Easy Chicken Fajitas Recipe

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In this chicken fajita recipe, chicken is infused with a flavorful marinade, then cooked with bell peppers, onions and garlic. Served with your favorite tortillas, guacamole, and homemade salsa, these chicken fajitas are an easy, healthy & delicious weeknight meal.

Chicken Fajitas in a cast iron skillet


Whenever we go out for Mexican food, I almost always order chicken fajitas (or chicken enchiladas). Since going out with 6 young children isn’t always easy, I decided it was past time for me to make the best chicken fajita recipe at home!

In this recipe, chicken is infused with a flavorful marinade, then cooked with bell peppers, onions and garlic.

Serve them with your favorite tortillas, guacamole, refried black beans, cilantro lime rice and homemade salsa for a Mexican feast that’s easy, healthy & delicious.

Chicken Fajitas served in tortillas

Chicken Fajita Recipe: Ingredients and Substitutions

photo of the ingredients in this Chicken Fajita recipe
  • Chicken breasts. use prefer boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
  • Lime juice. Fresh-squeezed or bottled both work well!
  • Olive oil. Avocado oil is a great substitute for olive oil.
  • Minced garlic. I use jarred, but freshly minced garlic is great too.
  • Spices (cumin, paprika, chili powder & coriander). I have included our favorite fajita seasoning blend. You can adjust it to your tastes however you see fit.
  • Bell peppers. I like to use a variety of colors for presentation, you can use your favorites (red, orange, yellow, red).
  • Onion. Use a sweet yellow or white onion or red onion.
Chicken Fajitas served in tortillas

How to Make Chicken Fajitas

This chicken fajita recipe is relatively easy, and if you follow my tips and suggestions they are certain to turn out perfectly every time!

Marinate the Chicken

Begin this recipe by marinating the chicken. First, cut the chicken breasts into thin strips 1 to 1.5 inches long.

Then, whisk together lime juice, olive oil and minced garlic in a medium bowl. Next, add the chicken and stir to coat.

two photos showing How to Make Chicken Fajitas - marinating chicken

In a small bowl combine spices and stir to combine.

Next, add the fajita seasoning to the chicken and turn to coat. Cover the bowl and marinate chicken for at least 1 hour at room temperature or longer in the refrigerator.

Make sure to remove chicken from the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before cooking so it is not too cold when cooked (this will help it brown quickly).

two photos showing How to Make Chicken Fajitas - marinating chicken

Cook the Chicken Fajitas

When you’re ready to cook, drain excess liquid from the marinated chicken.

Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large cast iron skillet until shimmering

NOTE: you do not want to over-crowd the skillet. If you only have a smaller skillet (10” or less) then you will need to cook these chicken fajitas in two batches. Keep the first batch warm in the oven while making the second. It’s important the chicken is in a single layer and the pan is heated with the oil to brown the meat.

Next, add the chicken, onions and garlic and cook over medium-high heat until chicken is browned, stirring occasionally.

two photos showing How to Make Chicken Fajitas - cooking chicken, onions and garlic.

Then, add the peppers and remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  

Cook over high heat until seared/browned (3-5 minutes). If necessary, add more olive oil to brown the fajitas.

two photos showing How to Make Chicken Fajitas - adding bell peppers.

Serving Suggestions

Serve immediately! We love serving these with tortillas, or as a yummy Mexican bowl/salad with these recipes:

cooked Chicken Fajitas in a cast iron skillet

Store/Freeze

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Chicken Fajitas served in tortillas

Chicken Fajitas Recipe FAQs

How do you cut chicken for chicken fajitas?

I suggest cutting the chicken in thin, longer strips. Use a very sharp knife!

What toppings do you put on fajitas?

My favorites are sour cream, salsa and guacamole.

Can you use taco seasoning on fajitas?

Yes, you can replace the fajita seasoning in this recipe with taco seasoning, if you prefer.

Do you cut chicken fajita meat before cooking?

Yes, absolutely. You want to use thinly sliced chicken so it browns well!

