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So…this is not a vintage recipe, but I made something very similar back in the mid nineties (I know…the nineties aren’t THAT vintage).
I found the recipe that I based this on in an issue of Taste of Home Magazine, but I changed quite a bit after Stephan and I tried it for the first time (we collaborate on seasonings and things pretty regularly).
This recipe made enough for both of us to have seconds the first night, plus lunch the next day.
What You’ll Need:
3 cups rotini pasta
2 Tablespoons olive oil
One pound chicken breasts, cut into bite sized cubes
1 envelope fajita or taco seasoning mix
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green, red, or yellow bell pepper, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chicken broth
16 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
4 ounce can chopped green chiles, drained
One teaspoon each paprika, cumin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup half and half
1 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese
1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
Cook pasta to al dente, according to package directions.
Heat one tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and fajita or taco seasoning, and cook until cooked through, turning as needed. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add the remaining oil and the onion and bell pepper. Cook and stir until tender, then add garlic. Cook one additional minute.
Stir in the broth, tomatoes, chiles, half and half, and seasonings, then simmer until thickened. This should take 8-10 minutes.
Toss the chicken and pasta into the sauce, then top with the cheese and serve. If the sauce is still a little thin, don’t worry. The pasta will soak it up anyway.
Don’t have rotini? Use fusilli, wagon wheels, elbows, penne–anything other than long noodles.
Want to make this vegetarian? Use a soy-based chicken substitute and vegetable broth, or leave out the chicken and add mushrooms instead, and call it vegetable fajita pasta!.
It’s your food–make it the way you want it!
Did you try this recipe? Leave us a comment below!
