Easy Chicken Fajitas

Easy chicken fajitas have strips of chicken, onion, and bell peppers cooked in a flavorful homemade marinade. The fajitas make a quick weeknight dinner that can be ready in about 30 minutes.

Chicken fajitas are one of the most popular Tex-Mex dishes. Fajitas use meat like chicken, steak, or shrimp, with veggies and spices.

This chicken fajita recipe makes an easy dinner that’s perfect for busy weeknights. This tasty meal can be made in about 30 minutes, so you can whip this dinner up in less time than it takes to grab takeout.

What you’ll need to make chicken fajitas

• Bell peppers: Use any color of bell pepper that you’d like.
• Boneless skinless chicken breast
• Onion: White onion, yellow onion, or red onion will work.
• Oil: Any neutral oil like olive oil or vegetable oil will work.
• Ancho chili powder: Ancho chili powder works well because it’s mild and smoky. If you can’t find it, use chili powder
• Smoked paprika
• Garlic powder: Be sure to use garlic powder, not garlic salt.
• Salt: Feel free to adjust the amount of salt according to your tastes.
• Ground black pepper
• Ground cumin
• Fresh lime juice: Be sure to use fresh lime juice, not bottled lime juice. Bottled lime juice can have an off flavor.

How to make chicken fajitas

Step 1: Cut each bell pepper into thin strips.

Step 2: Cut the onion in a half moons.

Step 3: Cut the chicken into thin strips.

Step 4: Add marinade spices, salt, pepper, oil, and lime juice to a medium bowl and mix well to combine.

Step 5: Add the chicken strips and let it sit for 10-15 minutes to marinate the chicken.

Step 6: Meanwhile, heat a large saucepan or large skillet. Once hot, add the oil.

Step 7: Cook the onion for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 8: Add the chicken with the marinade and cook for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink.

Step 9: Stir in the bell peppers and mix until combined. Let the peppers cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until the peppers are softened.

Step 10: Serve immediately over corn or flour tortillas. Garnish with guacamole, cilantro, or other desired toppings.

Tips

• It’s important to cut the vegetables and chicken into thinner strips. Otherwise, everything will take longer to cook.
• If you’re unsure about whether the chicken has cooked through, check it with a kitchen thermometer. The chicken should reach 165F.
• The chicken will put off liquid as it cooks. Either use a large skillet or work in batches. If you have a crowded skillet, the food will steam and the liquid won’t evaporate.

Variations

• Spicy: Chicken fajitas aren’t spicy, but you can add heat if you’d like. Simply use chili powder instead of ancho chili powder, add more chili powder, and use cayenne pepper in the seasoning blend. You can also top the fajitas with sliced jalapeno if you’d like.
• Seasonings: Other seasonings that can be added to the marinade are onion powder and dried oregano.
• Sugar: Sugar is often added to fajita marinade to help balance out the flavors. The Mexican restaurant that I worked at when I was in college used Sprite to add some sweetness. Feel free to use a little granulated sugar or brown sugar in the marinade if you’d like.

Serving suggestions

Chicken fajitas can be served with either corn tortillas or flour tortillas. Toppings that go well with fajitas include

• guacamole
• pico de gallo or salsa
• sour cream
• queso fresco or a shredded cheese like Fiesta blend
• cilantro
• fresh lime wedges

Serve the fajitas with Mexican rice and black or pinto beans and sopaipillas or chocoflan to complete the meal.

Storage

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The leftovers will keep for up to 4 days when properly stored in the fridge.

More easy dinner recipes!

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