If you are just starting to discover the world of Mexican cuisine, this chicken fajitas recipe is for you.
The smoky flavor of chicken fajitas might seem hard to replicate if you want to reach that exact Tex-Mex restaurant version, but the dish is actually super easy to make at home just by using plain skillets.
Are Chicken Fajitas Healthy?
Our chicken fajitas recipe is healthy since it contains several nutritious ingredients, including avocado and onions.
Creamy and tasty, avocado is a great source of vitamins C and K, potassium, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Onions, whether red, yellow, or white, are loaded with benefits. These vegetables are an excellent source of vitamin C, iron, and folate. Far from making us cry, onions can support your skin and hair health.
1. Calories
There are 503 calories in this chicken fajitas recipe. You can have this dish with some salad or soup to reach about 750 calories, which is our recommended daily intake for dinner.
2. Carbs
Each serving of this chicken fajitas recipe contains 47 grams of carbohydrates which takes up 16 percent of the total carbs that you should consume daily.
Ingredients for Chicken Fajitas
1. Chicken
For this fajitas recipe, chicken gets marinated in a special sauce of salt, pepper, chilli, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and garlic powder. Then it is seared for an appealing crisp outer edge while still juicy on the inside.
A small tip is that you should cook the chicken before the onions and peppers, then remove it from the skillet. The chicken will be added back to the skillet only when the vegetables are cooked through and softened. This helps to avoid over cooking your chicken, and also adds more flavor to the vegetables.
2. Onions
This veg has a strong smell and flavor in the raw form, but with a little heat, it turns out sweet and tasty.
Any type of onion: red, white, or yellow, can work well in this recipe.
3. Bell Pepper
You can use bell peppers of all kinds from red, orange, green, and yellow. This colorful vegetable adds an extra crunchiness and a touch of natural sweetness to your fajitas.
4. Avocado
The flavor of chicken and vegetables is upgraded with creamy avocado. And there is a small twist here: you can grill the avocado for an interesting smoky flavor.
How to Make Chicken Fajitas on the Stove
How to Cut Chicken for Fajitas
Pounding the chicken breasts properly to tenderize is one thing (approximately to an even ½ inch of thickness), but keeping your chicken tender actually takes more than just careful prepping.
For any kind of meat anywhere, there is always some juice built up inside during cooking. This juice will need some time to redistribute back throughout the meat post-cook.
So, if you wish your meat to be juicy and tender enough, then remember to never cut it up to serve right away, since its moisture will leak out and leave you with a dry roast.
Besides, the meat will continue to cook a little after being taken out of the skillet. Its internal temperature will still continue to rise for a couple of minutes even when removed from the heat source. So that’s why it’s crucial to take your chicken out of the skillet a little bit earlier than it’s supposed to be.
When your chicken has cooled down completely, you should cut across the grain, which helps to make the meat more tender. Sometimes, the grain is not straight, so you might have to change direction several times during this step.
For more chicken recipe ideas, have a look at our delicious chicken roundup or top healthy chicken thigh recipes.
How to Season Chicken
The seasoning for chicken fajitas contains some herbs, paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper and chilli powder. All you need to do is stir them all together, then season the chicken with it and cook together with the veggies on the pan.
You get to completely control what goes into your spice mix. For example, you could ditch pepper or paprika if you’re a bit more sensitive to heat. Then switch it with other natural herb powders like cumin, dill or oregano to achieve the desired pungent flavor and astringent mouthfeel.
Here’s one final fact: this fajita seasoning is not only adaptable for this chicken fajitas recipe alone, but is actually fitting for any tacos, soups, stews or burritos.
Marinade for Chicken Fajitas
Our marinade for this chicken fajitas recipe is a mixture of chili powder, cumin powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. This is a simple yet flavorful marinade that everyone can make at home.
Let your chicken sit in the seasoning mixture for a minimum of 15 minutes. This rest is literally the best way your meat can obtain its maximum flavor.
