Y’all know how I feel about Mexican food, right? I mean, it’s been well documented. I make fried tacos as often as possible. My carnitas are requested anytime someone is coming to dinner. This King Ranch casserole is a favorite comfort food.
The thing is, all of those are somewhat…fattening. Which, don’t get me wrong, I love a good fattening meal just as much as the next guy, which is also well documented on this blog. But, it’s Spring, you guys! It’s time to lighten things up just a bit! I have a pool being dug right now. It’s time to get serious about swimsuit season.
I teamed up with LouAna Coconut Oil to bring you a new recipe and I knew I wanted to keep it on the lighter side. This Chicken Fajita Pasta is surprisingly light for a pasta dish! I love it and I think you will too.
LouAna coconut oil has zero grams of transfat and cholesterol, which makes it a great switch from traditional oils or butter. And no. Your food won’t taste like coconut if you cook or bake with coconut oil! It just makes things a bit healthier.
For this recipe, I kept things light with chicken breast. I added tons of bell peppers and onions to add flavor and freshness. The chicken and veggie are cooked in coconut oil. The sauce is just a smidge of sour cream (use light, if you prefer!) combined with salsa and then everything is topped with a handful of cheddar. This is an easy dinner that my whole family gobbled up. Of course, the 11 year old picked around the onions, but that’s fine. More for me!
I used regular pasta here, because I’m not the biggest fan of whole wheat. If you are, go ahead and use whole wheat here.
So, I dare ya…make the switch! See if you miss the butter or vegetable oil the next time you’re cooking up a batch of veggies on the stove or baking a batch of muffins. Coconut oil is a great swap and making the switch is as easy as can be!
Chicken Fajita Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound campanelle pasta or any small shape
- 1 pound chicken breasts
- 3 bell peppers any color
- 1 small onion
- 2 tablespoons LouAna coconut oil divided
- 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup prepared salsa
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
- 2 tablespoons diced cilantro
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.
- While cooking pasta, dice the chicken, peppers, and onion into bite-sized pieces.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to the skillet and let melt.
- Add the chicken to skillet and sprinkle with the fajita seasoning. Cook, stirring often, until no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add remaining tablespoon of coconut oil to skillet and melt. Add peppers and onions to skillet and cook until tender-crisp, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
- Return chicken to skillet. Add in the cooked pasta, sour cream, salsa, and cheese and stir well to combine.
- Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.
Robin Gillan says
Substitute for the coconut oil?
Karly says
Whatever oil you normally use to cook with will work fine here.
Courtney says
This is definitely my kind of pasta! Love that you include coconut oil too. We use it daily in our house but never tried like this – must make 🙂
Susan says
I also love me some Mexican Food! I can hardly wait to try this recipe, and I love the addition of coconut oil in it. Thanks for sharing!
Karly says
Hope you love it!
Liz @ Ready To Yumble says
Mexican food and pasta – my loves coming together in one dish! ???? Oh and cheese of course. Love it!
Karly says
Can’t forget the cheeeeeeese! 🙂
Liz says
We love chicken fajitas around here–and this pasta dish is sure to be a hit!!!
Karly says
Thanks, Liz!
Erin @ Simple, Sweet & Savory says
WOW! I love chicken fajitas and I LOVE pasta—so this looks amazing! It’s awesome that you used coconut oil in this. It looks like a delicious and easy weeknight meal. Can’t wait to try it! Pinning!
Karly says
It’s so perfect for busy nights! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Sheryl says
I love mexican food too. Another great pasta dish!
Karly says
Thanks, Sheryl!
Jen | Baked by an Introvert says
So wish I had seen this before planning tonight’s dinner menu! Love the idea of turning chicken fajitas into pasta. It’s a win for both Mexican and pasta lovers.
cookbook queen says
Ummmm…how do you make pasta look so beautiful??? Love that this is lower in calories, especially with Summer (eeekk!!) right around the corner. Definitely adding this to our next meal plan — we all love Mexican food AND pasta, so it’s perfect!!
Karly says
Thanks, Kristan! Hope you guys love it! 🙂
Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven says
This is totally my kinda Tuesday food!! Or maybe just anytime-of-the-entire-day kinda food. 😉 Chicken fajitas in pasta form sounds completely ahMAZING!!
Karly says
Thanks, Sarah! And, yes, I recommend this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!