Chicken Fajitas
788 Comments
Aug 21, 2024
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Chicken fajitas are a classic Mexican recipe and a personal favorite for an easy, healthy, and flavorful weeknight meal. Juicy chicken breasts are seasoned and seared, then tossed with vibrant vegetables, and finished with a punch of fresh lime juice. And while this is the perfect meal wrapped with tortillas and toppings, I’ve got a few more tasty serving ideas below!
Why Everyone Raves About These Chicken Fajitas
Chicken fajitas are hands-down the item I order most frequently at Mexican restaurants (besides guacamole, of course). There’s just something about the sizzling skillet being brought to the table that gets my taste buds excited! And the good news is that it’s incredibly easy to recreate this fabulous dinner at home. It’s also a fun crowd-pleaser for Taco Tuesday or when I’m hosting a dinner party. But here are a few other things to love about this recipe:
- The homemade fajita seasoning is unmatched. The simple blend of bold spices really elevates the flavor of the dish. I often make a double batch of the fajita seasoning to keep on hand.
- It’s made in less than 30 minutes. From start to finish, it takes very little time to create juicy chicken, tender veggies, and an all-around satisfying meal. That’s why it’s a favorite for easy weeknight dinners.
- It’s great for meal prep. You can store any leftover fajitas in the fridge to enjoy for several days or top the sliced chicken and veggies on salad greens for a lighter lunch.
- You can switch up the proteins. While chicken fajitas are my go-to, I often switch up this recipe and make shrimp fajitas or steak fajitas. Essentially, I’ll happily eat all the different types of fajitas.
Chicken Fajita Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: I’m using boneless skinless chicken breasts. But you could also use chicken thighs for an even juicier option.
- Vegetables: Sliced onion and bell peppers make for a bright and tasty fajita dish. I like to use red, yellow, and green bell peppers for lots of color, but you can choose any color of bell peppers.
- Lime: Grab a fresh lime to squeeze on top at the end. The punch of acidity really makes the dish.
- Fajita seasoning: Skip the pre-made seasoning packets because nothing compares to the flavor of homemade seasonings. Plus, you’ll avoid any unnecessary fillers and additives. You just need a combination of chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Taco additions: A few essentials I love to prepare are my cassava flour tortillas, sour cream, pico de Gallo, and sliced avocados. But I’ll talk through more serving ideas below.
Is it better to use a fajita seasoning or marinade? Both are great options! I have a chicken fajita marinade (from my list of chicken marinades) that can be used for this recipe with delicious results. But the dry rub fajita seasoning flavors the chicken perfectly for an equally delicious and super quick meal.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make Chicken Fajitas
Season the chicken. Generously sprinkle the fajita seasoning on both sides of the chicken and use your fingers to press it in.
Sear the chicken. Lightly coat your skillet with oil and sear the chicken breasts on each side for 7 to 8 minutes. Then remove them from the pan and let them rest for a few minutes before slicing them into strips.
Saute the bell peppers and onion. While the chicken is cooking, slice the bell peppers and onions. Then saute them in the same skillet for a few minutes until caramelized. You’re essentially making fajita veggies!
Mix everything and serve. Slice the chicken into thin strips and add them back into the skillet. You can also slice those strips in half again if they’re too thick. Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice on top, and stir everything together before serving.
Ways To Serve Chicken Fajitas
- Make chicken fajita tacos or wraps: This is my favorite way to serve them! Grab a fresh batch of tortillas and prep a few toppings such as sliced avocados or guacamole, red salsa or pico de gallo, sour cream, and chopped cilantro.
- Go light with lettuce wraps. Instead of using tortillas, use butter lettuce to make a lettuce wrap! Then add your favorite taco toppings.
- Make a fajita rice bowl: Make my cilantro lime rice or Mexican rice for a super delicious rice bowl. Then add black beans, sweet corn, cotija cheese, and a drizzle of lime crema or chipotle sauce on top for a flavorful touch.
Common Questions
When it comes to cooking the chicken, a cast iron skillet is ideal for searing. It gives a nice char and maximizes the flavors from the seasoning. Just make sure to season your cast iron properly to prevent sticking. But if you don’t own a cast iron pan, a stainless steel pan will work.
Fajitas are typically cooked in a skillet, but you are more than welcome to grill the chicken! You’ll get a nice smoky flavor, enhancing all those delicious Mexican spices.
Definitely! This is another great way to ensure the seasoning coats all sides of the chicken before it’s thrown onto the skillet. But again, it’s not necessary.
Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 4 to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just thaw it in the refrigerator the night before, then quickly reheat it in the microwave.
More Easy Mexican Recipes
- Carne Asada: Made with the best marinade for carne asada tacos.
