Chicken Fajitas
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Smoky grilled chicken, sizzling peppers and onions, and all the classic accompaniments—whip up chicken fajitas at home that rival those from your favorite Tex-Mex restaurant!
Chicken fajitas are a popular Tex-Mex dish with flavorful chicken strips served with sautéed onions and bell peppers. The chicken is marinated in a mix of warm spices, lime, and garlic, which helps tenderize the meat and boost flavor. Served with warm flour tortillas and toppings like guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and shredded cheese, fajitas are always a hit.
In restaurants, fajitas are often served on a sizzling cast iron plate for added flair. While it might be tricky to replicate that sizzling experience at home, my version is just as tasty, if not better! These fajitas are flavorful, customizable, and easy to prepare, making them perfect for weeknight dinners or casual get-togethers. Plus, leftovers are great in salads, tacos, burritos, and more.
“Amazing! These are by far the best fajitas! I may or may not have licked the plate”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Fajitas
- Chicken: You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins for this recipe. If using breasts, they need to be pounded to an even thickness before marinating. Tenderloins do not require pounding, making them a a great time-saver.
- Vegetable oil: The base for the marinade. Also used to cook the peppers.
- Garlic: Adds a pungent, aromatic flavor to the marinade.
- Lime zest: Provides a bright, citrusy flavor to the dish without the risk of toughening the chicken, as lime juice would.
- Cumin, oregano, ancho chile powder, smoked paprika: This blend of spices adds warmth, earthiness, and a smoky flavor to the fajitas. Skip the fajita seasoning packet from the supermarket—it contains additives and isn’t nearly as tasty as what you can pull together quickly at home. If you’d like to add a little heat, include a generous pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Soft flour tortillas: The wrap for the fajitas.
- Red Onion & Bell Peppers: This classic fajita duo provide sweetness and crunch, adding a fresh, vibrant element to the fajitas. If you’re a spicy food lover, try substituting some of the bell peppers for jalapeño peppers.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
First, pound the chicken breasts to an even 1/2-inch thickness. This helps tenderize the chicken and makes sure it cooks evenly. (If you’re using chicken tenderloins, you can skip this step.)
Next, make the marinade by combining the oil, garlic, lime zest, ancho chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and salt right in a Ziplock bag (no dirty bowls!). Note that I don’t use lime juice in the marinade. I find that acidic ingredients alter the texture of boneless skinless chicken breasts, making them tough and leathery. The zest of the lime imparts lime flavor without changing the texture of the meat.
Mash all of the ingredients together, then add the chicken to the marinade and place in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight—the longer you marinate, the more flavor your fajitas will have.
When you’re ready to grill, heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and onions.
Cook over medium-high heat until the vegetables start to brown. Add a splash of water to deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown bits, and keep cooking until the veggies are caramelized and tender-crisp. (This veggie mixture can be prepared up to 3 days ahead of time and reheated in the microwave.)
When you’re ready to serve the fajitas, preheat the grill. Grill the chicken, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and slice into strips. Arrange the chicken and peppers on a platter and set out with all the fixins, like guacamole, salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream and cilantro. Be sure to warm your tortillas before serving; warming helps to make the tortillas softer and more pliable, and it also enhances their flavor.
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Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1½ to 1¾ pounds chicken tenderloins or boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon lime zest, from 2 limes
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¾ teaspoon oregano
- ¾ teaspoon ancho chile powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8-12 small soft flour tortillas
For the Peppers
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large red onion, sliced ¼" thick
- 2 bell peppers, sliced ¼" thick
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Optional Accompaniments For Serving
- Sour cream
- Guacamole, store bought or homemade
- Salsa, store bought or homemade
- Shredded cheese
- Chopped cilantro
Instructions
- (Skip this step if using chicken tenderloins.) One at a time, place the chicken breasts in a sealable plastic bag and, using a meat mallet, pound to an even ½-inch thickness.
- Open a 1 gallon zip-lock bag and place in a medium bowl. Add the oil, garlic, lime zest, cumin, oregano, ancho chili powder, smoked paprika and salt into the bag. Mash the outside of the bag with your hands to blend the marinade together. Add the tenderloins or pounded chicken breasts and seal shut, releasing any air in the bag. Using your hands, massage the marinade into meat until evenly coated. Place the bag back in the bowl and place in the refrigerator (the bowl protects against leakage); let the chicken marinate at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Clean the grill and preheat to high.
- While the grill heats, cook the peppers. Heat the oil in a large skillet (preferably not non-stick) over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onions, peppers, salt, and sugar; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to brown and a brown film forms around edges of the bottom of the pan, 8 to 10 minutes. Add ¼ cup of water to the pan; scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits. Continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes, until the water is evaporated and the pan starts to brown again; add ¼ cup more water and cook a few minutes more, until the vegetables are tender-crisp. Season to taste with more salt and sugar if necessary. Set aside.
- Oil the grates on the grill. Grill the chicken, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Do not overcook. Let the chicken cool slightly, then transfer to a cutting board and cut into ½-inch strips.
- Arrange the chicken and peppers on a serving platter. To warm the tortillas: stack 4 to 6 tortillas on a plate and cover them with a damp paper towel, then microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Serve with the chicken, peppers and optional accompaniments.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The onion and pepper mixture can be made 3 days ahead of time and reheated in the microwave.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 fajita (not including optional accompaniments)
- Calories: 243
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Sugar: 3g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 15g
- Sodium: 567mg
- Cholesterol: 36mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Great marinade! A keeper for sure. Haven’t made chicken fajitas in years and wasn’t super happy with my old marinade; this was perfect. I did add about a tablespoon of fresh lime juice (did not have enough zest) but it turned out fine. Used chicken tenderloins and they were tender and juicy. Usually don’t use red onion in fajitas, but I did this time and the flavor was really good. Husband sauteed the vegs while I did the chicken on the grill – timing was perfect.
The fajitas were excellent. Don’t hesitate to make this; you will be thankful you did. We LOVED them. Very easy to make with ingredients I have in my spice cabinet including the ancho chili. I used chicken breast that I pounded to make a uniform thickness. I forgot about the marinaded chicken in my fridge for three days- not a problem at all. It grilled up beautifully tender and tasty. Another keeper recipe!
Can I ask what brand of tortillas you use? Thanks!
Hannah
Hi Hannah, I like Mission brand.
Absolutely fantastic. These are such a hit in our house.
Delicious! I only marinated for 2 hours and still the flavor was great, not too spicy but definitely had a kick. I also used a grill pan on top of the stove. I will certainly make this again and add this to the many recipes I enjoy from Once Upon a Chef. Thank you Jenn!
Could I add liquid smoke to the marinade here? Thoughts?
Thank you!
Sure, Andrew – I think that would be delicious.
Think this would work in an air fryer? I usually make fajitas with thin sliced chicken breast then slice after cooking.
Hi Ali, I don’t own an air fryer so unfortunately, I can’t tell you confidently whether or not this would work in one. If you want to do a little digging, there are a number of articles online about how to convert many recipes to air fryer versions. I know both Taste of Home and Food Network have them. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Excellent! Another successful recipe from Once Upon a Chef.
Thank you.