Remember that Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta that we all love because it’s so easy and delicious? Well, the other day when I was craving a creamy-pasta-comfort-food dinner, I decided to morph that recipe with another recipe that we all love so much, Easy Oven Fajitas. When the two recipes come together, a real winner is born: Creamy Chicken Fajita Pasta.
Use Store Bought or Homemade Fajita Seasoning
This Creamy Chicken Fajita Pasta is a fast fix that really doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. If you don’t have a well stocked spice cabinet yet, you can simply purchase a pre-mixed packet of fajita spices and use that in place of the individual spices listed below.
Make it EXTRA Cheesy!
If you want to take this recipe one step further and make it EXTRA indulgent, I suggest sprinkling pepper jack (or Monterrey jack) cheese on top.
Can I Use Chicken Thighs?
I was lucky enough to get boneless, skinless chicken breast on a super good sale again, but if you can’t get the same amazing price that I did, chicken thighs would be my next choice. They’re usually quite a bit less expensive and are great because they stay nice and tender when cooked.
What Size Skillet Should I Use?
I used my 10-inch Lodge cast iron skillet for this, but it was really full and difficult to stir without spillage. A 12-inch skillet would probably be a better fit.
Love creamy chicken pasta recipes? Check out my One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta!
Creamy Chicken Fajita Pasta
Servings 4Ingredients
FAJITA SPICE MIX
- 2 tsp chili powder* ($0.20)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp cumin ($0.03)
- 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.) ($1.30)
- 1 bell pepper ($0.88)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.34)
- 15 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes ($1.29)
- 4 oz cream cheese ($1.00)
- 8 oz pasta (any shape) ($0.83)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.17)
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Chicken Fajita Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Begin by preparing the fajita spice mix. 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.
This is the “chili powder” I use. It’s a mild blend of spices with NO heat to it. The heat in the 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 nothing too spicy.
Next, dice one yellow onion and one bell pepper.
And cut one boneless, skinless chicken breast into 1/2-inch cubes. This was a fairly large chicken breast, at about 3/4 lb. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if that’s what you have available.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add 8oz. pasta and cook according to the package directions. I wanted to include a photo of this package because every time I use these “flowers” someone asks what the name of the shape is. This brand is the only one that I’ve seen that makes these cute little pasta flowers.
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…
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.
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.
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. Top with sliced green onions, then serve.
That’s one big skillet of goodness…. I mean Creamy Chicken Fajita Pasta.
Dig in!
Wow this was HOT! My poor hubby couldn’t even eat this. However our 12yo LOVED it! Didn’t add the fire roasted tomatoes as we don’t have them in Australia but our chilli powder is quite hot so next time I will have to reduce the heat so we can all eat it! lol…I love hot foods anyway, but it was hot for me too! Just need to balance the ingredients as what is used in the US compared to Australia. It was a very nice dish. Thanks for the recipe.
I applied your suggestion of topping with shredded cheese before reheating the leftovers for lunch today and have since scribbled SHREDDED CHEESE!! in big block letters on the printed recipe page.
Is it possible to substitute the fire roasted tomatoes for a can of Rotel?
Yep, that would be quite good (and spicy)! :)
Hi! I was wondering if I’m using a packet of fajita seasoning do I just use the whole thing? Also do you think it would be good to melt the cheese into the sauce? Thanks!
Yes, I would use the entire fajita seasoning packet. …and I don’t think melting cheese into the sauce could ever be a bad thing. ;)
Holy cow!!! This is SOOOO GOOD. One of my new favorite things to cook.
Very good and easy to prepare. I had pressure cooked some chicken earlier so used it and added cilantro instead of green onions. My son and I think it could be spicier so may use Ro-Tel MILD tomatoes since my husband doesn’t want it any spicier. Will be making this again but will use sour cream instead of cream cheese since I always have that on hand.
Really great weeknight dinner! This comes together as quickly as you said, and it’s great.
Made this last night. My little guy ate 3rds!!! Definite winner
This is very, very similar to a crock pot recipe I have, which includes beans and corn (and no pasta). I did add corn too (per children request) and it was a hit! Great easy recipe. I also used the frozen precut peppers and onions (1/2 bag) for ease.
I have a jar of fajita sauce and spices would that work instead of a jar of tomatoes and would I then leave out the cream cheese?
Hmm, I guess it would depend on the fajita sauce. I’ve never used a store bought fajita sauce before so I’m not sure what the consistency and flavor are like.
My inner Midwesterner thinks this might make a good casserole.
Delicious! If you haven’t made it yet go ahead and double it to use the full box of cream cheese and the whole pound of pasta you’ll be glad you did because it’s good leftover
Do you have the calorie counts for any of your recipes?
No, I’m sorry, I don’t.
I use MyFitnessPal to figure out the nutritional information of recipes. It takes a little time, but it is easy. : )
I put all of her recipes that I’ve loved on the app “Lose It!” And it gives me the calorie count.
Side note, I’ve lost 10 lbs with only cooking from her website (and of course exercising) and I’m just so thankful for Beth’s awesome blog!
I’ve been meal prepping for the last nine months or so, and your blog has been an amazing resource for me. Your Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta is a frequent treat (with a few modifications like neufchâtel cheese and the addition of ground turkey or turkey sausage). I also absolutely LOVE how easy your Oven Fajitas recipe is. I frequently will make a huge batch, like 4-5 lbs of chicken and 5-6 peppers, and use it for work lunches for both me and my husband. A couple of weeks ago I paired the fajitas with your Weeknight Bean and Cheese Enchiladas and those lunches had us anxiously looking at the clock each day as we waited for lunch time. So good! My coworkers are constantly asking me where I get my recipes, and at least 80% of the time the answer is: “BudgetBytes.com, with a ‘Y’ like computer ‘bytes’.” I say all that because when doing my weekly meal prep plan this morning I saw you had posted this recipe. And I instantly knew it would be incorporated. In fact, I just finished making a double batch for 8 hearty-sized lunches. I didn’t make any changes other than doubling all of the ingredients. Ahhmazing! Approximately 440 cals, 34g protein, 12g fat, 50g carbs (according to the brands I used). Next time I’ll probably split it into 10 portions so they’re a bit smaller and add a small side salad or some veggies. Thanks!
Wow, thank YOU! :D
How do you think it would work to substitute sour cream for the cream cheese?
I think it would be pretty good and another commenter said they did just that and loved it! :)