Some nights, I just need something cozy and totally easy to throw together, and this Creamy Chicken Fajita Pasta has been a firm favorite for YEARS. It is one of those dinners that saves me on busy nights because it is simple, family-friendly, and packed with bold Tex-Mex flavors. It’s rich and comforting without being fussy, and you can tweak it with whatever you have on hand. I can’t tell you how much I love having easy recipes like this in my back pocket for when I need a quick win at dinnertime. 😉
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“This is incredible! My kids all loved it, I had to keep swatting their hands away from the chicken while I finished the sauce. Making it again less than a week later.”
Lisa
Easy Recipe for Chicken Fajita Pasta
This easy chicken fajita pasta is a fast fix that doesn’t need a long list of ingredients to be amazing. All you really need is some pasta, a juicy chicken breast, a bell pepper, an onion, fire-roasted tomatoes, spices, and a little cream cheese to pull it all together. If your spice cabinet is still a work in progress like mine once was, you can totally grab a packet of fajita seasoning at the store instead of mixing your own. It still gives you all those smoky, zesty flavors that remind me of my favorite oven chicken fajitas, just in a creamy pasta version!
If you can’t find a good deal on chicken breasts, skinless, boneless chicken thighs are a great swap. They’re usually more affordable, stay super tender when cooked, and taste just as delicious. You can even use another type of meat, like pork chops if that’s what you have on hand.
Creamy Chicken Fajita Pasta
Creamy Chicken Fajita Pasta is a fast and delicious weeknight meal with savory southwest flavors that the whole family will love.
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FAJITA SPICE MIX
- 2 tsp chili powder* ($0.20)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp cumin ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp sugar ($0.01)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
CHICKEN PASTA
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast (about 0.75 lb.) ($2.00)
- 1 (142g) green bell pepper, diced ($0.86)
- 1 (284g) yellow onion, diced ($0.70 )
- 15 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes ($1.29)
- 4 oz cream cheese ($0.88)
- 8 oz (227g) dried pasta (any shape) ($0.62)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.24)
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Combine the spices for the fajita spice mix in a bowl and set aside. Dice the onion and bell pepper, and cut the chicken breast into 1/2-inch cubes.
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add the pasta and continue to boil until tender (7-10 minutes, or according to the package directions). Drain the pasta in a colander and set it aside until ready to use.
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While waiting for the pasta to cook, heat 1 Tbsp cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the cubed chicken and the fajita spice mix. Sauté the chicken and spices until the chicken is cooked through and slightly browned. Remove the chicken from the skillet to a clean bowl.
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Add the onion and bell pepper to the skillet and continue to sauté over medium heat just until they begin to soften slightly on the edges and have a little brown color. Add the canned tomatoes (with juices) and the cream cheese. Stir the mixture over medium heat until the cream cheese melts in and forms a creamy sauce with the tomatoes.
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Finally, add the cooked and drained pasta and cooked chicken back to the skillet. Stir until everything is evenly combined and coated in creamy sauce. Top with sliced green onions and serve.
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Large 12″ skillet
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Large Pot
*The chili powder used here is a mild blend of red chiles and other spices. The heat in this fajita spice mix comes from the cayenne, so if you want it more spicy, add more cayenne, or if you want the pasta to be 100% mild, just leave the cayenne out. With the 1/8 tsp cayenne that I used, the pasta just has a slight kick but is not too spicy.
Serving: 1servingCalories: 490kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 29gFat: 17gSodium: 666mgFiber: 4g
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How to Make Chicken Fajita Pasta Step-by-Step Photos
Prep your ingredients: Gather all of your ingredients. In a small bowl, stir together 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt to make your fajita seasoning mix.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add 8oz. pasta and cook according to the package directions. Once the pasta is cooked through, drain it in a colander and set it aside until ready to use. But while the pasta is cooking you can start the rest of the dish.
Slice the chicken: Cut one boneless, skinless chicken breast into 1/2-inch cubes. This was a fairly large chicken breast, at about 0.75 lb. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if that’s what you have available.
Cook the chicken: While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 Tbsp cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced chicken and the prepared fajita spice mix. Sauté the chicken and spices until the chicken is slightly browned and cooked through. Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet and place it in a clean bowl.
Sauté the veggies: Add the onion and bell pepper to the skillet and sauté for about 5 minutes, or just until the edges soften and begin to turn brown.
Make the sauce: Add one 15oz. can of fire roasted diced tomatoes (with the juices) and 4oz. of cream cheese (cut into chunks) to the skillet. Stir and cook over medium heat until the cream cheese melts in and creates a creamy sauce with the tomatoes. Finally, add drained pasta and cooked chicken back to the skillet and stir until everything is coated in the creamy sauce.
Combine everything: Finally, add drained pasta and cooked chicken back to the skillet and stir until everything is coated in the creamy sauce.
Serve: Top with 2 sliced green onions, then serve. That’s one big skillet of goodness….I mean creamy chicken fajita pasta.
Can I Make this In One Pot?
This fajita pasta recipe is very similar to my one-pot cajun chicken pasta, so it’s easy to make it all in one pot if you want to save on dishes. After sautéing the chicken (just until browned), onion, and bell pepper, add the pasta, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, and 2 cups of chicken broth. The chicken doesn’t need to be cooked through yet because it’ll finish cooking as everything simmers. Let it bubble away until the pasta is tender and the chicken is cooked through, then stir in the cream cheese.
If you want your bell peppers to stay a little more crisp, just sauté them first, remove them from the pot, and then stir them back in at the very end with the cream cheese.
- Make it vegetarian. This recipe is sooo easy to make vegetarian-friendly. You can leave out the chicken, and it’s automatically veggie, but I’d prefer to add in some extra ingredients to bulk it up. Sauté some mushrooms before adding the bell pepper and onion, add some canned red kidney beans, or use tempeh in place of the chicken.
- Use a big enough pan. I remember when I first made this recipe back in 2016, I only used a 10-inch cast iron skillet, and that was way too small. It was really full and difficult to stir without spillage. I recommend using a 12-inch skillet.
- Spice it up (or down). One of my favorite things about mixing my own fajita seasoning is how easy it is to make it just the way I like it. If I am craving extra heat, I just toss in a bit more cayenne. You can seriously tweak any of the seasonings in this recipe to fit your taste.
Serving Suggestions
If you want to take this recipe for chicken fajita pasta one step further and make it EXTRA indulgent, I suggest sprinkling pepper jack (or Monterrey jack) cheese on top before serving. A dollop of sour cream would also be delicious. I’d also add a few pickled red onions for some tang, and if you fancy something fresh, our street corn salad would be the perfect match.
sTORAGE & rEHEATING
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3–4 days. I usually just pop a bowl in the microwave for a super quick and easy lunch the next day. I don’t usually freeze this one since creamy sauces can sometimes separate after thawing, and pasta becomes mushy. If you don’t mind the texture, you could try freezing it for up to 3 months and thaw it in the fridge before reheating.
Our Creamy Chicken Fajita Pasta recipe was originally published 6/28/16. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 5/3/25.
