This colorful, creamy chicken fajita pasta is an easy weeknight dinner that comes together in just 30 minutes with minimal effort.
Made with seasoned chicken, sizzling fajita veggies, and a delicious creamy sauce, this cozy pasta dish will become a dinner staple, especially for those busy weeknights!
When I need a quick and easy dinner that has lots of flavor, this creamy chicken fajita pasta is always a go-to. It’s now one of my family’s requested dinners!
Think of the best sizzling chicken fajitas with crisp tender peppers and onions, but tossed with a warm cream cheese sauce and al dente bow tie pasta. Every bite is so comforting and PACKED with flavor like no other!
The flavors of this chicken fajita pasta are similar to my Chicken Fajita Bowls and Chicken Quesadillas, which are also favorites at my house. I love it!
It comes together in just 30 minutes with minimal effort and cleanup. It also reheats very well, so feel free to double up the recipe and keep some for leftovers throughout the week or for meal prep planning.
Looking for more tasty chicken pasta dishes? Try my Cajun Chicken Alfredo, Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta, or Chicken Broccoli Alfredo.
Why I love making this creamy chicken fajita pasta:
- A 30-minute meal. A quick and easy pasta dish to make after a hectic day.
- Packed with flavor. You’ll love my quick homemade spice blend that adds so much incredible flavor throughout.
- Easy to make. Made with simple and fresh ingredients. You may already have everything on hand!
- Double or triple it! Great for serving a crowd or for the week’s lunch.
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Ingredient Notes
This chicken fajita pasta recipe calls for simple ingredients that you may already have in your fridge and pantry. Below, I included a few notes from recipe testing that I hope you find helpful.
- Seasoning blend: Chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Pasta: I like to use short pasta, such as farfalle (aka bow tie pasta), but feel free to use anything here. Rotini or penne are both great alternatives.
- Chicken: Trim excess fat and dice the chicken. Use boneless breasts or boneless thighs instead if you prefer.
- Bell peppers: I use all three colors (red, yellow and green) which not only make this dish very colorful, but give it a subtle balance of sweet and savory.
- Yellow onion: Yellow onions are sweeter, which I like, but white onions work too.
- Cream cheese: Bring cream cheese out to room temperature to slightly soften. Cut it into cubes to make it easier to melt into the sauce.
- Olive oil for cooking and fresh parsley (or cilantro) for garnish
Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card down below, as always.
Step-by-Step Tutorial
This creamy chicken fajita pasta comes together pretty quickly. It’s super simple. Let’s make it!
Step 1 | Cook pasta and chicken
In a medium pot, bring water to a boil and cook the pasta to al dente according to package directions. No need to salt the water, as the fajita seasoning blend already contains salt. Important: Reserve 1-2 cups of the starchy pasta water – you’ll need it!
In a small bowl, mix all the spices listed in the recipe card down below. Season the chicken with half of the seasoning mix (reserve the rest for later). Then, on a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil and cook the seasoned chicken until golden brown and fully cooked through.
Step 2 | Sauté fajita vegetables
Do not wipe the pan clean. Drizzle in a bit more oil and sauté the onions and peppers for about 6-7 minutes until crisp tender. Season with the remainder of the seasoning mix to taste.
Step 3 | Make the creamy sauce
Add the cubed softened cream cheese to the pan, along with about ¾ to 1 cup of the reserved pasta water or as needed, and stir to combine until thickened and creamy. Using a wooden spoon, scrape off the brown bits too to release flavor. If the sauce is too thick, simply add more pasta water.
Step 4 | Bring everything together
Transfer the cooked chicken back into the skillet, along with the cooked pasta. Toss everything to combine, and let that simmer for a couple of minutes until everything is incorporated.
To serve, garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro on top of the chicken fajita pasta. Enjoy while it’s still warm and creamy!
Tips for Success
- Pasta shape: I’d recommend short pasta shapes here, such as farfalle (bow tie), penne or rotini.
- Save the pasta water! It’s what helps to build the creamy sauce.
- There’s no need to salt the pasta water since the seasoning contains salt already.
