This Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta with salsa and bell peppers is a delicious one pot meal. Just dump in all your ingredients and serve!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
- Chicken breasts – make this recipe vegetarian or substitute the chicken for some sautéed ground beef or turkey.
- Taco seasoning – use 1 tbsp. chili powder and 1 tsp. cumin instead or make your own taco seasoning.
- Garlic – use freshly minced garlic or jarred minced garlic in a pinch.
- Yellow onion – white onion, shallots or red onion would also be good in this recipe.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth is the best substitute here.
- Fresh salsa – use a jarred variety or canned diced tomatoes instead.
- Pasta shells – rotini, fusilli, penne and another large pasta shape would work well for this recipe.
- Bell peppers – use another combination of bell peppers or leave them out altogether.
- Cheddar cheese – cut it in half or leave the cheese out altogether. You can also use another cheese like Tex Mex or Monterey Jack.
- Sour cream – low-fat sour cream or even Greek yogurt would help add that amazing creaminess to your pasta.
- Cilantro – leave this out altogether if you’re not a fan of cilantro.
- Avocado – you could also swap out for some fresh guacamole or leave the avocado out.
How to make chicken fajita pasta
- Add the first 8 ingredients to the Instant Pot in order.
- Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the pressure.
- Stir in the peppers, sour cream and cheese.
- Let it sit with the lid on for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the cilantro, top with avocado and serve!
Making this pasta on the stovetop
You can easily make this chicken fajita pasta on the stovetop in just a regular pot! Here are the instructions:
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- Add olive oil to a large pot and cook the chicken, taco seasoning, garlic and onion over medium-high heat.
- Add in the chicken broth, salsa and shells, stirring well.
- Bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until the pasta is cooked through and has absorbed most of the liquid.
- Remove the lid and stir in bell peppers, sour cream and cheddar cheese.
- Cook for another 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.
- Top with avocado, serve and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken fajita pasta combines two of your favourite dishes: chicken fajitas and pasta! It’s a super easy dinner idea and is ready in a flash thanks to the Instant Pot. Feel free to add on more of your favourite fajita toppings like green onions, jalapenos, corn, tomatoes and red onions.
You don't have to use store-bought taco seasoning – one of my fave meal prep tricks is to make your own at home! This way you don't get any extra sodium, and you can control what you put in it. I typically make a big giant batch of taco seasoning then store it in an airtight container along with my other spices. Just mix together chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, garlic powder, onion powder and chili flakes.
This recipe has 521 calories per serving. If you want to cut down on the calorie count, use low-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt and cut the amount of cheese in half (or leave it out altogether). Making your own taco seasoning is another great way of keeping this recipe healthy since you won’t be using as much sodium.
Storing and reheating
You can store this recipe in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheat it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Be sure to sprinkle some water over top so the pasta doesn't dry out – this is the key to reviving pasta perfectly every time so that it tastes just like new! I prefer to use glass meal prep containers because you can reheat directly in the container itself and ensure you are getting the proper portion size.
Freezing this recipe
You can freeze this pasta too! It will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat from frozen, simply sprinkle some water over top and microwave for 7-9 minutes, stirring halfway through. You can also let the pasta defrost in the fridge for up to 24 hours and then reheat as directed above.
More Instant Pot pasta recipes
- Instant Pot Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
- Instant Pot Chili Mac and Cheese
- Instant Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- The Instant Pot DUO Plus 60
is the version I use in this recipe. - Get your square glass meal prep bowls here to store your leftovers.
- These are similar to the pasta shells I used.
- And of course I get all my free-range chicken breasts from Butcher Box.
is the version I use in this recipe.
Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium-sized chicken breasts, diced into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tbsp taco seasoning
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups fresh salsa (I use the Jack's Fresh brand, or canned diced tomatoes will work)
- 1 lb large pasta shells
- 1 each red, green and yellow pepper, finely diced
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 avocado, diced
Instructions
- Add olive oil, chicken, taco seasoning, garlic, onion, chicken broth, salsa and shells to the Instant Pot in that order, making sure to leave the shells sitting on the top of all the other ingredients.
- Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, then do a quick release of the pressure. Instant Pot will take about 10-15 minutes to preheat, then pressure cook for 3 minutes.
- Remove lid when safe to do so and stir in bell peppers, sour cream and cheddar cheese, stirring well. Replace lid and let sit for five minutes.
- Remove lid again and stir in cilantro, then serve among 6 bowls, topping with avocado. Serve and enjoy!
Stacie says
Would it be okay to use medium sized pasta shells? I can’t find the large ones.
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Stacie – yes, those will work fine!
S says
Can you make this with gluten free pasta? I’ve never tried it in the instant pot.
Taylor Stinson says
I don’t think gluten free pasta would work with this one unfortunately. The noodles would fall apart.
Nicole Crouse says
Thanks for this recipe! I didn’t have sour cream, so I subbed veggie cream cheese instead. It was a hit! So tasty.
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you enjoyed! 🙂 This is one of my faves!!
Cass says
Hi Taylor, Cass from Australia… I purchased my first ever pressure cooker today, yours is the first recipe I have made! It’s so delicious! I’ve added some chilli flakes to mine too for an extra kick!
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe!!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed, Cass 🙂
E says
Hi Taylor, I live in Germany and love, love, love your recipes! This one was great and I found all the ingredients at the store (a lot of Canadian/US websites have exotic ingredients listed we can’t get at a basic grocery store here); salsa was sold out so I used taco sauce instead, fusilli noodles since shell noodles aren’t sold here, and added about a half cup of extra broth, it came out perfect! Even my husband, who refuses to eat dairy, liked it and ate two enormous portions even though I snuck the sour cream in (it sounds mean but I try to make sure he gets enough calcium in his diet). I tried two other recipes of yours (kung pao chicken and pulled chicken burritos) and they were also fantastic. I hope you keep posting new recipes!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed! 🙂 Will keep those recipes coming for sure haha
Bob says
I made this tonight and it is really delicious. We also had a few pieces of harder pasta so I may try adding an extra 1/4 of broth next time to see if this can be avoided. That said, this is another keeper. Thanks again Taylor for all the great recipes.
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you enjoyed Bob! 🙂 You can try to push more pasta under the liquid or add a bit more broth like you said, that might help!