One Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta

CHICKEN FAJITA PASTA RECIPE

This creamy chicken fajita pasta recipe is the creamy pasta dish everyone in your family will love. Made with juicy chicken breasts, freshly chopped vegetables, creamy pasta sauce and spicy fajita seasoning. If you love Mexican foods, this easy pasta dish is for you. Celebrating Cinco do Mayo? Look no further than this easy recipe.

What’s better? This easy weeknight dinner is ready and on the table for your family in less than 30 minutes and can be made in one pan easily. It’one of our family’s favorite pasta recipes – pure comfort food!

And, if you love pasta recipes as much as we do, we recommend you also try Rasta Pasta With Shrimp & Cream Sauce, Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta | Delicious & Easy and Instant Pot Penne Pasta With Spicy Italian Sausage.

In this article, we will cover the following. Feel free to use these links to navigate the recipe details.

• Ingredients for chicken fajita pasta.
• How to make one pot chicken fajita pasta?
• Substitutes you can use in fajita pasta.
• Tips for making one pot chicken fajita pasta.
• Additional topping ideas.
• Other delicious one pot dinner ideas.
• What pan works best for one pot meals?

INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN FAJITA PASTA

• SKINLESS BONELESS CHICKEN BREASTS – We prefer to use grass-fed free-range boneless skinless chicken breasts, but boneless chicken tenders or chicken thighs work well also.
• FRESH VEGETABLES – This fajita recipe is made delicious with a combination of fresh chopped onions and bell peppers. We used a combination of green bell peppers, orange bell peppers and red bell peppers, but feel free to use any pepper combination you might like. Similarly, we used a medium white onion in this pasta recipe, but a chopped red onion tastes absolutely delicious, too!
• PASTA – When you are making a creamy pasta dish such as this one, we always recommend a pasta shell that will hold on to the rich sauce. Because of that we recommend penne pasta, farfalle, elbow pasta or rigatoni.
• FAJITA SEASONING – When possible, we always prefer to use homemade seasonings as opposed to pre-packaged seasoning. Using homemade seasonings such as cayenne pepper, paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic, etc. allows us to control the heat.
• CHICKEN BROTH – If you don’t have an chicken broth on hand you are welcome to use reserved pasta water or vegetable broth.
• HEAVY CREAM – Heavy cream really helps this absolutely delicious pasta recipe come together. We use heavy cream, but have used half and half in the pasta which works well also.
• CHEESE – We used both cream cheese and cheddar cheese in this recipe. When possible, I recommend shredding your own cheddar cheese as opposed to pre-packaged cheese. Pre-packaged cheese is made with an agent/ingredients that prevent is from clumping in the package. Those ingredients can prevent the cheese from melting as well.

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN FAJITA PASTA

First, add water to the pan and bring to a boil. Once the water is to a boil, add pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and set it aside for now. Add a pinch of olive oil to ensure the pasta does not stick together.

Note, we like our pasta a bit more al dente in taste and texture. Be sure not to overcook.

In a large pan over medium heat, add olive oil and chicken breasts. Sprinkle each side of the chicken breasts with a pinch of garlic pepper, about 1/2 a teaspoon. Cook each chicken breast for about 4 minutes on each side. Adjust slightly based on the thickness of each of your breasts.

Remove the chicken breasts and set them aside for now. Remember, the chicken breasts will continue to cook themselves when set aside. If you want to ensure the chicken remains juicy, remove the chicken breasts before you think they are fully cooked.

Next, add chopped bell peppers, onions, and butter to the pan. Saute the vegetables over medium heat until fragrant, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and continue to saute for an additional minute or two.

Now, in the same pan with the bell peppers and onions, add heavy cream, chicken broth, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese. Stir to combine all ingredients. Continue stirring occasionally until cheese is melted.

Add cayenne pepper, paprika and cumin to the cream sauce and stir until well combined. Continue to saute the chicken fajita pasta sauce until it has reached your desired thickness. Taste and add any additional fajita seasonings based on taste and heat preference.

Add cooked pasta and cooked chicken breasts to the pasta, stir until well combined and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve and enjoy!

SUBSTITUTES YOU CAN USE IN FAJITA PASTA

One of the things we love most about this delicious weeknight dinner recipe is how versatile it is. There are so many great alternatives you can use to best fit your family’s taste buds. Here are just a few of our favorite substitutes:

• Ground turkey
• Ground beef
• Shrimp
• Vegan meat crumbles
• Black beans
• Green chilies
• Rotel tomatoes
• Diced tomatoes
• Whole grain, gluten-free pasta

TIPS FOR MAKING ONE POT CHICKEN FAJITA PASTA

If you love spicy foods, feel free to add green chiles or jalapeno peppers to the mix. Additionally, kick up the heat by adding more chili powder or cayenne pepper.

Also, if you are looking to make this easy chicken pasta dish a tad healthier, consider using whole wheat, whole grain or gluten-free pasta. Similarly, feel free to use non-dairy cheese and vegan meat crumbles as mentioned above.

ADDITIONAL TOPPING IDEAS

• Avocado
• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream
• Green onions
• Green chiles
• Fresh jalapenos

OTHER DELICIOUS ONE POT DINNER IDEAS

Looking for a delicious dinner tonight? Here are just a few of our favorite one pot dinner ideas:

• Easy Instant Pot Shrimp Alfredo
• Basil Pesto Alfredo With Shrimp & Broccoli
• Creamy Chicken Stroganoff in Your Instant Pot
• Instant Pot Creamy Parmesan Garlic Brussel Sprouts
• Creamy Lemon Pepper Pasta With Shrimp & Parmesan

WHAT PAN WORKS BEST FOR ONE POT MEALS?

For one pot dinners, we love the Our Place Always Pan. This pan serves as an awesome 8-in-1 pan that allows you to saute, steam, sear and so much more!