Fajita Chicken Pasta - all the great flavours of chicken fajita's in this amazing pasta dish that the whole family will love.
I love fajita's - I think it is all the different components - the seasoning and flavours, the grilled meat, onions and peppers, then all the amazing toppings from soured cream, to cheddar and cilantro.
But then there are the flour tortillas that are not exactly Slimming friendly. There are some tortillas/wraps that are low calorie, but let's face it, one tortilla is never going to cut it for me when I fancy fajitas, so this Fajita Chicken Pasta is a perfect way around that.
This recipe is also found in the Slimming Eats Made Simple cookbook as one of the 15 bonus blog favourites. You can get it from all Major Retailers including Amazon
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Serving with pasta is a great way to enjoy this dish without the guilt. You still get to have some of those amazing toppings, but without breaking the daily syn bank. Actually, I enjoy this just as much, if not more.
For this Fajita Chicken Pasta - I have used chicken thigh, as that's what I had at the time, but chicken breast, beef strips or even shrimp (prawns) would work just as well, or if you are vegetarian, just a delicious mix of vegetables with the seasoning would be perfect too.
The first part is the seasoning for the chicken. I add all the spices to my Cuisinart Mini Food Processor, so it makes an amazing Fajita Paste, using olive oil for the paste or spray oil if I really want to keep this syn free. I also add a little bit of sukrin gold (a natural sweetener with no aftertaste).
Once the paste is made, add it to a bowl with the chicken (or other protein of choice) and mix to marinate well and then I cover and refrigerate for a few hours, for the flavours to really get absorbed into the meat. You could make this up in the morning, and then it will be ready to cook at dinner time, or even prepare the night before and leave it marinating until ready to be cooked.
Hey, that paste is great for all kinds of protein just on their own, especially skewers of meat for a barbecue.
Love this pasta dish? check out some of these delicious pasta recipes:
- One Pot Chicken and Asparagus Pasta
- Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Pasta
- One Pot Speed Pasta
- Sloppy Joe Pasta Bake
- One Pot Beef Fajita Pasta
- Pulled Pork Pasta Bake
- One Pot Creamy Zucchini Pasta
- Quick Mac and Cheese
- Creamy Garlic Pasta
- Best Ever Bolognese Pasta Bake
- Chicken Bacon and Tomato Pasta Bake
- Beef Lasagne
- Spicy Mexican Chicken Lasagne
or if you would like more recipe ideas - head on over to the FULL RECIPE INDEX where you will find over 900 delicious recipes with calories and you can search by meal type, ingredients, course, diet and more..
All recipes on Slimming Eats have estimated nutritional information for your convenience.
How can I add extra vegetables to this Chicken Fajita Pasta?
This pasta dish is packed with veggies already: peppers, onion and zucchini (courgette) all great for bulking out any dish to make more filling while not adding a huge amount of calories.
As well as the veggies that come packed in the dish. I like to serve this as a fajita pasta bowl with some crisp shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce.
A fajita dish of any kind is never complete without a little avocado, sour cream (or use greek yoghurt for a lighter option) and some cheddar. But this pasta dish is also really delicious and packed with flavour just on its own. My kids love this and so it's a perfect all-around family meal.
Kitchen Items that I used for this Chicken Fajita Pasta:
- Mini Food Processor
- Cast Iron Skillet (perfect for on the stove cooking and transferring to the oven)
- Chopping Board
- Measuring spoons
- Santoku Knife
- Wooden Spoon
- Mixing Bowl
- Grater
- Large Saucepan
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Fajita Chicken Pasta - Slimming Friendly
Fajita Chicken Pasta - all the great flavours of chicken fajitas in this amazing pasta dish that the whole family will love.
Ingredients
- 260g (10.5oz) of uncooked penne pasta (can use a gluten-free option) - reserve ½ cup of the pasta water (120ml)
- 500g of chicken thighs (or can use chicken breast, beef, shrimp or pork)
- juice of a small lime
- 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon of paprika
- 2 cloves of garlic crushed
- 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (seeds removed)
- 1 teaspoon of oregano
- 1 tsp of salt
- 2 teaspoon of sukrin: gold
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil (2 syns) - or use spray oil to make this completely syn free
- ¼ tsp of cayenne (optional) - omit if you don't like it too spicy
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 green pepper, sliced
- 1 courgette (zucchini), halved lengthways and sliced
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- avocado spray oil
- freshly chopped coriander (cilantro)
Instructions
- Add to a mini food processor the lime juice, cumin, jalapeno, cayenne pepper, paprika, oregano, sukrin gold, salt, olive oil (or spray oil), crushed garlic and a little salt and blitz a few times until you have a paste. Add to the chicken and mix to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate for a few hours to marinade.
- Cook the pasta until al dente, drain and set aside (reserving some of the pasta water)
- Spray a frying pan with some avocado spray oil, over a medium high heat. Add the marinated chicken mixture and cook stirring occasionally until the chicken is browned and cooked through, remove the chicken and set aside.
- Add the peppers, onion,and courgette (zucchini) and stir constantly until the vegetables are nice and tender, but still crisp.
