Everything you love about fajitas transformed into the creamiest and tastiest pasta. This spicy pasta makes a great addition to your weeknight routine and is ready in under 30 minutes!
In case you haven’t noticed, we’re obsessed with Mexican food around here. What’s not to love about this spicy flavorful cuisine. We love tacos, burritos, bowls, and fajita so why not make a chicken fajita pasta?
This chicken fajita pasta is packed with all the flavors of chicken fajitas in a creamy pasta form. Packed with protein, carbs, and veggies, this pasta is the ultimate comfort meal. It comes together in under 30 minutes and will become a dinner staple!
What You Will Need to Make Chicken Fajita Pasta
To make this delicious chicken fajita pasta you will need a few pantry staples that you most likely already have on hand.
Chicken Breasts: This recipe works best with chicken breasts. Boneless chicken thighs will also work. We also like this dish with shrimp to make a shrimp fajita pasta spin to it!
Pasta: Any type of pasta works! I like penne or rotini but any cut even linguine or spaghetti will work with this recipe.
Bell Peppers + Onion: The onions and bell peppers are what make this dish exclusively chicken fajita-inspired. They add lots of flavor and texture.
Fajita Seasoning: A homemade spice blend or store-bought will work. You can also use my delicious homemade taco seasoning or this delicious homemade Mexican Seasoning blend.
Cheese: Cheddar, Mexican blend, Colby, or mozzarella will work. Be sure to shred it yourself at home as the pre-shredded cheese comes with fillers.
Cream: This is what gives the pasta the creaminess and rich flavor. You can use light or heavy cream. Some people like to substitute with half & half for lower calories but if you do, be sure to reduce the heat when you add it because it can curdle.
How to Make Chicken Fajita Pasta
The chicken is first cooked in a load of fajita spices (you can use a store-bought packet or a homemade blend) until crispy and tender. I like to cut them into bite-size pieces. You can also cook the chicken breasts whole by coating them in fajita seasoning and grilling them in the pan then cutting after cooking and returning them to the pasta at the very end.
Next, the bell peppers, onion, and garlic are added and cooked just until they soften.
Al-dente pasta, cream, and cheddar cheese are then added to finish off this easy-to-make flavorful pasta.
The flavors of fajita along with the cheese and cream make the most zesty insane flavor combo that’s to die for. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!
Expert tips
This chicken and pasta recipe is very easy to make but here are some tips so it’s perfect every time!
- Freshly grated cheese: If you have the time, grate your cheese. It not only melts better, but it isn’t filled with preservatives and fillers like grated cheese does.
- Chicken size: It’s best if all of the pieces of chicken are similar in size. This will help them cook evenly and at the same rate.
- Pasta: Be sure not to overcook the pasta in the water as it will continue cooking in the fajita sauce. For best results, cook it al dente. For al dente pasta, you’ll need to drain it about 2-3 min before the time suggested on the packaging. Reserve some pasta sauce and add it to the pasta if you need more moisture.
What else can I add to my chicken pasta?
To make this pasta a bit more nutrition-dense, you can easily sneak in a variety of veggies or your favorite add-ins. I do this for my kids as they don’t seem to mind the veggies in the pasta. The veggies also add a ton of flavor and texture too! Here are a few of my favorite pasta mix-ins:
- Broccoli
- cauliflower
- Mushrooms
- Julienned carrots
- Spinach/Kale
- Zucchini/eggplant
You can also add canned beans or switch up the protein and use shrimp, ground meat, or tofu!
Storing recommendations
Even though we rarely have leftovers of this dish, it’s very easy to store and reheat!
- Store in the refrigerator: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store for a max of 3-4 days.
- Freeze: This recipe will last 6-8 months frozen. Let it thaw in the fridge for a full 24 hours before reheating.
- To reheat: You can reheat portions in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Add a splash of cream, or water to loosen the pasta.
More Delicious Chicken Pasta Recipes
- Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta
- Marry Me Chicken Pasta
- 15 Minute Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Pesto Pasta
- Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Creamy Chicken Fajita Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta, any shape
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bite size pieces (about 1/2 inch)
- 3 tablespoons fajita seasoning, homemade or store bought packet, see note below for recipe
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 bell pepper, any color, seeded and sliced
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 5-6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy creamy
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions (al-dente). Reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining.
- Season chicken breast pieces with fajita seasoning. Heat oil in a large heavy-duty pan or pot to medium/ high heat. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the chicken is browned and cooked through.
- Add the bell peppers, onion, and garlic to pan. Stir for 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender.
- Stir in the heavy cream and the reserved pasta water. Bring to a gentle simmer then stir in the pasta and cheese. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and all the flavors are combined.
- Top with fresh minced cilantro, serve immediately.
Video
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
1 quest🥰why do we add corn starch
Thx
It has many uses in spices. It works as an anti-caking agent and helps the spices not stick together, and it also helps the spices adhere to the meat and adds a delicious crust when grilling meats!
Came out gr8
My whole family loved it.
Thx❤️
My whole family loved this
Thank u❤️
I just made this tonight, it was delicious. The only thing I changed was instead of half and half I used about 4oz of cream cheese and half and half, only because I didn’t have half and half. But it was still very very good.
I meant to say almond milk
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Thank you!
Hi, was just wondering what could be used as an alternative for half and half – my dad has a diary allergy and always miss out when I cook this… Thanks in advance…
Great recipe! Made it a few times now. Thank you!! Is it suitable to freeze?
Can you use milk in place of half and half?
Just made this! Made a vegetarian version for myself using beans instead of chicken and it’s delicious! Everybody else ate the chicken version and they love it. I added everything to a casserole dish and topped it with cheese and broiled it for a few minutes and it came out perfectly cheesy and creamy, just how we like it! Thank you!
Please tell us what half and half is,is it cream perhaps ?
Half and Half is an American product and is made with half cream and half milk. You can easily replace it with light or full cream!
Do you know what the calories are for this meal? Thanks
Hi, this recipe is becoming a favorite, especially cause it’s so easy to make.
i have a question about the fajita seasoning – when you say “2t of chili powder” do you mean spicy stuff of the spices blend that recipes in the Us use? I am not from us but one recipe I found for chili requires garlic, onion, oregano, cayenne, paprika and cumin. do i make that blend first and use just 2 t of it, in addition to the exact ingredients your recipe calls for (except oregano. plus cornstarch 😀 ). PLease help me, i am going crazy. a lot of recipes as for chili powder – including the seasoning for chili con carne.
Hi Anna, It can become confusing when it comes to spices! In america, when we say ‘chili powder’ it usually means the chili powder mix that comes with other spices added to it. If you use pure chili powder it might make the recipe a little too spicy. I suggest you taste and adjust the recipe to your pallete! enjoy 🙂
Thank you, that’s what I thought. so i should make a batch of chili powder mix first. if only every blog out there didn’t give a different recipe 😀 Thank you!
So – so – so good! Thank you for the recipe!
Hi,
What is half and half?
Thats what i want to know
Half and half is half cream and half milk.
Made this tonight. I was cooking for a crowd so I doubled the recipe. It was delicious! I did add more cheese as we like it cheesy, but my kids loved it. I served it with side salad and croissant rolls. Thanks for a great recipe!
A friend just linked to this in a post on meal-planning, and now this will be part of my meal plan every. single. week. It looks AMAZING!!