Easy Chicken Fajitas

Name: Easy Chicken Fajitas
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 3 boneless skinless chicken breast; 3 tablespoons oil; 1/2 lime juiced; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (if you don't have this you can substitute regular chili powder instead); 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 medium red bell pepper (thinly sliced); 1 medium yellow bell pepper (thinly sliced); 1 medium green bell pepper (thinly sliced); 1 medium onion (thinly sliced); cilantro for serving (if desired); lime wedges for serving (if desired)

September 22, 2023
4 from 1 vote
1 comment

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This super easy Chicken Fajitas recipe features marinated chicken breast sautéed with peppers, onions, and spices. These chicken fajitas taste just as good as the restaurant version!

If you enjoyed this Chicken Fajitas recipe, then try my Chicken Shawarma and my Chicken Biryani!

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Homemade Skillet Chicken Fajitas

I absolutely love fajitas! It’s one of my favorite things to get out to eat. There is something so fun about getting a hot sizzling plate of food and building your own taco!

These Chicken Fajitas taste just like the restaurant version! I marinade the chicken breasts in a mixture of spices, lime juice, and oil to create a blackening concoction for the chicken. It’s the perfect amount of spice and seasoning for the fajitas. I like to do a combination of green, red, and yellow bell peppers. I also toss in onions and garlic.

The trick to making fajitas at home is to use a HOT skillet! This gives the chicken, onions and peppers a good sear on the outside and a nice smoky flavor. Once the chicken is browned I take it out of the pan and let it rest for a couple of minutes before slicing. This ensures the chicken will be extra juicy! Then sauté the veggies in the same pan as the chicken (aka flavor central!), and use the reserved marinade. While the peppers are cooking slice up the chicken. Serve over rice or in a tortilla with fresh chopped cilantro, lime juice, sour cream, lettuce, salsa verde, and guacamole! You can also whip up some margaritas too! Enjoy!

overhead image of chicken fajitas with peppers, lime wedges and fresh chopped cilantro

chicken fajita ingredients

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: I love using chicken breasts because they’re perfect for flavorful recipes like these fajitas that uses a variety of bold flavors. Plus, with the high cooking heat, they stay juicy and tender. However, you can use thighs or even tenderloins, if you prefer. I would recommend pounding the chicken breasts out so they cook evenly and quickly!
Lime Juice: This helps cut through the concentrated dry spices in the marinade and offers some bright bursts of fresh acidic flavor for the spiced chicken.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: To marry the spices in the marinade together and adhere them to the chicken and veggies.
Garlic: Minced fine so they almost melt into the chicken breasts, vegetables, and spices.
Veggies: I liked the combination of green, yellow, and red bell peppers along with some onion because of how colorful the fajitas turn out, but you can use any peppers you like and really any vegetables!
Dry Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle powder, chili powder, ground cumin, paprika (smoked, if possible), and salt are all you need to get the bold flavor of chicken fajitas at home!
Chopped Cilantro and Lime Wedges: To garnish before serving, if desired.

How To Make Chicken Fajitas

Add oil, lime juice, both chili powders, cumin, paprika, garlic and onion powder to a ziplock bag. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade.
Add in chicken and marinate for 30 minutes.

adding chicken breast to fajita marinade in ziplock bag

Spray a cast iron skillet or a regular skillet with cooking spray.
Add the chicken and cook over medium-high heat until cooked, about 3-4 minutes per side.

grilling chicken breast in cast iron skillet

Take the chicken out of the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile add the peppers, onions and the reserved marinade to the same pan the chicken was in. Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until tender.

adding fajita marinade to onions and peppers

While the peppers are cooking slice the chicken breast.
Toss the chicken back into the pan with the peppers.

adding sliced chicken fajitas back to the skillet

Serve immediately with fresh cilantro and lime wedges if desired. I like to serve these Chicken Fajitas with flour tortillas, sour cream, salsa and guacamole!

chicken fajitas and peppers on sheet pan

frequently asked questions

Can You Grill This Chicken Fajitas Recipe

Absolutely! This recipe can easily be made on the grill as full breasts or skewered, after marinating of course, for kebab-style. Grill until golden brown, and cooked through (about 10-15 minutes). You can also throw some sliced veggies like red onion, bell peppers, and mushrooms into your marinade and grill them, too.

Can You Make Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas with This Recipe?

Of course! Assemble the marinated chicken and veggies on a prepared baking pan (or leave in your oven-safe skillet), and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes until golden brown and charred. Then slice the chicken, serve, and enjoy!

How To Serve Chicken Fajitas

You can serve these chicken fajitas with my cilantro lime rice, salsa verde, fresh chopped cilantro, and lime wedges for an easy weeknight meal or meal-prepped lunch. I like to serve my fajitas with flour tortillas and all the fixings — sour cream, lettuce, salsa, extra cilantro, and guacamole

Variations

More of a steak person? Swap the chicken breasts for ribeyes or a flank steak! Even cuts like beef tips or steak bites for kebabs would work. Just marinade them as you would the chicken and cook to your liking, but slightly under as they’ll continue to cook as they rest.
Swap the chicken breasts for chicken thighs (still boneless and skinless) if you prefer dark meat and more chicken flavor!
Looking for a vegan- or vegetarian-friendly version? Just add more veggies! Sliced portabella mushrooms or white buttons would be a great meatier vegetable-based alternatives. Squash, zucchini, eggplant, and even plantains would also work. This is a great way to clean out your fridge!

chicken fajitas and peppers in cast iron skillet

Storage, Freezing, and Reheating Instructions

This Chicken Fajitas recipe is perfect for meal prepping ahead of a busy week or freezing to eat later.

Store leftover cooled fajitas in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freeze cooked and cooled fajitas in a freezer-safe, airtight container or plastic bag for one month. You can also freeze the raw chicken and veggies with the marinade for up to 3 months. Allow cooked or raw frozen chicken to thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter at room temperature.
Reheat thawed or chilled cooked chicken fajitas in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, until warmed through. Allow raw fajitas to thaw completely before assembling to cook in your skillet.

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