- Add the chicken back to the pan
- Add the tomato paste and the reserved pasta water.
- Add the cooked pasta and mix together thoroughly, until the sauce lightly coats all the pasta and is heated through.
- Season as needed with salt and black pepper and top with some fresh chopped coriander.
- Serve with your choice of sides/toppings
- Enjoy
Notes
This recipe is gluten free, Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly
- Slimming World - syn free per serving (or 0.5 syns when using olive oil)
- WW Flex Freestyle Smart Points - 7 per serving (use chicken breast)
- Gluten Free - use gluten free pasta of choice
*suitable for freezing
This can be made totally syn free using spray oil, or just 0.5 syns per serving if you use the olive oil. ½ a syn isn't really anything to try and skimp on, but if you just can't do without a syn free recipe, then feel free to make that adjustment.
For a syn free alternative to soured cream - mix some fat free Greek Yoghurt with a little fresh lemon juice and salt.
Remember to syn any toppings you decide to add which are not free, and count any healthy extra's if you add cheese.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1 SERVING (without toppings)Amount Per Serving Calories 446Total Fat 6.6gSaturated Fat 1.4gCholesterol 93mgSodium 922mgCarbohydrates 55.4gFiber 8gSugar 8.3gProtein 37.1g
Lisa Evrae says
Fajitas are filled tortillas arn't they. I love wraps, pasta is better as syn free though. Looks lovely x!
britmumincanada says
yep, fajita's is grilled spicy coated meats such as chicken beef or pork. They are traditionally served with tortilla wraps, salsa and soured cream etc.
So this is a lovely alternative. Which of course is pretty much syn free 😉
Andrea says
Just made this for tea, totally yum!!
mommyedwards says
Just made this, my husband can't believe these are free recipes. It was gorgeous. Only been a member for 2 weeks but been planning a while as waiting to establish my breast feeding with my 14 week old daughter. Love this site, the recipes are great. Thanks for sharing them, you really have a talent x
Anita Lowe says
just made this ...wonderful xxx thanks
Kelly Robson says
How much cayenne pepper do you use?
Admin says
Just a pinch
Alison Fuller says
This was really yummy! Will be be making often!
Brenda says
I was a bit dubious about fajita style chicken with pasta but this recipe is delicious!
Jane maclean says
I love fajitas and this pasta recipe was just delicious!
I used my HEA allowance for Cheese and synned for a tablespoon of very low fat creme fraiche
Definitely a favourite meal !
Sandra Webster says
Omg this was delicious. Forget the tortillas!!
Harriet says
Blooming delicious once again, xx
Michelle Crutcher says
I love fajitas and this recipe was perfect. It tastes so good with pasta and was a lovely change from tortillas. Thank you
Lynda Johnston says
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I will definitely make it again
Tracy says
If you don't have any limes in what can I use as an alternative?
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Tracy, lemon juice would work okay or otherwise you can omit, it shouldn't effect the dish too much.
Evangeline says
IS this suitable for freezing?
Vikkie says
Hi, is this suitable for freezing? Thanks
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Evangeline, it is best eaten when cooked, but all ingredients are fine to freeze.
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Vikkie - it's best eaten when cooked, but all ingredients are fine for freezing.
Akshaya says
Has anyone tried it with spaghetti? Or I should use fusilli instead?
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
any pasta will be fine, just use the same amount 🙂
Sadia Ghaffar says
Is Sukrin necessary? What else could be used instead? Thanks
Phil says
Can’t find avocado oil in any of the major supermarket’s
In the uk. Alternative please.
Phil Bell says
Loved it will definitely be making this again
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
you can use any spray oil of choice.
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
any sweetener of choice, or you can use sugar and syn. If you prefer you can omit completely, but it adds a sweetness to the spice.
Deborah says
Do you have to make a paste could you just fry the ingredients with the chicken?
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Making the paste, add much more flavour and coats the chicken better, but if you don't have a mini food processor, definitely try it by just coating the chickening the seasoning, just be aware it is better made with the paste.
Liana Peddlesden says
Another winner! Made this tonight and it was delicious! Thank you!
Helen says
This was so tasty, definitely one I will make again and again. So glad I tried it.
Thank you
Vicky says
This was delicious and easily made 6 meals. Winner for the family, everyone liked it.
Michelle says
How much pasta water should I keep?
Siobhan (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Michelle - it tells you in the recipe box. 120ml
Jodie Robinson says
Hi could this be made vegan by adding tofu instead of chicken or maybe extra veg?
Siobhan (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Jodie, I haven't tested with vegan alternatives, but I don't see why they wouldn't work. Let me know if you try it.
Lynette says
This was really lovely! I didn't marinade as decided late in the day to try the recipe and it was delicious, so can only imagine how good it would be if marinated! Thank you for a simple, quick, healthy and delicious meal!
Jill says
I’ve just made this with vegan chicken pieces, which are free on SlimmingWorld. It’s delicious! I didn’t have a lime so used a lemon but it was still great! Thanks, will definitely make it again. How long would you keep in the fridge? Just wondering for food prep for work.