Best Chicken Fajita Pasta
This Oven Baked 4-Ingredient Chicken Fajita Pasta is a hands-off, one-pan weeknight dinner made with raw pasta, chicken, peppers, and fajita sauce. Everything bakes together until tender, saucy, and full of fajita flavor.
INGREDIENTS:
12 oz uncooked short pasta such as penne or rotini, something with a little grip
1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced thin into strips
2 medium bell peppers any colors, seeded and sliced
3 cups prepared chicken fajita-style sauce about 24 oz total, thick; or use a salsa and queso blend
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9×13 baking dish, preferably glass or ceramic.
Pour the uncooked pasta into the prepared baking dish and spread it into an even layer across the bottom.
Scatter the sliced bell peppers over the pasta, letting some fall between the noodles.
Lay the raw chicken strips over the peppers in roughly a single layer, keeping the pieces about the same thickness so they cook evenly.
Pour the chicken fajita-style sauce over the dish, using the back of a spoon to push it into the corners and down between the pasta so most of the noodles touch sauce.
If the sauce is very thick, stir in 1/2 cup water before pouring so the pasta has enough moisture to cook properly.
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, allowing the steam to cook the pasta and chicken through.
Carefully peel the foil away from you to avoid the hot steam, then check that the pasta is tender and the chicken is cooked through to 165°F.
If the pasta is still firm in the center, cover the dish again and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Once cooked through, remove the foil, stir well from the bottom so everything comes together in the sauce, and let the pasta rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Scoop the chicken fajita pasta directly from the baking dish and serve warm.