This hearty one pot chicken fajita pasta has all the great classic chicken fajitas flavors combined with creamy pasta in a perfect weeknight meal!
In our household, pasta is always a great dinner go-to, with adults and kids alike. This chicken fajita pasta is a combination of three things that we love; chicken fajitas, pasta, and one pot meals!
When it comes to one pot meals, I can’t get enough! There’s something so satisfying about an entire meal cooked in one pot… with no extra pots and pans to wash up after dinner. Ever since the very first one pot meal here on the blog, you all have been emailing and pleading with me to make more… and I listened!
So many one pot meals I see around the internet call for adding cooked pasta to the pot… which means you had to use another pot to actually COOK that pasta. And sometimes, okay not sometimes… pretty much all the time, I don’t have any patience for boiling pasta, then cleaning up that awkwardly big stock pot! This is one of my favorite kinds of one pot meals; the kind where the pasta cooks in the same pan, alongside everything else.
Not only is this great for not adding extra dishes, but the pasta itself gets SUPER flavorful from cooking in a flavorful sauce instead of just water. Other favorites that use this cooking method are chicken parmesan pasta, Philly cheesesteak pasta, chicken cordon bleu pasta and pizza pasta!
HOW TO MAKE ONE POT CHICKEN FAJITA PASTA:
- Make sure to keep your chicken pieces similar in size. The chicken in this recipe cooks in just a few minutes, so you need to make sure the chicken pieces are all close to the same size so they can fully cook at the same time.
- The heat level (in my opinion) is between a mild and medium, however you can make it spicier by using hot diced tomatoes and green chiles, or by substituting jalapeño for the green bell pepper. You can make it milder by using plain diced tomatoes instead of the diced tomatoes with green chiles.
- There is no cheese in this recipe, however if you are a cheese lover, feel free to add in a handful of your favorite cheese when you add back in the chicken and peppers.
HELPFUL TOOLS:
- Dutch oven – I love the size of this pot.. it’s perfect for this recipe and it holds the heat really well.
- Fajita seasoning – this the brand I love and use often.
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Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 - 1 inch pieces
- 2-3 Tbsp fajita seasoning (taco seasoning works too)
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 2-3 bell peppers, any variety, sliced into 1 inch long strips
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups reduced sodium chicken stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chiles (like Rotel brand)
- 8 oz dried penne pasta (or other short cut pasta)
- kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- lime wedges, for garnish
- sliced green onions, for garnish
- minced fresh cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Add 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil to dutch oven or 12" skillet and heat over MED HIGH heat. Add chicken, sprinkle with half of the fajita seasoning and cook about 2 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over (or give it a good stir) and cook the other side for another 1-2 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil to dutch oven and add in onions and peppers and remaining fajita seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 4-5 minutes, until softened and slightly charred. Add garlic, stir, and cook about 30 seconds, then remove vegetable mixture to the plate with the chicken and set aside.
- Pour in chicken stock, heavy cream, diced tomatoes and chiles, pasta, and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Use a wooden spoon to carefully loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a low boil (usually about a MED LOW heat should work), cover, and cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 15 minutes, most of the cooking liquid should be absorbed. If it's not, cook another 3-5 minutes. Return the chicken and vegetables to the pot and stir to heat through.
- Serve garnished with diced green onions and minced fresh parsley or cilantro and with a squeeze of a lime wedge.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- chicken will need to have it's own separate container
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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Sharon Sanchez says
We love this dish! Been making it for a few years now. My teenage daughter discovered this recipe and learned to make it on her own and has been making it since! Only things we change is sometimes I want extra tomatoes so we’ll add that other than that we follow and it’s soooo good!!
Fletcher Roye says
yes wow so good so easy
Lisa says
OMG wow! I did add a bit more cream, more pasta a little picante sauce and a jalopeno but this was fantastic! Amanda I never change your recipes but for some reason this one gave me ideas. We love your food! Thanks dear! ❤️❤️
Maegen Grisham says
This dish is excellent!!!! I added cheese and jalapeños!! Yum yum 🤤
The whole family loved it!
