece a minute before the package time: tender, with a slight firm bite in the middle and no crunch.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
High heatTimer: 11 min
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep over medium-high and cook the chicken 5 to 6 minutes, until the thickest strip reads 165°F.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium-high heatTimer: 5 min 30 sec
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Add the frozen peppers and onions and cook 5 minutes, until hot and any water has cooked off.
Medium-high heatTimer: 5 min
Turn the heat to low and in the Rotel with its juices, the cream cheese and milk until the cream cheese .
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Low heat
Dolly’s tip: Cubed cream cheese melts in a minute or two. Keep stirring and it turns silky.Add the penne and cheese and until and creamy. Scatter the cilantro over.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Low heat
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
