Fajita chicken pasta has tender pasta, strips of chicken, charred onions and peppers, and plenty of fajita seasoning and cheese to bring it all together. This delicious family dinner is ready in just 25 minutes!
This post has been updated with new photography.
Who else loves fajita night? 🙋♀️
My kiddos go crazy for fajitas, so they are on the menu a lot.
Usually it's my go-to stove-top easy chicken fajitas, but we also sometimes make sheet pan chicken fajitas.
Or maybe you're like, yeah, sure, fajitas, but I'm really here for the pasta. Bring on the pasta!
I got you. I love me some carbs, too.
This Cajun chicken pasta is perfectly spicy and totally flavorful. This creamy chicken and mushroom pasta with peas is a one-pot pasta that's so cozy. And this chicken penne pasta with broccoli is a great go-to when you need a dinner that you don't have to think much about.
Today though, we're doing a little twist, combining the best of both worlds and making fajita chicken pasta.
We've got all the flavor of fajitas - the charred onions and peppers, the tender strips of chicken, the seasoning, duh - and also plenty of pasta to mix it with, with some cheese and pasta cooking liquid to bring it all together.
It's creamy, cheesy, fajita flavored in every bite and seriously so delicious. The combination of fajitas + pasta is just divine.
This fajita chicken pasta is sure to be a new family favorite!
And it's ready in just 25 minutes, so it's easy enough to make any night of the week.
OK, let's get cooking so we can get to eating.
Ingredient Notes:
Chicken: Be sure to slice your chicken thin enough. You'll want them to be small and easy to bite into so you can get some along with the pasta and veggies in every bite.
Onions and peppers: Similarly, make sure your onions and peppers are about the same size so they cook evenly. I cut long strips in half so they aren't so huge to get a fork around.
Pepper colors: Using a variety of different colored bell peppers adds some great flavor and color interest. When possible, it's nice to have some green, yellow, red and orange in there, but you only need two bell peppers worth for the recipe. So it's definitely OK to buy one red and one yellow, for instance, and stop there. (Or get a bag of the mini sweet peppers and use some of those.)
Pasta: I love using whole wheat penne for some whole grain goodness, but regular penne is fine. You could also substitute a different pasta shape, like medium shells, if you prefer. Be sure to reserve some of the pasta cooking liquid when you go to drain the pasta cause we're using it to tie everything together.
Fajita seasoning: We love homemade fajita seasoning, which is so very easy to mix up yourself, but you can certainly use a store-bought mix. You do need a lot though - 4 tablespoons. I've tried the recipe with less and it just didn't have enough fajita flavor.
Cheese: The bagged shredded Mexican blend cheese is great here for some extra flavor and oomph. However, you could use cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese if you'd like.
Disclaimer: I think it's important to cook the chicken and veggies separately so they all get cooked through, lightly charred, and perfectly delicious.
If you cram everything into one pan to try and cook it all together, it will steam and not be nearly as tasty.
In a hurry though? I feel you. Here's what I do sometimes:
Have two large sauté pans going at once on the stove: one for chicken, one for the onion and peppers. They'll cook in about the same time and then you can toss them together and proceed to finish off the recipe.
You know I've always got you covered in the "how do I make this even faster and easier?" department.
There you go! Fajita night, done a little differently. But every bit as delicious. In fact, you may come to like this chicken fajita pasta even better!
I hope you give this a try for a family dinner soon.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. You might also love this taco pasta that's another family favorite.
Fajita Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz. penne pasta, whole wheat or regular
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2 bell peppers (mixed colors), sliced
- 4 tablespoons fajita seasoning, divided
- 1 ½ lbs. chicken breasts, cut in ½ inch cubes
- 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese (or cheddar)
Optional toppings:
- Diced avocado or guac, extra shredded cheese, sour cream or Greek yogurt, pickled jalapeños, fresh chopped cilantro, lime wedges, hot sauce, etc.
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve at least ½ cup of the cooking liquid when draining the pasta.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 ½ teaspoons of the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and peppers and season with 1 tablespoon of the fajita seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly charred and tender, about 5-6 minutes. Remove the onion and peppers to a bowl.
- Add the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons of olive oil to the same skillet. Season the chicken with 2 tablespoons of the fajita seasoning and add to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.
- Return the onion and peppers to the pan. Add the cooked pasta, 1 ½ cups of shredded cheese and the remaining tablespoon of fajita seasoning to the pan. Add ¼ cup of the pasta cooking liquid and stir well to combine everything and melt the cheese. Add extra pasta cooking liquid if needed to get everything to come together.
- Serve the fajita chicken pasta with the remaining cheese sprinkled on top, and any other desired toppings. Enjoy!
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A says
Absolutely lovely. Will be a firm favourite dinner in our home now 🙂
Kathryn Doherty says
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for sharing!
Joshua L Gill says
Just made today and We love it!
Kathryn Doherty says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, thank you for sharing! We had it again last week - it's always a hit! 🙂
Leah says
Very good! It was a hit in our home with extra cheese and hot pico
Kathryn Doherty says
Yay! I'm so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing!