Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta–all the flavors of chicken fajitas in a creamy pasta dish. An easy and quick recipe your family will love!
Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta
I’ve already made this Instant Pot chicken fajita pasta 2 times and I can’t wait to make it again! It is perfectly seasoned, a little creamy and feeds a crowd. I love all those Tex-Mex flavors combined together in a fun pasta dish.
It’s also one of those dishes that you can add or subtract the ingredients you like. For example, not a fan of green bell peppers? Just leave them out. Or use a orange bell pepper instead. Don’t love onion? Don’t add it in. Want to use a different type of pasta? Go for it! Penne pasta, macaroni, bowties or shells are all good choices.
More Instant Pot Pasta Dishes You’ll Love
Instant Pot White Chicken Lasagna–Marisol said, “This was delicious! My whole family enjoyed it.”
Instant Pot Cheater Lasagna — Nikki said, “Our family has fallen in love with this recipe! My daughter says this is the best lasagna she has ever eaten don’t tell her papa or grandma. She is a part of the “clean plate” club every time I’ve made it! It’s so easy to make, especially after a long day at work! I’ve probably made it at least 5 times now and each time it gets better and better!”
What Equipment Do I Need?
To make Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top. You can halve this recipe and make it in the 3 quart Instant Pot. You can also keep the recipe exactly the same and make it in the 8 quart Instant Pot.
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Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
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Pin RecipeDescription
All the flavors of chicken fajitas in a creamy pasta dish. An easy and quick recipe your family will love!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 onion, sliced thinly
- 1 pound (16 oz) uncooked cavatappi pasta
- 3 ¼ cups chicken broth
- 1 (10 oz) can mild Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chiles)
- 1 green pepper, cut into thin strips or diced
- 1 red pepper, cut into thin strips or diced
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar
Instructions
- Coat chicken in seasonings. Add chicken, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, sea salt, pepper and onion to the Instant Pot. Toss to coat the chicken well with all the seasonings.
- Add ingredients. Add in the pasta and then the broth and Rotel.
- Pressure Cook. Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. The the manual/pressure cook button to 3 minutes. When the time is up let the pot sit there for another 5 minutes (L0:05) and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Add peppers. Stir in the peppers, sour cream and cheddar. Cover the pot and let it sit on warm for another 5 minutes, just so the peppers get a little softened.
- Serve. Scoop onto plates and enjoy!
Notes
I choose to add my peppers at the end because I don’t like them too mushy. The heat from the pasta just slightly cooks them. Alternately you could saute your peppers on the stove top. I don’t really recommend pressure cooking peppers because they are a tender vegetable and get too soft. I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. You can halve this recipe and make it in the 3 quart Instant Pot. You can also keep the recipe exactly the same and make it in the 8 quart Instant Pot.
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Southwestern
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
I tried one of your other recipes with bite sized pasta and gluten free pasta. Taste was great, but pasta was mushy cooked at your ala dent time. Should I reduce the cooking time and/or release steam earlier?
I believe for gluten free pasta you need to decrease the pressure cooking time. That’s what I would try!
I’m not a fan of spicy so can I add marina sauce instead of the tomatoes?
Can I use shredded cheese instead of grated?
Also can I use thin spaghetti?
Sure. It might cook a little quicker though.
Sure.
I tried this recipe last night and it was tasty! One thing I noticed is that the pasta didn’t seem to be cooked as much as I like and the chicken seemed a bit over cooked. Any suggestions on what I can alter next time to fix that?
What kind of pasta did you use?
Hi there! Can this recipe be made in the slow cooker as well, would you say?
Thank you so much!
No, I wouldn’t. Pasta gets mushy in the slow cooker in my experience.
What would you change if you used thighs instead of breasts. My husband came eat chicken breasts.
It would taste amazing! Just cut them up in small bite size pieces.
Have already made this twice, and find it very tasty. My husband really likes it as well. I reduced the amount of chicken, as well as cutting back on the smoked paprika, oregano and salt. The first time I used diced tomatoes and some of a can of chilies. The second time I used Rotel, and found it a little too hot.