Sarah says
Made this for my boyfriend who is incredibly picky when it comes to food. I normally worry how he will rate a new recipe but I knew he loved it when he was silently shoveling it in…(he rated it a 10 by the way!) I used half and half instead which worked out great, wasn’t sure if regular milk would be too watery? Only thing I will change for myself is that I boiled everything a few mins longer since there was still some liquid, but it made the noodles a little too soft for my liking and I think having some liquid would have been perfectly fine since it thickens like a sauce anyways. Just need to figure out how to air out my home from cooking onions and peppers, day 3 I can still smell it even with windows open lol any tips on that?? Also interested in seeing how it would taste with taco seasoning vs fajita. Thanks for a great recipe and looking forward to trying the other one pot pastas!
The Chunky Chef says
So glad to hear it was a hit! I haven’t tested this recipe with whole milk or taco seasoning, so I can’t say for certain how well they would work. As for the smell of onions and peppers, I would try using one of those “fridge and freezer” baking soda boxes, or slicing some apples in half (they absorb odors) 🙂
Joan says
This was awesome and easy! I used chopped up rotisserie chicken which made it even easier. We will definitely have this again!
RACHEL POYNTER says
This is one of my husband’s favorite recipes!
Elizabeth says
First time making this tasty dish. I’m a fan of the one pot meals. This was easy to make. Cutting the breast pieces small is a good suggestion. The chicken maintains moisture and tenderness. I used rotini pasta. The end result was a nice big pan of a flavorful meal. And, it’s cost effective.
Give it try.
Ilene says
Made it with Tex mex seasoning and chicken broth . Increased cream and also the chicken amount . Added mozzarella cheese . It was so good my boyfriend had three helpings
Erin Ellen says
Hi Amanda! I just made this dish and am eating it now!! I googled “what to do with leftover fajita chicken” and tried your recipe with a couple tweaks of what I had on hand (used Lentil Rotini Pasta, sourcream at the end, and white cheddar cheese) and this came out sooo delish! Thanks lady you’re awesome!
Erin
Lynn G says
I also used leftover rotisserie chicken making this dish super quick! I sure wish I would have had diced avocado and lime wedges. I did add some mexican melting cheese an my seasoning was the Carnitas seasoning from Pampered Chef. I actually could have put a little more but did not want to over,-do it.
Dom says
We’ve made this recipe too many times to count! Absolutely love it! It’s always a hit with visitors! Thank you!
Mary says
My absolutely favorite meal! I make as is and double so I can have leftovers for lunch. It repeats great! My whole family loves it as well!
Sarah Otradovec says
Yum! Only substitution was chickpea noodles, otherwise this was great! Thank you!
Sheree says
This tastes really great, I didn’t change a thing.
AMG says
A family favorite at my house, I’ve easily made this over a dozen times! Absolutely delicious!
Mary says
Looks really yummy. Do you drain the diced tomatoes?
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you 🙂 Nope, use the juices as well.
Mark says
We love this recipe – it is a family favorite! Only minor tweaks done to suit my tastes – this recipe is a slam dunk as is though.
Jeanine says
I have everything except the heavy cream. That’s something I never buy. Can I substitute a cream of soup or anything? How would it affect the taste to leave that out?
The Chunky Chef says
You could use half and half or milk if you have those 🙂
Elaine says
I use evaporated milk diluted 1:1. Easy to keep on hand.
Leslie Boomer says
So delish! I subbed half the tomato sauce with a medium salsa – it was fantastic and so easy!
Shandel says
This tastes so good! Thankyou for the recipe. Only changed a few things, added more seasoning, pasta and heavy whipping cream. I love the combo and will definitely make it again! Easy cleanup! ☺️
S Smith says
I’m very happy with how this turned out! I used more pasta than listed (I love pasta) and I did not boil out all of the mixture, I wanted mine more saucy than dry.