- Shortcut: Use your favorite store-bought fajita seasoning blend. Or try my homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning for this recipe.
- Adjust the creaminess: For a creamier sauce, add more cream cheese to taste. You can also swap the cream cheese for heavy cream, if preferred.
Make Ahead Instructions
This chicken fajita pasta is a great make ahead recipe. It reheats very well, so store in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. When reheating, just add a splash of heavy cream to loosen it up, either over the stovetop or in the microwave oven.
It’s also great for prep ahead. On busy weeks, I usually prep the ingredients on Sunday night, which cuts the total time by a lot. Here’s how:
- Make the seasoning mix ahead. Season chicken and keep refrigerated overnight.
- Slice the peppers and onions, and mince the garlic, so everything is chopped and ready to go.
- Note: I wouldn’t cook the pasta ahead of time, as you’ll need the warm, starchy water to build the sauce.
Freezing: I would not recommend freezing the chicken fajita pasta since the creamy sauce can turn gritty once defrosted.
More Weeknight Dinners
Looking for more easy weeknight dinners? Give these a try:
- Meatball Stroganoff
- Chicken Mozzarella Bake
- Chicken Pesto Pasta
- Chicken Piccata Pasta
- Chicken Bruschetta Pasta
- Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Recipe FAQs
Sure can! Toss in some sliced mushrooms, tomatoes, or zucchini. It’s a good time to clear out your fridge!
Yes, absolutely. You may need to reduce the amount of pasta water.
Absolutely! If you have a favorite brand, feel free to use that. You can also make the seasoning blend in advance and store for up to 1 month.
I’d love to hear from you! If you loved my recipe, please consider leaving a 5-star rating and a comment down below. Sign up for my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest
Creamy Chicken Fajita Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ pound farfalle pasta - aka bowtie pasta
- 1 pound chicken breast, diced
- ½ a red bell pepper, sliced
- ½ an orange bell pepper, sliced
- ½ an green bell pepper, sliced
- ½ a yellow onion, sliced
- ½ cup cream cheese, cut into cubes and softened to room temperature - plus more to taste
- Olive oil - for the pan
- Fresh Italian parsley - or cilantro, for garnish
Seasoning blend:
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅓ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium pot, cook pasta according to package directions (don’t salt the water) until al dente. Reserve about 1 to 2 cups of pasta water, which is needed to build the sauce. Drain and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix all the seasoning ingredients until evenly combined.
- Season chicken with half of the prepared seasoning. The rest of the seasoning will be used later.
- Heat a few drizzles of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the seasoned chicken until golden brown and fully cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan (don’t wipe clean), heat more oil and cook bell peppers and onions until softened, about 6 minutes. Season with the remaining seasoning mix, adjusting the amount to taste.
- Next, add the softened cream cheese cubes and the reserved pasta water as needed (I used to about 1 cup), and stir until creamy and thickened.
- Return the chicken and cooked pasta, mix to combine, and let it simmer for another 2 minutes until creamy and incorporated.
- Finish with chopped fresh parsley or cilantro. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- Remember to reserve the pasta water. You’ll need it to build the sauce.
- Instead of cream cheese, you can use heavy cream. However, use less pasta water to adjust the consistency.
- I wouldn’t cooking the pasta ahead of time. You’ll need the warm, starchy water to build the sauce.
- Prep ahead: Season chicken overnight, and slice and chop all the veggies and garlic as needed. The seasoning can be made ahead.
- Reheat over the stovetop or in the microwave oven with a splash of heavy cream.
- Freezing: I would not recommend freezing. The cream sauce may turn gritty when defrosted.
- Seasoning: Use your favorite store-bought fajita seasoning if you’d like.
- Cream cheese: heavy cream.
- Chicken breast: Diced boneless chicken thighs.
- Add-in veggies: Mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini.
Tania says
This chicken fajita pasta is so creamy and really easy to make! We prepped everything on the weekend and so cooking this dish during the week was easy. So tasty and great for leftovers, although you may want to add some extra cream when reheating.