Get my Cookbooks! Chicken Fajita Pasta
This Chicken Fajita Pasta is a flavor explosion! It has penne pasta smothered in a mouth-watering sauce with diced tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and seasoned chicken. It’s everything you love about chicken fajitas transformed into a pasta dinner!
Chicken Fajita Pasta
I love when two culinary worlds collide! If you love the delicious, seasoned flavor of chicken fajitas, you are going to be blown away with this Chicken Fajita Pasta! This dish is loaded with classic Fajita flavor, but you get to enjoy penne smothered in the most flavorful creamy sauce at the same time! How could you go wrong?
There is plenty of seasoning in this recipe for that juicy chicken, the onions and bell peppers, and of course, that amazing sauce. Your family is definitely going to want to keep this one in the rotation! Don’t miss my PRO TIPS below!
How to Make It
Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Dice the chicken and season it on all sides. Sear in olive oil until cooked through, remove and set aside. Season the onions and peppers and saute for 5-7 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Deglaze the skillet with white wine and reduce by half. Add butter, garlic, and flour to make a roux. Add the sauce mixture in small splashes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and add diced tomatoes with green chiles. Meanwhile, boil pasta to al dente. Add cheddar and pepper jack cheese and stir until melted and combined, then add the cooked pasta.
Add the cooked chicken and bell peppers/onions. Stir to combine and heat through. Remove from heat and add lime juice. Serve!
Pro Tips
- Wine: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc are my go-to dry white wines for this recipe. My next recommendation would be non-alcoholic white wine. If needed, chicken broth can be used instead.
- Cheese: I like to shred my own cheese from a block for this dish, it melts much creamier and smoother than packaged shredded cheese. I use Pepper Jack and Cheddar. Monterey Jack is a great addition too!
- Pasta: Penne clings onto this sauce really well. Fusilli, Rigatoni, Ziti, Cavatappi are other good pasta choices for this as well.
- Seasoning: You can’t beat the homemade fajita seasoning used in this recipe, but you can also use just under 2 tbsp. taco seasoning if preferred.
- Spice Level: Unless you’re very sensitive to spice, you shouldn’t find this dish to be spicy (that goes for kids as well)!
- More dinner inspiration: Try my Loaded Nachos, Chicken Enchiladas, Baked Tacos, Chicken Quesadillas, Chicken Taquitos, Chicken Enchilada Casserole, and more Mexican-inspired recipes!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This does reheat well.
- Reheating this pasta in a makeshift double boiler on the stove top is the best way to restore it to its original form.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links*)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Cast Iron Skillet– I love using enamel cast iron skillets for cooking.
- Cheese Grater– Always shred your cheese from a block for soups and sauces, it melts and tastes much better than packaged shredded cheese.
- Kitchen Tongs– Makes it easy to handle the chicken when searing.
- Pasta Strainer– I have this one and love it.
- Large Measuring Cup with a Spout
- Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
- Pinch Bowls– for measuring out seasonings ahead of time.
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Try These Next
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- Loaded Nachos
-
- Shrimp Pasta
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- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
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- Chicken Taco Soup
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- Ravioli Lasagna
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- Taco Spaghetti
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Tried This Recipe?
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Chicken Fajita Pasta
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 ¼ cups half and half
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ½ chicken bouillon cube
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon EACH: smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, coriander, garlic powder
Pasta/Chicken, etc.
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil, can sub olive oil
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
- Salt/pepper, to taste
- 2 cups sliced bell peppers, any color(s)
- 1 cup chopped onions, (1 small yellow onion)
- ½ cup dry white wine, see notes
- ½ pound penne, see notes
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 (10 oz.) can Rotel tomatoes, drained
- ¾ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ cup Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- Freshly Chopped Cilantro, to garnish
Instructions
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a large measuring cup with a spout and set aside.
- Combine the seasoning ingredients in a small bowl. Add 2 teaspoons to the combined sauce mixture (from step 1) and reserve the rest. Measure out remaining ingredients before beginning.
- Cut the chicken into bite-size cubes. Pat completely dry and season with salt/pepper. Sprinkle with half of the remaining Fajita seasoning (1 ¾ tsp). Toss to coat.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes, turning to sear on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- Add a little more oil to the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and onions. Sprinkle with salt/pepper and remaining fajita seasoning and sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat slightly during cooking if needed. Remove and set aside.
- Turn the heat off and let the skillet cool for 1 minute. Add the wine and set the heat to medium. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom and sides of the skillet, this will give the sauce more flavor. Reduce the liquid by half, about 3-4 minutes.
- While the wine reduces, begin heating a large pot of salted water for the pasta. Once a boil is reached, stir in some salt and cook the pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Drain once cooked.
- Once the wine is reduced, add the butter and the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the sauce mixture in small splashes, stirring continuously. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Add the diced tomatoes/green chiles.
- Reduce the heat of the sauce to low. Gradually add the cheeses, stirring to combine.
- Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine. Add the chicken (along with any juices from the plate), and peppers and stir to combine and heat through.
- Remove from heat and add the lime juice. Garnish with cilantro and serve!
Notes
- Wine: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc are my go-to dry white wines for this recipe. My next recommendation would be non-alcoholic white wine. If needed, chicken broth can be used instead.
- Cheese: I like to shred my own cheese from a block for this dish, it melts much creamier and smoother than packaged shredded cheese. I use Pepper Jack and Cheddar. Monterey Jack is a great addition too!
- Pasta: Penne clings onto this sauce really well. Fusilli, Rigatoni, Ziti, Cavatappi are other good pasta choices for this as well.
- Seasoning: You can't beat the homemade fajita seasoning used in this recipe, but you can also use just under 2 tbsp. taco seasoning if preferred.
- Spice Level: Unless you're very sensitive to spice, you shouldn't find this dish to be spicy (that goes for kids as well)!
- More dinner inspiration: Try my Loaded Nachos, Chicken Enchiladas, Baked Tacos, Chicken Quesadillas, Chicken Taquitos, Chicken Enchilada Casserole, and more Mexican-inspired recipes!
Storage:
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This does reheat well.
- Reheating this pasta in a makeshift double boiler on the stove top is the best way to restore it to its original form.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 hearty servings in this recipe.
I made this new recipe for dinner tonight. I had two of my grandsons over for dinner. We all thought it was fabulous! Wonderful flavor! This is a keeper, I will definitely make this often.
I’m so happy it was such a hit with your grandsons Bonnie! That makes me so happy!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💖
Best pasta dish out of 10, okay bye.
I have been coming to your site for over a year now to plan out what I am going to cook, and everything I’ve made has been a hit with the family. I will admit that I have messed up on a couple of recipes, and those didn’t go over well, but I was missing ingredients at the time. However, when I remade the recipes that failed with all the correct ingredients, they turned out great!
Can you make a copycat version of Spicy Cajun from Nothing But Noodles, minus spicy, or spicy optional? I used to get this when I lived in Phoenix, and it was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had, or at least it was when I had it 20 years ago. However, like I said the Chicken Fajita Pasta is the best pasta dish out of 10.
Hey Timothy!! I’m SOOOO happy that this has been your favorite pasta recipe YET! What a compliment, and thank you SOOO much for your support in making so many of my recipes, I truly appreciate that! As far as the Spicy Cajun request, unfortunately I’ve never had that dish, and I don’t have a Nothing But Noodles near me, which is really too bad because it sounds like a place I’d want to LIVE at. It would be tricky to replicate however, given these circumstances! ❤️
Stephanie! I’ll be honest. I wasn’t in the mood to cook today. But I bought all the ingredients to make this, so I had to. Once I set up the ingredients, the recipe came together quickly. Who would think that a little bit of brown sugar in with the seasonings would make such a difference? It does. I followed the recipe to a T EXCEPT the package of chicken I bought was more than the recipe called for. And I used it all. It was delicious! We loved it! I wish I could attach a picture of it.
Reneeee!! I am sooo happy to hear that!! I give you major props for cooking when you didn’t want to. (Been there. 🥴) Your review really made me so happy and I appreciate it so much. THANK YOU!! ❤️ XOXO
This is SO GOOD!!!!! I made it for dinner the night before Thanksgiving…..we all loved it! We had dinner at a high dollar restaurant for the holiday, and while it was a sumptuous buffet with all the trimmings, nothing was any better than what we had the previous night. Great recipe!
Hey Vicki!! WOW you made my dayyyyy, that is amazing! What a huge compliment! I couldn’t be happier that you all loved it, thank you so much for the great review! You’re the best!! ❤️❤️❤️
Absolutely amazing doesn’t even begin to describe the awesomeness of this recipe! Already made it twice since its posting and both time just…. chef’s kiss! And agreed on the leftovers being just as good as fresh made. This is definitely in the rotation!
I’m so happy you’re enjoying this one Judy!!! This has become a go to weeknight recipe in my house. My daughter loves it! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!💖
So so delicious and cheesy! My girlfriend and I have been calling it chicken fajita Mac & cheese since we made it and are eating the leftovers (which are just as good as it made fresh, btw). Another hit, as always! Excited to make it again and thinking about adding mushrooms and spinach next time around.
Hey Laura! I’m SO glad that you loved it!!! That made my day. I agree, the leftovers are AMAZINGGG, I love them! I love your thoughts on adding spinach/mushrooms next time, yum. Thank you soooooooooo much for taking the time to leave a review! Your support means a LOT!
As soon as you posted this recipe this morning I showed my husband. He jumped up from his desk, grabbed his keys and zoomed to the store to pick up the ingredients needed. This meal is incredibly delicious and another family favorite-Thanks!
AHHHHH!!! I am SOOOOO HAPPY to hear that Elyse! You absolutely made my entire week!! Thank you so much- honestly. It means a LOT!! XOXO! -Stephanie