This Chicken Fajita Pasta in the Instant Pot is a creamy, comforting, and cheesy dump and start recipe. It is so easy to make, and takes less than 30 minutes to be ready. This makes it the perfect recipe for a busy weeknight dinner!
It is a great recipe that you can make all year round. Perfect for summer as it’s light and quick to make, and it’s also great for winter as it’s so creamy and comforting. Plus, it’s loaded with fresh veggies, chicken, cheesy pasta and an amazing slightly spicy sauce. So make sure you print out the recipe or pin it to your favorite board on Pinterest, to make it every time you ask yourself, what’s for dinner?
How to Make Chicken Fajita Pasta in the Instant Pot?
Making this one pot chicken fajita pasta recipe is simple. You will need:
An Instant Pot! And this Instant Pot is my best friend for my favorite dump and start recipes. It’s such a game-changer being able to dump all the ingredients in the pot, start it, and come back later to a nice warm meal waiting for you.
The Ingredients
As for the ingredients, you will need vegetable oil, boneless and skinless chicken breasts, an onion, garlic, salsa, salt, vegetable or chicken stock, heavy cream or sour cream (or half and half for a lighter version), cheese that melts, mixed bell peppers and of course, pasta.
You can use any short pasta shape. I recommend using penne, fusilli, farfalle (bow-tie), rigatoni, or macaroni.
And for the seasoning, I recommend that you make your own homemade fajita seasoning. It is great not only because it is cheaper to make at home, but also because you will know what exactly goes into your mix. I found that many store-bought premixed fajita seasonings contain unnecessary and harmful ingredients.
So I always keep a large jar of homemade fajita seasoning in my pantry, in which I adjust the heat according to my preferences. I use the seasoning to make things such as these Shrimp Fajitas, or to season roasted vegetables, grilled chicken, and of course, to make fajitas in general!
The Directions
- Start by prepping the ingredients: Dice the bell peppers and the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. This makes it easier to eat especially if you’re feeding young children. Finely dice the onion.
- Add oil, chicken, onion, minced garlic, salsa, fajita seasoning, and stock to the Instant Pot and give it a good stir. You can add a pinch of salt too if your seasoning mix doesn’t contain any.
- Add the pasta, and make sure that it stays on top of the rest of the ingredients. This will prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. If the stock is not covering all the pasta, add more stock or water so all of it is covered (I added 2 tablespoons of water).
- Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 4 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 8-10 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, quickly release the steam.
- Add cream and the cheese while the pasta is still hot and stir until the cheese is melted and the cream coats the pasta. However, don’t pressure cook dairy, as it can separate/curdle. That’s why it should be added after pressure cooking.
- Stir in the diced bell peppers, then cover with the lid and leave it on for 5 more minutes for the bell peppers to soften.
The bell peppers are added after pressure cooking so they stay crunchy (if you pressure cook them, they’ll become mushy!). Then, they’re covered with the lid for them to soften for a few minutes before serving. If you prefer tender bell peppers, you can sauté them before pressure cooking. Then, remove the bell peppers from the Instant Pot and put back in after pressure cooking.
Top the chicken fajita pasta with your favorite tex mex toppings, such as guacamole, lime crema or pico de gallo. Add more shredded cheese or parmesan cheese for extra flavor.
Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, and serve!
Storing Chicken Fajita Pasta
If you have any leftovers, you can store them in the fridge to enjoy later. Just place in an airtight food container and consume within 3 days.
Make sure to check out my favorite Instant Pot fajita recipes: Instant Pot shrimp fajitas, Instant Pot chicken fajitas and Instant Pot steak fajitas.
For more delicious and nourishing recipe ideas using the Instant Pot, check out my Instant Pot Hamburger Helper and Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff recipes.
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Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 2 medium chicken breasts boneless, skinless and cubed into bite-size or 1 inch pieces
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup salsa I used mild chunky salsa
- 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 4 cups pasta I used penne
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 and ½ cups mixed bell peppers diced
Instructions
- To the Instant Pot, add oil, chicken, onion, garlic, salsa, fajita seasoning, salt, and stock. Give everything a good mix.
- Add the pasta, and make sure that it stays on top of the rest of the ingredients. If the stock is not covering it, add more stock/water so all of the pasta is covered (I added 2 tablespoons of water).
- Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 4 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 8-10 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, quickly release the steam.
- Add cream, and cheese while the pasta is still hot and stir until the cheese is all melted.
- Stir in the bell peppers, then cover with the lid and leave it on for 5 minutes for the bell peppers to soften. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, and serve!
Notes
- It’s important to let the pasta sit on top of the rest of the ingredients when pressure cooked, as pasta tends to stick to the bottom of the pot when placed directly in the pot.
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If using frozen chicken, allow it to thaw first to avoid overcooking pasta, as frozen chicken takes longer to cook.
- You can use any salsa that you like depending on how spicy you want your pasta to be, and whether you prefer chunky or smooth salsa.
- If you like tender bell peppers, feel free to saute them at the beginning, then take them out (do not pressure cook) and mix them back in at the end of the cooking process.
- Feel free to swap the heavy cream for sour cream or half and half for a lighter version on the recipe.
- The heat level depends on the fajita seasoning that you use + the salsa. I went for mild as I’m feeding my family.
- Top the chicken fajita pasta with your favorite tex mex toppings, such as guacamole, lime crema or pico de gallo.
- You can add more shredded cheese or parmesan cheese for extra flavor.
Kathy E.
Delicious! I made this in my Instant Pot since I couldn’t spend time in the kitchen over the cooktop. I doubled the amount of chicken since 2 medium breasts didn’t seem much for 8 servings. (That’s only 1/4 of a breast/serving) I also had only 2.5 cups of whole wheat rotini, so decreased the amount of liquid. We enjoyed leftovers even more the next day!
Kendra Hylton
Do I have to use heavy cream?
Diana
You can use half and half but the sauce won’t be as creamy.
Sue
Just got done making, my husband and I loved it. Used the fajita seasoning from your recipe. The flavors were great. The only thing my husband said was it might be nice to add some crunch like breaking up tortilla chips and adding them to the top before serving. This is a dish definitely in my rotation. I used a box of mini penne. I like the smaller shells so I always have boxes on hand. Ordered from Amazon because I can’t find mini penne in the stores.
Sharlene
Can you cook the chicken first?
NourishPlate
Hi Sharlene,
if you meant sautéing the chicken first, I wouldn’t recommend it as you might end up over cooking it. Enjoy!
Tanya Wilson
I made it today. It was good. I added chopped fresh cilantro and parsley at the end. Yum.
Michelle
If I double the recipe, will all of the cooking times remain the same?
Diana
Hi Michelle, yes keep the cooking time the same.
Linda
So good. Made your fajita seasoning and sautéed peppers and onions and added them at the end. Just delicious!!
Denise
Can you use cream cheese in place of “cheese that melts “ and so how much?
Diana
I haven’t tried cream cheese in this recipe, it will taste different but should be good. Start with 1/2 cup, stir it in and see if you would like to add more.
Heather
Any changes in the times if I leave the chicken out, making it vegetarian?
Diana
Keep the cooking time the same to fully cook the pasta. Enjoy!
Angela
Can I omit the salsa?
Diana
You can, but it won’t be as flavorful. So maybe add some fresh chopped tomatoes (or canned)?
Whitney
Looks so delicious and easy to make, going to try this ASAP! What do you think about subbing in shrimp instead of chicken? Trying to save myself a grocery store run!
Diana
If you pressure cook the shrimp for 4 minutes, it will become rubbery. So what I’d do is saute the shrimp first, take it out, then do the rest (pressure cook etc), then mix in the shrimp at the end. Enjoy!
Lindsey
Delicious! Especially the next day.
Mariann
What do you make the fajita seasoning with?
Thanks!
Diana
I use this recipe https://littlesunnykitchen.com/fajita-seasoning/ enjoy!
Jocelyn
My husband said “be sure to put this recipe in your repeat file!” I used gluten free spiral pasta and it came out perfectly – perfectly delicious! So easy…but, so tasty, I would serve this to guests!
Diana
So glad that you and your husband enjoyed it, Jocelyn! Thank you for taking the time to leave this awesome review!
Susie
This was delicious!! My family loved it. Great flavor! Will make again! The right amount of stock is tricky. You need enough to cook the pasta, but it was a little soupy at first. I took out some of the extra liquid and then after it sat for awhile the rest of the juice was absorbed.