Chicken Fajitas

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Chicken fajitas are an easy and flavorful weeknight meal. A classic Mexican recipe, juicy chicken is seasoned, seared and cooked to perfection, then tossed with sauteed bell peppers and onions. A squeeze of fresh lime adds a punch of flavor and the chicken fajitas are served with warm tortillas and toppings. You can’t beat this healthy family favorite recipe.

Chicken fajitas in a pan on a table with toppings.

Chicken Fajita Ingredients

Don’t you just love meals that only require a few basic ingredients? Well this chicken fajita recipe is just that. All you need is chicken, bell pepper, onion, lime juice and spices, plus tortillas and your favorite toppings. It’s incredibly easy.

It’s a one-pan recipe and in less than 30 minutes, you’ll have a tasty meal (I can’t get enough of those Mexican spices) that also makes for the best leftovers or meal prep.

Homemade Fajita Seasoning is Best

While you can buy pre-made seasoning packets, I’d caution against it. Nothing compares to the flavor of homemade fajita seasoning and it’s easy to whip up. Plus, you’ll avoid any unnecessary fillers and additives. Here’s a quick rundown of the spices you’ll need:

  • Chili Powder
  • Ground Cumin
  • Garlic Powder
  • Paprika
  • Oregano
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Three chicken breasts sprinkled with fajita seasoning.

How To Make Chicken Fajitas

Once you’ve made your fajita seasoning, the chicken fajitas come together fast. Just follow these simple steps:

  1. Season the chicken. Generously sprinkle the fajita seasoning on both sides of the chicken and use your fingers to press it in.
  2. Cook the chicken. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and lightly coat it with a drizzle of olive oil or avocado oil. Sear the chicken breasts for about 7-8 minutes on each side. Then remove them from the pan and let them rest for a few minutes before slicing into strips.
  3. Saute the bell peppers and onion. While the chicken is cooking, cut the bell peppers and onions into thin slices. Then saute them in the same skillet over medium heat for a few minutes until caramelized. You’re essentially making fajita veggies.
  4. Mix together. Add the chicken back into the skillet, squeeze fresh lime juice on top and stir everything together.
  5. Wrap it up. Serve immediately with tortillas and extra toppings.

Chicken fajita ingredients in a saute pan.

Chicken Fajita Recipe Video

With a little slicing and sautéing you can whip up this recipe in no time. Watch the video below to see how I make it!

Do You Need A Cast Iron Skillet?

When it comes to cooking the chicken, a cast iron skillet is ideal for searing. It gives a nice char to it 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, you can use a stainless steel pan as well.

Customize Your Chicken Fajitas

While chicken fajitas taste great on their own, toppings can make all the difference. From a dollop of sour cream to cheese or avocado slices, fajitas are a fun way to serve customizable options for your family or a large party! A few of my favorite toppings are pico de gallo and guacamole.

And if you’ve got some chicken fajitas leftover, don’t limit yourself to just wrapping them in tortillas. You can use butter lettuce to make lettuce wraps for a lighter option. Or, you can throw them in a bowl with some leafy greens, black beans, sweet corn and avocado for an easy fajita salad.

Can You Meal Prep Chicken Fajitas?

Absolutely! This is a great recipe to make ahead as the sautéed chicken and vegetables will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. Just store them in a sealed container and then reheat before adding to a tortilla or salad.

Chicken fajitas in a saute pan.

More Fajita Recipes to Try

If you love fajitas as much as I do, I think you’ll love these tasty variations!

More Easy Mexican Recipes

And you can wash down all that deliciousness with a classic margarita or mango margarita. Enjoy!

Chicken fajitas in a pan on a table with toppings.

Chicken Fajitas - Easy & Flavorful!

4.99 from 415 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 16 minutes
Total: 26 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

Chicken fajitas are an easy and flavorful weeknight meal. This Mexican recipe that everyone will love can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes. Watch the video above!

Video

Ingredients  

Chicken Fajitas

  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 bell peppers , thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 lime

Fajita Seasoning

For Serving

Instructions 

  • Add the fajitas seasoning ingredients to a small mixing bowl and stir together.
    Mixing the fajita seasoning in a bowl.
  • Generously sprinkle the fajita seasoning on both sides of the chicken and use your fingers to press it into the chicken.
  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sear the chicken breasts for about 7-8 minutes on each side.
  • While your chicken is cooking, cut the bell peppers and onion into thin slices.
    Slicing the bell pepper into strips.
  • 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 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • When the bell peppers are just about done sauteing, slice the chicken breasts into strips.
  • 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.
    Serving the chicken fajitas with tortillas, guacamole and other ingredients.

Nutrition

Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 275mg | Potassium: 389mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2160IU | Vitamin C: 80mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Chicken Fajita recipe, Chicken Fajitas, How To Make Chicken Fajitas
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

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Recipe Rating




710 Comments

  1. Hi there, I’m always confused by what is meant by “chili powder” in American recipes (I’m from New Zealand and it always means ground chili peppers here!) I thought it usually means the spice mix in the US but here it looks as though you’re also adding the ingredients you’d find in a chili spice mix. Also… Any tips on how to tell the difference in recipes? On smitten kitchen she uses “chile powder” for ground chilis and “chili powder” for the spice mix, but maybe that’s just an east coast thing!!! Thanks for your help!