- Birria: Turn this into crispy, cheesy birria tacos.
- Carnitas: A pork lover’s dream.
- Taco soup: Enjoy the best taco flavors in one hearty soup.
- Shrimp Tacos: Paired with a tasty cilantro bacon slaw.
- Huevos Rancheros: The best kind of savory Mexican breakfast.
- Or enjoy these other delicious Mexican recipes!
If you make this chicken fajitas recipe, I’d love to know how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more food inspiration (and exclusive content), join my free newsletter.
Chicken Fajitas – Easy & Flavorful!
Description
Video
Equipment
- Staub Cast Iron Fry Pan My favorite cast iron fry pan for stovetop dishes!
- Zwilling Chef's Knife This is the knife I use in my everyday cooking.
Ingredients
Chicken Fajitas
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 3 bell peppers , thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ lime
Fajita Seasoning
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For Serving
- tortillas
- sour cream
- pico de gallo
- avocado
Instructions
- Make fajita seasoning. Add the fajita seasoning ingredients to a small mixing bowl and stir together.
- Season the chicken. Generously sprinkle the fajita seasoning on both sides of the chicken and use your fingers to press it into the chicken.
- Cook the chicken. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sear the chicken breasts for about 7 to 8 minutes on each side.
- Slice the veggies. While your chicken is cooking, cut the bell peppers and onion into thin slices.
- Cook the veggies. Once the chicken has finished cooking, remove it to a plate and let it rest for a couple of minutes. Add the bell peppers and onion to the same skillet over medium heat and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Slice the chicken. When the bell peppers are just about done sauteing, slice the chicken breasts into strips. You can slice those pieces in half again for thinner strips of chicken.
- Mix and serve. Add the chicken back into the skillet, add a squeeze of fresh lime juice and stir everything together. Serve immediately with tortillas and extra toppings such as sour cream, pico de gallo and guacamole.
Lisa’s Tips
- If you’re unsure if your chicken is cooked through, use an instant-read thermometer to see if the internal temperature is 165°F. And since you’ll be letting the chicken rest while cooking the veggies, I recommend taking it out of the pan at around 160°F, as there will be carry-over cooking.
- If you want extra flavoring on your chicken, use my fajita marinade from this chicken marinade post! Plus, these can be frozen and used at a later time.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Recipe originally posted February 2020, but updated to include new photos and information for your benefit!
Haven’t tried it yet, but it is on to do list after Thanksgiving. Need to figure out how to get around the iron skillet.
I made Lisa Bryan’s Chicken Fajita recipe tonight. Everything was delicious!
#downshiftology
Thank you, Kathy! I’m happy you loved these chicken fajitas.
This is the only fajita recipe my boyfriend likes. He is so sickening picky. We both absolutely love this recipe. Followed exactly.
Hi Geri – so happy to hear you both love it! I’m happy to please even the pickiest eaters, haha. Enjoy!
Wow. This beats any restaurant fajitas I have had. Your one pan technique with spiced chicken first and vegetables second imparts great flavor to both. I did my usual tweak, adding ground ancho chiles and cayenne, but otherwise made it as is. I look forward to making this again! Thank you for the recipe.
You’re more than welcome, Craig! I’m happy you loved it.
Made a chicken fajita recipe for the first time ever..so followed your instructions to almost a T 😁 I used chicken boneless thighs, beef broth ( as I was out of chicken broth ) and paired it with mexican rice… it turned out really really delicious… and the best part is… its quite simple to make….thank you so much for sharing this yummy recipe with us 😍🙏
Hi Quraisha – Thrilled to hear you’re loving this chicken fajitas recipe!
I have never left a review for any other recipe I’ve tried but this one was so outstanding I couldn’t help myself! Absolutely delicious and has become a family favorite in our weekly rotation!
Hi Jennifer – Thanks so much for leaving a review and happy to hear this chicken fajitas is now in the dinner rotation!
I rarely leave reviews, but we just got done eating and it was SO good I just had to. Thank you so much for such a delicious recipe. The flavors are so perfectly balanced. We will be making this again and again!
You’re more than welcome, Jen! So happy you loved my chicken fajitas. Enjoy!
This was seriously so good!!! Pro tip- I pounded the chicken breast out a little bit to make sure they would all cook evenly. Cant wait to make again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this chicken fajitas recipe, Ashlie!
I was looking for some healthy and yummy for my family. This recipe was delicious and super easy to make! My only problem was user error I didn’t thaw the chicken as well as I thought so it took forever to cook them. I added chicken broth to maintain juiciness and flavor which worked so well. Overall great recipe I’ll save to make again.
I’m happy you loved these chicken fajitas!