Larger meat pieces like standing ribs, butt roasts or whole turkeys will need a longer rest, while it’ll be shorter for smaller ones like tournedos of veal paillards.
To speed up the process, you can season and marinate the chicken the night before, so it’s ready to go when it’s time to make dinner.
What Goes with Chicken Fajitas Recipe
We love this chicken fajitas recipe not only because it is hearty, tasty, and healthy but also because it’s easy to make and customizable. You can swap any main ingredients out and use your favorites.
1. Mushroom
If you want to make classic fajitas into a vegetarian version, mushroom is all you need to have. Mushrooms offer a great meaty textured substitute for chicken or beef, and the result is still amazing.
2. Cheese
You can top fajitas with any cheese that your heart desires. Shredded cheese strips, dollops of sour cream or even gobs of salsa fresca go fantastically well with this dish.
3. Broccoli
These Mexican wraps are so versatile that you can use almost any type of vegetables in the filling. We sometimes have broccoli along with onions and bell peppers.
Besides adding a vibrant green color to the dish, broccoli complements the chicken and helps give the fajitas extra freshness.
What to Serve with Chicken Fajitas
Fajitas are a simple recipe to make which can save you from a bustling weeknight dinner.
A basic chicken fajitas recipe calls for sauteed onions, bell peppers, and chicken breast. You can serve them with various carb dense ingredients.
1. Rice
Since fajitas contain meat and vegetables, you can have it with rice which gives you a comforting and filling meal.
2. Pasta
A bed of pasta covered in chicken fajitas sounds amazing and tasty! A plate of pasta and fajitas gives you enough energy until the next meal and is a delicious dinner idea that you will love.
3. Flour Tortilla
Tortillas are no stranger to many people since they always appear with chicken fajitas. With the mixture of savory chicken, charred onion, bell pepper, and creamy avocado as the filling, a tortilla wrap is the perfect accompaniment.
For those who are on a low-carb diet, choose a corn tortilla to pair with your chicken fajitas as we did with our Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas Recipe.
We recommend serving this chicken fajitas recipe with tortilla soup on the side for a hearty nutritious meal. Here are the nutrition facts for the whole meal:
If you are looking for some healthy chicken recipes, our stuffed chicken breast or healthy baked chicken breast are great options.
Chicken Fajitas Recipe
Packed with fresh greens, these Chicken Fajitas are tender, crisp and can totally be prepped ahead of time, allowing you to have dinner ready in no more than 25 minutes! Minimal time and little effort but delicious results!
- cook TIME 20 mins
- prep TIME 5 mins
- total TIME 25 mins
- COURSE Main Course
- CUISINE Mexican
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 503 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tspchili powder
- 1 tspcumin powder
- 1 tsppaprika
- 0.3 tspcayenne pepper
- 0.3 tspgarlic powder
- 0.3 tspsalt
- 1 tspground black pepper
- 2 tbsplime juice
- 3 tbspolive oil
- 16 ozskinless boneless chicken breast
- 7 ozbell pepper (2 medium, sliced)
- 7 ozonion (2 medium, thinly sliced)
- 3 ozavocado (1/2 medium, thinly sliced)
- 6 flour tortillas
INSTRUCTIONS
In a plate, add chili powder, cumin powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix together.
In this plate, season chicken with the spice mixture, about 2 teaspoons. Let marinate for 15 minutes.
Heat a cast iron pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Sear the chicken on both sides until golden, charred and cooked through (about 6-8 minutes on each side).
Transfer the chicken to a plate, and slice into strips.
Heat the pan with olive oil, add bell peppers and onions. Stir-fry until the veggies are tender. Season with the spice blend and lime juice.
Warm tortillas in the oven on low heat (285°F) for 3 minutes. Remove.
Fill the warm tortillas with the chicken, avocado and veggie mixture above. Add more of your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
Nutrition Reviewer