Chicken Fajitas Recipe

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.

Is Our 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.

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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.

Main Ingredients

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.

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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

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.

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What to Serve with

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.

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More Delicious Chicken Ideas

Do you enjoy robust flavors? Have a look at our grilled chicken thigh, Thai-style. The glossy, red-ish skin takes on its color from chili powder and sriracha, and tastes salty, sweet, and spicy. It’s served with cooked rice, a side of salad to ease the robust flavors, and sprinkled with some nuts and crispy garlic.

This cheesy, rich skillet of chicken breasts, on the other hand, has a strong savory taste. Everything is perfectly done, from the searing of the chicken, crispiness of the bacon, to the seasonings. That rich sauce is drizzled onto a fresh batch of potato mash and poached green beans, tying the whole meal together nicely.

For more chicken recipe ideas, have a look at our delicious healthy chicken thigh recipes.

Chicken Fajitas Recipe

5 from 2 votes

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!

- by Tuyet Pham, Luna Regina, 2019-11-12

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• cook TIME 20 mins
• prep TIME 5 mins
• total TIME 25 mins

• COURSE Main Course
• CUISINE Mexican
• SERVINGS
  4

  servings
• CALORIES 503 kcal

Chicken Fajitas Recipe

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INGREDIENTS

1x2x3x

• 16 oz skinless boneless chicken breast
• 6 flour tortillas
• 7 oz onion (2 medium, thinly sliced)
• 7 oz bell pepper (2 medium, sliced)
• 3 oz avocado (1/2 medium, thinly sliced)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil (divided into 2 tbsp and 1 tbsp)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp lime juice

INSTRUCTIONS

Image instructions

1

In a plate, add 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 tsp black pepper. Mix together.

2

In this plate, season 16 oz chicken with the spice mixture, about 2 teaspoons. Let marinate for 15 minutes.

3

Heat a cast iron pan with 2 tbsp 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).

4

Transfer the chicken to a plate, and slice into strips.

5

Heat the pan with 1 tbsp olive oil, add 7 oz bell peppers and 7 oz onions. Stir-fry until the veggies are tender. Season with the spice blend and 2 tbsp lime juice.

6

Warm 6 tortillas in the oven on low heat (275°F) for 3 minutes. Remove.

7

Fill the warm tortillas with the chicken, 7 oz avocado and veggie mixture above. Add more of your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

NUTRITION

Nutrition Facts

Chicken Fajitas Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 503Calories from Fat 189

% Daily Value*

Fat 21g

32%

Saturated Fat 2g

13%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3g

Monounsaturated Fat 13g

Cholesterol 83mg

28%

Sodium 538mg

23%

Potassium 754mg

22%

Carbohydrate 47g

16%

Fiber 4g

17%

Sugar 5g

6%

Protein 32g

64%

Vitamin A 2119IU

42%

Vitamin C 72mg

87%

Calcium 32mg

3%

Iron 2mg

11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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