Chicken Fajitas
779 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!
Hands down the tastiest and easiest fajitas I’ve ever made. Even my picky granddaughter loved them. Thank you for a winning recipe I will be making again and again
Glad everyone enjoyed this chicken fajitas recipe Sheryl!
Loved the recipe! I doubled it and added guacamole instead avocado. Unfortunately, no leftovers for the next day’s lunch ☺️
Use a heavy cast iron pan, and use it as the serving dish it so the fajitas stay hot. Squeeze the lime juice just before removing from stove and you will get the fajita sizzle. Works well on a gas grill also.
Good one! Super easy, too, Couldn’t afford fish, so we are turning to free-range chicken.
Awesome recipe. I doubled the seasoning and added a sliced ribeye. 3 of us ate every bit of it.
Excellent blending. I added the corn from one cob and it worked well. Thank you.
This was superb. Thank you!
This was the first recipe I made on my family loved it… Thank you so much looking forward to making anymore.
Happy to hear the whole family enjoyed this chicken fajitas recipe Maria!
These are awesome!! Better than the Mexican Restaurant!!
If you don’t serve with the tortillas, will that reduce the net carbs?
The tortillas are actually not part of the nutritional information. Just the chicken fajitas themselves.
Great recipe!
Can I prepare this, the bag and freeze it? I like batch preparing.
Yes, you can!
YUM! This recipe was so good and so quick to make! The seasoning for the chicken is top notch – I will use that for multiple things now! You can truly taste all of the flavors. From prep to finish, I had a meal on the table in less than 30 minutes.
The only thing I added more of was garlic powder, salt, and the juice from 2 small limes – purely preference!
I just want to say I haven’t tried a recipe I haven’t loved from you! As I’ve been trying to learn to cook (and cook healthy) your the first person I check to see if you have a recipe on the meal. I just made the chicken fajitas recipe last night for my husband and I, and it’s going to become a weekly thing for us! Thank you so much!
So glad you’re loving this chicken fajitas, amongst many other recipes Megan!
Great recipe
Making this once again tonight, absolutely lovely like all other recipes here and my whole family enjoys them!
Most excellent! I came here specifically for the fajita seasoning, but the entire recipe is spot on. I appreciate that you state to season the breasts, cook them, *then* slice them. That’s the way Mexican restaurants here in Texas do it. I don’t really get cutting into strips before cooking.
Also want to mention that this is a gorgeous and easy-to-read site on mobile. Soooo many recipe sites are frustratingly hard to read because of all the flipping ads and social shares covering up the viewport (like JoCooks, for example). Not a good way to check your progress during prep and cooking! Makes me want to run far away.
Kudos on all of it. I will most definitely be coming back for more!
Thrilled to hear you’re loving this chicken fajitas recipe Terry! Thanks for leaving a review as well and can’t wait to see what you make next :)
My family loves it and have requested this more often. I’ve even used the same seasoni g on steak and it came out great. Only thing I added was onion powder (same ratio as garlic) ❤️❤️❤️
I have never written a review for a recipe before, but I had to for this one.
This is the most AMAZING fajita recipe! The seasoning is delicious. The ratio of chicken to veggies is perfect.
I would eat this instead of restaurant fajitas any day…it is that good!
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
I tried and loved your Chicken Fajitas. The dry rub you created was PERFECT. I have tried over a dozen dry rubs for various foods (chicken, pork ribs, pork chops and beef ribs) and they were NOT a flavorful as yours was.
I did make one adjustment though. I put the chicken breasts in a bowl and covered them up. While I was frying the bell peppers and the onion, I started to slice the chicken breasts. I noticed that I had accumulated about a 1/4 cup of juices from the chicken breasts. I did not want to waste it so I added the juices to the veggies and the combination of the dry rub, the veggies and the chicken breasts was FANTASTIC. I will definitely make them again. Now if I can only figure out what other meats/pountry that I could use your dry rub I would be extremely. Any suggestions? Again, great reciple.
Glad you enjoyed this chicken fajitas recipe! You could also use this dry rub over beef or pork :)
Loved the recipe, didn’t have oregano, used Italian seasoning and it was wonderful. Even my picky eater loved it.
Usually when I select a recipe, I Google it and pick the one that has the best review to comment ratio. I check out a few different ones and either take bits and pieces and combine them or choose the one I think will taste best.
For this recipe I didn’t go through that process and just went into it with hopes that I wouldn’t be disappointed. It was AMAZING and EASY. I got my all my ingredients from Aldi for under $20, including rice, and there was alot of leftovers.
