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Home » Recipes » Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta

Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta

4/9/21

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This Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta with salsa and bell peppers is a delicious one pot pasta idea. Just dump all your ingredients and serve.

Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta

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Ingredients for this recipe

This chicken fajita pasta is one of my absolute favourite pasta recipes of ALL TIME, and you don't need a ton of ingredients to make this absolutely delicious dinner idea. Here's what you need below:

  • chicken breasts
  • taco seasoning
  • garlic
  • onion
  • chicken broth
  • fresh salsa (I use the Garden Fresh Gourmet brand; regular jarred salsa or canned diced tomatoes will also work)
  • large pasta shells
  • red, green and yellow pepper
  • cheddar cheese
  • sour cream
  • fresh cilantro
  • avocado

One Pot Fajita Pasta

How to make this recipe

This Instant Pot pasta recipe is SUPER simple to make – mostly, you'll just dump your ingredients in and then stir in the cheese and sour cream after it's done cooking. Here are the full instructions:

  1. Add olive oil, chicken, taco seasoning, garlic, onion, chicken broth, salsa and shells to the Instant Pot in that order.
  2. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, then do a quick release of the pressure.
  3. Remove lid and stir in bell peppers, sour cream and cheddar cheese, stirring well. Replace lid and let sit for five minutes so the bell peppers can become tender (they will get mushy if you pressure cook them, but letting them sit with the hot ingredients will steam cook them).
  4. Remove lid again and stir in cilantro, then serve among 6 bowls, topping with avocado. Serve and enjoy!

Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta

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 to do it this way:

  1. Add olive oil to a large pot, cooking chicken, taco seasoning, garlic and onion over medium-high heat. Add in chicken broth, salsa and shells, stirring well.
  2. Bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and let simmer for 15-20 minutes until pasta is cooked through and has absorbed most of the liquid.
  3. Remove lid and stir in bell peppers, sour cream and cheddar cheese, stirring well. Cook another 2 minutes, then remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
  4. Serve among 6 bowls, topping with avocado. Enjoy!

Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta

Ingredient Substitutions

Here are the substitutions and changes you can make to this chicken fajita pasta.

Chicken – Instead of chicken, you can make this recipe vegetarian and just leave it out! You'll still get plenty of flavour and protein from the cheese and pasta. However, you can also saute some ground beef or ground turkey and add it in if you'd like to use a different protein.

Taco seasoning – You can just use 1 tbsp chili powder and 1 tsp cumin if you don't have taco seasoning on hand.

Pasta shells – Rotini, fusili, penne and other large pasta shapes work well for this recipe. DO NOT use smaller pastas like macaroni with this recipe.

Cheese – The cheese at the end is actually optional, so you don't need to add it. However, it does make it that much more delicious so I recommend leaving it in. You can also cut it in half if you're worried about calories.

Sour cream – You will need to use either sour cream or Greek yogurt to get the creaminess with this pasta.

Bell peppers – Leave them out if you'd like, but they pack a ton of flavour and extra nutrition.

More toppings to use 

I stir in cilantro with this pasta and top with diced avocado, but you can use a number of other different toppings with this recipe! Here are some more ideas:

  • Green onions
  • Jalapenos
  • Olives
  • Corn
  • Tortilla strips
  • Fresh tomatoes
  • Red onions

One Pot Fajita Pasta

How to make homemade taco seasoning

You don't have to buy 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.

Here's what you need to make your own taco seasoning:

  • Chili powder (3 tbsp)
  • Cumin (1 tbsp)
  • Paprika (1 tbsp)
  • Coriander (1 tbsp)
  • Garlic powder (1 tbsp)
  • Onion powder (1 tbsp)
  • Chili flakes (1 tbsp)

Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta

Storing and reheating

You can store this recipe in the fridge up to 5 days, and reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Be sure to sprinkle some water overtop so the pasta doesn't dry out – this is the key to reviving pasta perfectly every time so that it tastes just like new! There are 6 servings with this recipe so you will want to divide all the pasta into 6 portions. 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 keep up to 3 months in the freezer. To reheat from frozen, simply sprinkle some water overtop and microwave for 7-9 minutes, stirring halfway through. You can also let the pasta defrost in the fridge up to 24 hours and then reheat as directed above.

Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta

More Instant Pot pasta recipes

  • Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
  • Chili Mac
  • Hamburger Helper
  • Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

Tools to make 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
Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta

Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta

This Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta with salsa and bell peppers is a delicious one pot pasta idea. Just dump all your ingredients and serve - it's all ready in under 30 minutes!
4.95 from 17 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Pasta
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 521kcal
Author: Taylor Stinson

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!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 521kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 818mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 900IU | Vitamin C: 22.3mg | Calcium: 200mg | Iron: 2.9mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @GirlonBloor or tag #girlonbloor!

This Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta with salsa and bell peppers is a delicious one pot pasta idea. Just dump all your ingredients and serve. #instantpot #chickenfajitapasta  This Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta with salsa and bell peppers is a delicious one pot pasta idea. Just dump all your ingredients and serve. #instantpot #chickenfajitapasta

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About Taylor Stinson

Hey there, my name's Taylor! I’m the founder of The Girl on Bloor, a food blog where I share healthy meal prep recipes for busy people. I'm a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto on (you guessed it!) Bloor Street. I've got 10 years experience meal prepping, along with a Master's degree in journalism, and you can find my work across the internet featured on publications such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Women's Health, Reader's Digest and more. I also run the awesome 5-Day Meal Prep Challenge, which is a free email course and Facebook group where I share my meal planning strategies and easy meal prep tips and recipes. Be sure to check out my free beginner’s guide to meal prep and follow me on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get my latest recipes and meal prep tips!

Comments

  1. Stacie says

    September 2, 2021 at 22:25

    Would it be okay to use medium sized pasta shells? I can’t find the large ones.

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      September 7, 2021 at 14:05

      Hi Stacie – yes, those will work fine!

      Reply
  2. S says

    April 7, 2021 at 15:03

    Can you make this with gluten free pasta? I’ve never tried it in the instant pot.

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      April 7, 2021 at 17:46

      I don’t think gluten free pasta would work with this one unfortunately. The noodles would fall apart.

      Reply
  3. Nicole Crouse says

    January 27, 2021 at 12:16

    5 stars
    Thanks for this recipe! I didn’t have sour cream, so I subbed veggie cream cheese instead. It was a hit! So tasty.

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      January 27, 2021 at 15:07

      So happy you enjoyed! 🙂 This is one of my faves!!

      Reply
  4. Cass says

    November 15, 2020 at 02:09

    5 stars
    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!!

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      November 16, 2020 at 07:52

      I’m so happy you enjoyed, Cass 🙂

      Reply
  5. E says

    October 3, 2020 at 12:57

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      October 5, 2020 at 07:59

      I’m so happy you enjoyed! 🙂 Will keep those recipes coming for sure haha

      Reply
  6. Bob says

    March 19, 2020 at 19:57

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      March 21, 2020 at 12:07

      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!

      Reply
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Taylor Stinson

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I'm Taylor Stinson, a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto. Looking to switch up your weekly meal prep routine? I've got you covered with healthy recipes and meal planning resources. Join 1.5 million other monthly readers and dive in! MORE ABOUT ME..

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