Chicken Fajitas served in tortillas

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Chicken Fajitas

Laura
In this chicken fajita recipe, chicken is infused with a flavorful marinade, then cooked with bell peppers, onions and garlic. Served with your favorite tortillas, guacamole, and homemade salsa, these chicken fajitas are an easy, healthy & delicious weeknight meal.
5 from 7 votes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 8 people
Calories 213
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Marinating1 hour
Total Time1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Fajita chicken

Fajita seasoning:

Fajitas

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil or more as needed
  • 1 red bell pepper sliced into thin strips
  • 1 green bell pepper sliced into thin strips
  • 1 yellow bell pepper sliced into thin strips
  • 1 onion sliced into thin strips

Serving:

  • Sour cream, guacamole, a drizzle of extra lime juice, cheese, salsa, tortillas, etc.

Instructions 

Marinate the Chicken

  • Cut chicken breasts into thin strips 1 to 1.5 inches long.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together lime juice, olive oil and minced garlic, add chicken and stir to coat.
  • In a small bowl combine spices and stir to combine.
  • Add the fajita seasoning to the chicken and turn to coat. Cover the bowl and marinate chicken for at least 1 hour at room temperature or longer in the refrigerator. Make sure to remove chicken from the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before cooking so it is not too cold when cooked (this will help it brown quickly).

Cook the Fajitas

  • Drain any excess liquid from the marinated chicken.
  • Heat 1 TBS olive oil in a large cast iron skillet until shimmering (NOTE: you do not want to over-crowd the skillet. If you only have a smaller skillet (10” or less) then you will need to cook these fajitas in two batches. Keep the first batch warm in the oven while making the second. It’s important the chicken is in a single layer and the pan is heated up with the oil to brown the meat).
  • Add chicken, onions and garlic and cook over medium-high heat until chicken is browned, stirring occasionally.
  • Add peppers and remaining 1 TBS olive oil.
  • Cook over high heat until seared/browned (3-5 minutes). If necessary, add more olive oil to brown the fajitas.
  • Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Notes/Substitutions: 
  • Chicken breasts. use prefer boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
  • Lime juice. Fresh-squeezed or bottled both work well!
  • Olive oil. Avocado oil is a great substitute for olive oil.
  • Minced garlic. I use jarred, but freshly minced garlic is great too.
  • Spices (cumin, paprika, chili powder & coriander). I have included our favorite fajita seasoning blend. You can adjust it to your tastes however you see fit.
  • Bell peppers. I like to use a variety of colors for presentation, you can use your favorites (red, orange, yellow, red).
  • Onion. Use a sweet yellow or white onion or red onion.
Store/Freeze
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 281mg | Potassium: 549mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 669IU | Vitamin C: 62mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Recipe Rating




8 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Very tasty, and easy to make! Also, the chicken was very tender and moist. As it turned out, I forgot to purchase a lime, and therefore used orange juice in its place. So. the next time I use this chicken fajita recipe, I will have a lime or lime juice.

  2. 5 stars
    I made this dish last night; very tasty. I doubled the quantities for the spice mix and I didn’t have any limes so I skipped the marinade. At the end I added some chopped fresh tomatoes so that the sauce was not so dry. Much tastier than the Fajita kits that you can buy and it was super easy and quick to make. I served it with basmati rice. It was a winner with the family and I have added the recipe to my list of top favourite meals to make.

  3. 5 stars
    Not only was this such an easy recipe to make but my daughter and husband loved it! …and I am not the best cook! Thank you! I will definitely be saving this recipe!

  4. Your chicken fajitas look delightful. Very clear and complete instructions. However, I can not locate the nutritional values??

    1. Well Cyndi, that’s because I forgot to include them! So thank you for bringing that to my attention! I went ahead and added the nutritional information – based on this recipe making 8 servings.

  5. 5 stars
    Hi. Thanks for the recipe. But you ought to make a correction that you can keep leftovers in the FREEZER for about a month (rather than storing in the refrigerator for up to 1 month)!