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.
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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!
My suggestion for anyone making this the first time, bump up the cumin to 1/2 tsp, add a little black pepper. If you remove the cayenne, add a little more smoked paprika. You can also add a little oregano if you like.
I actually prefer to make this recipe following the directions for another very similar recipe here, the one pot creamy cajun chicken. I use the spices from this recipe, and brown the chicken first (not worry about cooking all the way), then add the bell pepper (I use yellow in this case) and onion (I use white onions because yellow onions are far too large to use a whole one to me, wish the website gave weights for this). I removed the chicken while cooking the pepper and onion then add back in with the uncooked pasta, fire roasted tomatoes, and chicken stock from the cajun recipe and cooked according to that. Mind you, I don’t use any of the dairy in either of these recipes, but I find cooking the pasta with at least some broth has a far better result, just pick your preferred spice mix of the two and follow the cajun steps instead lol.
Hi Beth, Recipe is really good and fast. I made it just as per your recipe except I used half red and half green peppers for color.
I’m not sure where you live or shop, but the prices you quote are 2 to 3 times higher where I live for things like chicken breasts and cream cheese.
This recipe is from 2016, so the prices are definitely a bit different. Unfortunately, because food prices change on a day to day basis, it’s impossible to have all of the recipes reflect current prices. Rather than looking at the total or individual prices, it can be helpful to look at the ratio of the prices. Which ingredients add the most to the total cost and which are the least costly (but most bulky). That helps you recognize which ingredients you can cut back on or increase in your recipes to adjust the volume and price to make them more budget-friendly, no matter what the current prices are. :)
This was great! I’d love to try and do it all in one pan like the cream Cajun chicken pasta – any tips for that? I’d worry about the onions and peppers getting too mushy but maybe I’d do those first, take them out, add everything else (and broth for cooking noodles) and put the peppers and onions back in with the cream cheese?
I think your intuition is spot on! Take the peppers and onions out and add them back in toward the end. :)
This was good. Used leftover chicken fajita; didn’t have cream cheese or roasted tomatoes (google said I could use sour cream and any canned tomatoes with smoke paprika…). Added more spices in this recipe and siracha cuz the pasta and tomatoes dulled the flavour.
My husband and I love this pasta and it’s a regular in our meal rotation. Today I turned it into a soup…left out the pasta, added black beans and frozen corn, then added 32oz of chicken broth and doubled the cream cheese. It’s everything you could dream of and more. Oh and I added some cilantro and lime when serving.
The first time I made this, the cayenne made it a bit spicy for my kids. I made it tonight without the cayenne, using boneless chicken thighs and regular diced tomatoes. The kids and I loved it. I’m doing keto, so I put the pasta in last, and put my portion of the chicken on a bed of lettuce and mixed it up, rather than on pasta. Excellent that way.
This was a miss for us. The flavor was just bland, overall. It lacked depth. The tomatoes still had their bright/raw flavor and that detracted from the intended warmth of the spices.
I ended up adding some additional sour cream and cheese to dry and bring up the flavor, in addition to some prepared salsa after I’d tasted it and didn’t like it. We’ve got a ton of leftovers and those will get so,e additional treatment upon reheat.
Just a question how much is 8 oz of dry pasta in grams, do I really only use 100 grams of pasta?
When I enter it into an ounce to grams calculator I get 8 oz. = 227 grams.
Dude this is so good! I added two bell peppers (green and red) and a diced jalapeño. I also used diced tomatoes with jalapeños instead of fire roasted bc that’s what I had. I increased the seasoning a bit since I had a lot more veggies and I probably will increase it a little more next time. But it is so so good.
Made this for the 507,000th time today, and it’s still delicious. It’s also forgiving—I add half a can of leftover corn, and it was still perfect. I like to add some chopped cilantro, when I have it. This recipe is a gift for all of us who keep a stocked pantry and appreciate a delicious weeknight meal. Thanks, Beth!
Hey how many servings is this total?
I get about four servings out of this, but your servings will vary depending on how much you tend to eat.
Wow, this was delicious, I just made this with things I had in the house, so I changed it a tiny bit. I had small mixed bell peppers so I used a mix of red, orange and yellow. I did not use as much cream cheese as I find it to be sweet and added some sour cream with about half the amount of cream cheese. I used Penzey’s spices fajita and some chopped garlic to the veggie mix. I finished some white rice I had and this came out fantastic.
Hi-would love to add mushrooms to this recipe. Would I need to change anything in the process since they emit a bit of moisture when sautéed? Thanks for your input!
I don’t think you’ll need to do much different. :) I’d sauté them in the skillet after the chicken but before the onion and bell pepper. Just sauté until all that moisture is released from the mushrooms and then evaporates from the skillet, and then you can proceed as written.
This is a new family favorite. My husband said that he would marry this pasta if he wasn’t already married to me. LOL Made it a couple of weeks ago as written. Last night for Cinco de Mayo, I was looking for something Mexican to make with what I had on hand. I used ground beef and pinto beans rather than chicken since that’s all I had. It was good, but not as good as the chicken for sure. Still, all but the pickiest eaters in my house were happy.
Had to make a few modifications due to pantry/budgetary restrictions, so I can advise that: you can substitute a frozen vegetable medley with onions and peppers no problem (though texture would likely have been better with fresh), and yes, you can use regular diced tomatoes instead of fire roasted ones, but this is one case where the spice on the meat doesn’t do enough to “mask” the un-roasted tomatoes … probably worth spending the extra cash on the specialty tomatoes! That said, the meal is still really flavourful and filling, and definitely reminds me of fajitas :)
Thank you so much for sharing these tips Catherine. I think it will be helpful for a lot of folks to read too!