Did the peppers in olive oil on the side, as suggested, and used Penne. Worked out very well.
Glad you liked it!
Made this last night – it was soooo good and so quick. Going to be putting this in the monthly meal rotation !!
★★★★★
So happy you tried it katharine. I think this is one of my all time faves.
Easy and good. A bit spicy for my sons (7 & 9), but my husband really enjoyed. I will try it again and pull back on the spices a bit. I appreciate how easy it is! Thank you. I’m a new IP user and appreciate the help!
Thanks Joyce!
I am hooked! Being 78 years young, I have cooked for many a year, and I must say I am a gootd cook, so family and friends say. I make this yogurt two times a week for my husband and myself. We love it! You my dear young lady helped me get over my hesitation of the use of an instant pot. I have made some of the main dishes, pork loin chops, chicken, soups, and other dishes. I learned to use the flavoring/seasons we like and follow your basic recipe. Thank you for your candor and simple way of explaining what to do.
So glad to hear this! Thank you for your comment 🙂
This turned out good. I used Greek yogurt in place of sour cream since that’s what I had on hand, and used only 1 tsp. of salt instead of 2. It’s a hot and spicy dish.
★★★★★
It didn’t seem too spicy to me. Maybe because I used mild rotel?
Would you leave the cook Time the same if you threw in whole chicken breasts instead?
Sorry I meant whole frozen chicken breasts.
Hi Carly,
You need the chicken cut up in strips so that it cooks at the same rate as the pasta. I would quickly defrost the chicken. Here’s how: To quickly defrost a chicken breast pour 1 cup of water in the bottom of the pot. Lay the trivet in the pot and place the chicken breast(s) on top of the trivet. Set the pressure cooking time for 1 minute. Use a quick release once the time is up. The chicken will be a little cooked on the outside but uncooked on the inside. You’ll be able to slice up the chicken
I have all the ingredients to make today! I know I will love it. Thank you again for the fresh recipes to cook something special every time!
Thanks Nancy!
Hi, does this recipe freeze?
I bet it would be okay. Just make sure it’s in an airtight container. Maybe loosen with a little milk once re-heated.
Could the pasta be eliminated in the instant pot and the rest of the ingredients be added as indicated in the recipe or would the final dish be too runny? I would prefer serving this over Zoodles to cut the carbs.
Most of the liquid in this recipe is to cook the pasta. So if there were no pasta then it would be like soup. You could probably use 1/2 cup of broth instead and then cook it as stated. Then add in the zoodles at the end. You may need to use cornstarch to thicken it at the end.
Hi! 🙂
What’s your thoughts on using thinly sliced beef with beef broth instead of chicken?
Sounds tasty to me!
Is there anything that I can use in place of the sour cream, not a fan
cream cheese that has been softened or whipped?
I just want to confirm the chicken is raw? And it cooks in 3 minutes? I have never cooked strips, but breasts take around 17-22 minutes at pressure, so just confirming whether we should cook the chicken first?
yes it’s raw.
Hi, I have a Breville FSP, with adjustable pressure settings.
Do I select High Pressure for 3 minutes?
yes that’s right
Have you tried Greek Yogurt instead of Sour Cream? Would love the protein boost (& fat reduction).
I haven’t tried it but I bet it would be okay. Maybe do half sour cream and half greek yogurt?
I use plain Green yogurt in place of sour cream in ever dish that calls for sour cream and it works perfectly. Can’t tell the difference!
Do you fat free or low fat?
Not familiar with ‘Rotel’. Can I use salsa instead??
Rotel is a brand of diced tomatoes that also has some peppers in it for spice. It’s a bit more solid than salsa.
you can just use a can of diced tomatoes and a can of green chiles.
For this, and any of your IP recipes, can the protein be frozen as well as thawed? Additionally, from what I’ve read, the time is not typically increased if using frozen products.
Hi Marilyn, for this recipe you’ll want thawed chicken so you can cut it into strips and so it will cook at the same rate as the pasta.