I will be saving this recipe and next time I will try it out with different things (boneless skinless thighs, cilantro, etc) like others suggested in their comments to “make it my own” so to speak.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Thanks so much for leaving a review Emily! Glad you enjoyed this chicken fajitas recipe :)
This was easy and tasted fantastic I would highly recommend this to everyone.
This was delightful. I did salt a bit more post-cook (idk man my tastebuds 😂) but loved it loved it.
hello, this recipe looks easy and tasty and was interested in trying this out for our upcoming camping trip. i was thinking of pre-seasoning the chicken ahead in a ziplock bag and have them ready to cook or do you you think i should bring seasoning mix and season just before cooking? Thanks!
Hi Joe – yes, you can definitely season the chicken ahead of time. Have fun camping!
Very good, but not quite spicy enough for my taste. Will try with smoked paprika next time. Also had to double recipe for two large chicken breasts. I’m a visual learner, so loved being able to watch the video…thanks!
This is way better than buying any over the counter seasoning packet. I’d give this 10 stars if I could.
This dish has been a huge hit with my family. Unfortunately we have to omit the garlic powder due as I’m garlic intolerant, but it still tastes fantastic.
Easy, fast and super delicious. A combination not often acquired.
OMG best chicken fajita marinade/recipe! So full of flavor! My go to every time!
Glad you love this chicken fajitas recipe Melanie!
All sorts of delicious and SUPER easy to throw together for a weeknight. Loved the seasoning mix. I did cut my chicken into strips first and tossed with the seasoning. I also saved a little of the seasoning mix to toss with the peppers and onions. Served with flour tortillas, guac and sour cream. Excited to have some leftover for lunch. Will definitely be making again!
The seasoning was delicious and the meal turned out way better than any other fajita recipe I have used before. This is now my go to fajita recipe. Easy and delicious. Thank you.
I had 2 large chicken breasts and had to double the coating recipe. Delicious
Yes, I also found that the recipe needed to be doubled for two large chicken breasts!
While cleaning/organizing my freezer earlier today, I unearthed some chicken tenders. I also had a half a bell pepper and some onion left over from the previous night’s black bean burgers. Fajitas was the first thing that popped into my head and of course Downshiftology was the first place I looked for a recipe. I had to scale it down, but it was delicious. Next time I’ll definitely be making a full batch. You never let me down, Lisa! Thanks for yet another keeper.
Very good and easy to make.
I want so much to try this recipe. However, when I try to print it, the image is a box so small on the page that I can’t read it. I can’t figure out how to fix this. Too bad.
Oh no! Can you let me know which image you are referring to? You can also choose to remove the images with the little camera toggle button if they are taking up too much space.
These were so yummy! I made them tonight. Super simple and quick! Definitely will be a favorite in my house!!!
Made this for dinner last night! Amazing! 100% going to make it again!
This is by far the best chicken fajita dish i have ever made. DEIICIOUS!!!! Stick to the recipe as written, you wont be disappointed,
Thrilled to hear you’re loving this chicken fajitas recipe David!
I needed something fast with 3 chicken breasts and decided on fajitas. This seemed easiest so I gave itago. My family LOVED IT!!
‘Best fajitas I ever made- said everyone.
Happy to hear everyone enjoyed these chicken fajitas Michelle!
I personally like reducing the amount of bell peppers and adding black beans to the pan. It increases the amount of protein, and you can never go wrong with legumes!!
A big like to this recipe!!! First time cooking chicken fajitas and loved it! Thank you 🙏
So glad you’re loving this chicken fajitas recipe Anna!
Excellent recipe and spices. I grilled my chicken instead of cooking it in the pan. Grilled chicken is always better.
My husband and I just make chicken fajitas using this recipe. This is SO much better than the packaged mix! DELICIOUS!
Thank you for sharing it.
How many pounds of chicken breast is this recipe for?
Each chicken breast is about 6oz, so a total of 18oz.
Tonight I will be making this for my second time. This recipe is delicious and super easy. Thank you for sharing.
Glad you’re loving this chicken fajitas recipe Jill!
I loved your video. Short and sweet without a lot of “cute talk”. Making it for dinner tonight.
Great seasoning combination! I used pre-sliced chicken breast, and it worked really well.
Delicious!! Love the spice combo. Didn’t have lime but it still tastes great with sour cream and salsa. Will make again!
Very easy to make! Excellent balance of flavors!