    1. Hi Anna – in the US chili powder is most often a blend of spices. It does include a little bit of those other spices as well, but it’s a higher percentage of the individual chili pepper powder (dried and ground) within the blend. As for the spelling, I think that’s just misspellings more than anything. :)

  2. Amazing Fajita recipe! I used shrimp instead of chicken and it still tasted super flavorful and delicious.
    I love your food blog!5 stars

  3. I love this recipe and my chicken fajitas taste better than restaurant thanks so much my husband loved them5 stars

  4. Such a great recipe! Lovely flavor and such a versatile entree, I threw mine in a rice bowl with some roasted corn and it was amazing!!! Also, I really appreciate how you include step by step photos and a video- so helpful5 stars

  5. Absolutely loved the recipe! I cooked it for my family (4) and we had plenty of leftovers for lunches, too. I’ve always been meh on packaged fajita mixes, so this is double awesome :)5 stars

  6. Absolutely Delicious..Definately make this recipe again+again.Much better than pkt mix.Thankyou…..5 stars

  7. Just made this. Simple,quick, great flavor!  Served with avocado and homemade yogurt, corn tortillas. We loved it!  Thank you5 stars

    1. I made this recipe following the instructions and it was phenomenal! Has anyone tried it with steak? I’d like to try it but wasn’t sure if it would work the same.5 stars

  8. Made this today and it was super easy and very flavorful. I added lots of cilantro and some sour cream. I’m going to make more of the spice mix next time to have it on hand because it was perfect. (I also needed longer time for the chicken so next time I’ll slice them horizontally). 5 stars

  9. This was a huge hit! To make this even easier – I used frozen sliced red, green, yellow peppers and onions. Just like from a Mexican Restaurant! The chicken turned out so moist and delicious!5 stars

  10. Thank you! Will definitely use this recipe again! Loved that my chicken was moist and juicy and full on flavors!!! 5 stars

  11. WOW! This is my first time making chicken fajitas and I’m very impressed with this recipe, will definitely be making this again and again… I served it over brown rice and the whole family ate it all, no complaints :) 10/10 recommend.5 stars

  12. We made this tonight.  My first time making fajitas and I was a bit nervous.  Hands down the Best fajitas!!!  Easy to make and the spice combo is outstanding:) huge THANK you!!!!

    Armand5 stars

    1. Thrilled to hear this recipe was a success Armand! Now you can always have a chicken fajitas recipe to come back to :)

  13. This was my first time making chicken fajitas and this recipe was delicious! I used a stainless steel skillet and did have to cook the chicken for significantly longer than the instructions indicate. I also cooked the veggies for about 10 minutes. Forgot to add the lime, but will do that next time. This was a hit in our house!5 stars

    1. Amazing! Happy to hear your first ever chicken fajitas was a success :) And yes, definitely add the lime next time. It makes a difference.

  14. Super easy and VERY yummy! Made it along with your “Best ever guacamole” last night! Thank you for making this a happy meal for us!!!5 stars

  15. Made the fajitas for dinner tonight. There’s just me and my husband so I made just one chicken breast cut horizontally in half before sauteing. We really liked the fajita seasoning. I made half of the seasoning mixture and used it all.
    Thanks for the recipe. We will be making this again.5 stars

  16. I love this recipe! I’ve made it three times now and I’m giving it printed off along with the required spices as a Christmas gift to a friend who will love it. I also love the spice blend. I’ve put it in ground beef and used it to top baked potatoes. I’ve used the blend on veggies to be roasted and mixed it into spaghetti sauce to spice up my zucchini noodles.5 stars

  17. I had four other chicken fajita recipes pinned until I tried this one.  The entire family loved it!  Needless to say, I deleted the others and kept this one.  It is now part of my menu rotation.  Thank you for such a delicious recipe!5 stars

  18. I made your CHICKEN FAJITAS and it came out delicious! Easiest recipe I’ve ever tried. I used to cut raw chicken and prep it, then separately prep the veggies, and add the meat to the veggies… it never came out as good as your recipe!! So happy for this eye opening recipe :) and the seasoning is amazing!

  19. So so good on the first try I’m making it again!! Very easy to do and it will now be in my recipe file forever! Yum!!5 stars

  20. Made this with Indian red chili powder since that’s what I had on hand and oh boy it was spicy! It was absolutely delicious though but I will def reduce the chili powder quantity next time.5 stars

  21. I made this recipe very quickly, it’s the first time I attempted fajitas and my family loved it! I added a can of corn to the vegetables and we are it on tortillas with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. Delicious and would definitely make again :)5 stars

  22. Loved the recipe! I used avocado oil and green onions, in addition to yellow onions. It was great on Ezekiel tortillas. Had rice and pinto beans with salsa. Thank you!5 stars

  23. Amazing Dry rub recipe for the chicken steaks. I made this recipe over the weekend and used whole-wheat tortillas to make it a bit more healthy!!!5 stars

  24. My 17 year old daughter offered to cook one night in quarantine when her favorite Mexican food go to spot was closed.  It’s amazing and super easy! The spice rub is the best! We have made it 3 times since that night. It’s as good as any I’ve had in a restaurant.5 stars

    1. Hi Mary- So glad you all enjoyed the fajita seasoning on this :) Now you can always enjoy restaurant quality chicken fajitas right at home!

  25. The seasoning was spot on perfect! I made extra and added a bit more to the veggies – loved every bite!
    Simple and quick AND one pan!? Doesn’t get much better than this one! I’m wondering how tofu would hold up here, I’m feeling like that might work well given the seasoning mix. I used smoked paprika and I had some smoked pepper that I used, very good stuff here!5 stars

    1. Hi Robert- So glad you enjoyed these chicken fajitas! And yes, you can definitely make this with tofu, except I would buy the firm tofu so it doesn’t split apart too easily :)

  26. Made this exactly according to recipe and my family loved and devoured it!! I can’t believe how easy, affordable, and full of flavor this dish is! Making the spice rub was so simple, I had everything in my pantry. The chicken was moist and delicious – timing for cooking was perfect. Why I don’t do fajitas more often, I do not know :/. Thank you, Lisa!5 stars