Fajitas meet pasta in this one-skillet marriage. Creamy and packed with peppers and onions, the whole meal can be made in just 30 minutes! A tortilla chip topping adds some surprising (and welcome) crunch.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 30 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 4), cut into 1/2-inch strips
- 3 medium red, green or yellow bell peppers, cut into 1/4-inch strips
- 1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 8 ounces penne (see Cook’s Note)
- 6 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- 4 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded
- 3/4 cup crushed tortilla chips
- Pico de gallo and sour cream, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the broiler to high. Combine the chili powder, cumin and 1 tablespoon salt in a small bowl.
- Heat the oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and chili powder mixture and cook, tossing occasionally, until the chicken just starts to change color and the spices are toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the peppers and onions and cook until they just begin to release some of their juices, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the pasta and 2 1/2 cups water to the skillet and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it comes to a boil, continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente and the sauce is thickened and reduced by about half, 14 to 16 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream cheese until melted. Sprinkle the pepper jack and crushed chips over the top. Transfer to the broiler and cook until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown in spots, 2 to 3 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 516 |
| Total Fat | 26 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11 g |
| Carbohydrates | 42 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Protein | 28 g |
| Cholesterol | 120 mg |
| Sodium | 655 mg |
Reviews
Recipe exactly as written was 4/5 for us. Very good. We made the following changes and it was 5/5!
– half and half chicken broth and water for the liquid (also added a little more total than called for)
– added a diced jalapeño
– reduced cream cheese to 3oz (6oz was wayyy too rich for us and I think takes away from some of the flavors)
– chicken breast instead of thighs (it’s what’s usually on hand)
– half and half chicken broth and water for the liquid (also added a little more total than called for)
– added a diced jalapeño
– reduced cream cheese to 3oz (6oz was wayyy too rich for us and I think takes away from some of the flavors)
– chicken breast instead of thighs (it’s what’s usually on hand)
With these changes we found it really good and cut quite a few calories! Husband loves it and it’s now in the rotation. Edited to add that the crushed tortilla chips really do make a difference and are a necessary texture change.
My family loves this one. Some users mentioned this is bland so I use chicken broth instead of water for the pasta and it’s very flavorful
Family loves this. Really easy to put together. Have added different spices (garlic, oregano) turns out great. As written really good, you can get added flavor by using Golden Salsa SunChips.
This recipe is in our regular rotation. It’s a crowd pleaser every time. The only thing I don’t follow to a T is the time given for the pasta. For that, I follow the time on the box. It can be tempting to add extra water, but I’ve only done that once, and that was the only time the recipe didn’t come out perfect.
It was okay. Very bland. We ate it but threw away left overs. I added extra cumin too and it was still just so bland and heavy.
This is my third time making this. We absolutely love it!
Really needs all the peppers and onion. Seasoning was bland and turned everything brown. Not appetizing
My whole family, from young to old, loved this easy recipe!
This is an edit on an earlier radio. This dish turned out phenomenally. Anything that went wrong with it, was my responsibility . I added an extra pepper , which added too much liquid In the tops of the crunchy additives were burnt just a touch. I am sure 30 seconds less time under the broiler would’ve corrected it. But a great dish, my wife loved it. And we will try it again. Yummy!
One of our favorites !