This is so delicious. 😋 I definitely want seconds when I make this. Only thing I do different is to cut the chicken into thin slices before I cook them to make things cook faster and get more seasoning all over every bite. Just have to be careful not to overcook. I always add more peppers and onions because you can never have too much of those.
It’s always a good idea to make a second batch next time! Glad you’re loving this recipe, Danielle.
We made this last night! It was fantastic! The house still smells great from the amazing seasoning!wow!
Oh yay! I’m glad this chicken fajitas was a hit, Vickie.
Delicious! So easy, and meat was fork tender and flavorful after marinating for a couple of hours before cooking! Thanks for sharing.
Happy to hear you enjoyed this chicken fajitas recipe, Denise!
This recipe was delicious! The seasoning ratio was perfect and made for a very flavorful meal. The only thing I did different was substitute the breads for thighs and cut the raw chicken into strips and coat them with the seasoning in the pan. I feel like that really helped to give the chicken even more flavor. Thanks for such a yummy recipe. This will definitely be on rotation!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this chicken fajitas recipe, Krystal!
Delicious! Made this tonight following the recipe exactly. My husband and I loved it. The chicken was so juicy and the whole dish so flavourful.
Wonderful! I’m glad you and your husband are loving this chicken fajitas recipe, Cherlyn.
Hi,
I made the greek chicken burgers, and my daughter loved it. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Glad you enjoyed the Greek chicken burgers! Can you please write another comment on that recipe, instead of this chicken fajitas? Thanks Betty!
Easy to make and it’s soooo yummy!
Thanks, Andrew!
Delicious ????. Definitely making this again. Yummy
Nice, easy weeknight meal. The chicken tasted great alone but after cooking the vegetables and adding back the chicken everything went blah. If I do again will make more seasoning and add to veggies.
Chicken breasts can varie in size. So at leadt an approx. wt. on the chicken would be more helpful. That said, I am guessing you used an average sized breast, weighing about 6ish oz each??
Yes, mine were about 6 to 7 ounces each.
This recipe is so easy and flavorful. I usually make this Sunday afternoons to have for lunch for the week. I usually just serve it with basmati rice because that’s easier for lunch
Happy you loved it, Diane!
ABSOLUTE HIT! This is a very simple and easy recipe. The fajitas were very flavorful!
Yay, happy to hear you loved it!
This was a huge hit with my family. It was so fun to make, and I liked that the directions helped me use my time efficiently. Everything came together smoothly and quickly. Thanks so much!
Thrilled to hear this chicken fajitas was a hit, Kelly!
it would seem that one could simply season your chicken as strips in the first place with your fajita seasoning; cook and remove, and then sear the peppers/onion mix briefly–then add the chicken back to the skillet. I think that the fajita seasoning would then be able to reach more of the meat than just the breasts’ surface.
Agreed. Actually seasoning the chicken an hr or more ahead would be even better.
How many chicken breasts do I need to feed 9 people chicken fajittas
Hi Patricia – This recipe creates about 6 servings, so you could double or triple the recipe depending on how much they eat.
Very tasty and easy to prepare
Hi Eileen – Thrilled to hear you enjoyed this chicken fajitas recipe.
This was absolutely delicious! I cut the chili powder in half due to a sensitive stomach, and finished with a light sprinkle of kosher salt. I will definitely making this again, and soon!!!
Hi Lindsay – I’m so glad you loved this chicken fajitas recipe!
This was absolutely delicious! I cut the chili powder in half due to a sensitive stomach, and finished with a light sprinkle of kosher salt. I will definitely making this again, and soon!
Hi Lindsay – Glad you loved this chicken fajitas!
Hi, I’ve now made this several times. It’s been great each time. We have it with your lime cream and pico de gallo.
Thanks
Ken.
Hi Keb – Happy to hear you’ve been loving this chicken fajitas recipe!
Hi there, I made this recipe but I found the seasoning a bit mild…would you suggest I double it next time? Thank you
Hi Sara – You can always add a bit more seasoning!
Try seasoning the chicken @ least 1 hr ahead. It would then act as a dry rub, so the seasoning can penetrate into the meat…Also, how old are your spices? You may want to cosider replacing any spice that is older than 1 yr old. Especially if stored in plastic…..just a thought
I have used your recipe and directions multiple times and everytime it’s a hit and is thoroughly enjoyed! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe and directions with us. So delicious!!!
Hi JD – Thrilled to hear this chicken fajitas has become a hit every single time!
Made fajitas for the first time ever following this recipe and they turned out just great and yummilicious!!! Loved the seasoning. Will keep this recipe handy for future always. Thank you!
Hi Praj – I’m so glad your first try at chicken fajitas was a success!