This easy recipe uses a homemade fajita seasoning mix that flavors lean chicken breast, onion, and a rainbow of bell peppers for chicken fajitas that are juicy, delicious, and ready to eat in just about 30 minutes.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“It was easy and delicious! I prepped during the day when I had time and when it was time to cook, dinner was ready in less than 10 minutes!” -Michelle, FoodieCrush reader
Homemade Fajitas Are One of the Easiest Weeknight Meals
Chicken fajitas are one of my favorite things to order when I go out for Mexican — right up there with enchiladas, guac, and queso.
Cooked in foil, these chicken fajita foil packet dinners are super easy to make for individual servings (and the bomb for camping), but for times when I crave that Mexican restaurant-style sizzle, this 30-minute chicken fajitas recipe is what’s getting made.
This easy recipe could be the defining all-in-one skillet dinner. With a quick marinade in a from-scratch fajita seasoning mix, the already lean chicken breast stays flavorsome and juicy as it cooks quickly before kicking it up with antioxidant-rich bell peppers and onion for a super flavorful meal.
Enjoy!
PS. I’ve got a great steak fajita recipe too!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Keep the chicken extra tender by adding 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the spice mix. When added to the dry seasoning and mixed with the wet ingredients, cornstarch helps create a slurry with the chicken juices as they cook, keeping the moisture in the meat extra juicy.
Use a cast iron or heavy bottom skillet. Cast iron skillets conduct heat the best, creating a good sear even when juices are present. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, use your heaviest-bottomed pan.
Don’t move the chicken! Wet chicken typically likes to steam more than it likes to sear, so in order to get a bronzed, caramelized coating, place the chicken in the pan then let it cook undisturbed until it’s ready to be flipped. You’ll know it’s ready when the bottom of the chicken pieces begins to turn white and the color creeps up almost halfway. Test a piece to see if the bottom is browned, then go ahead and flip the rest.
The Main Ingredients You’ll Need
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts — Or you could use chicken tenders or chicken thighs if you wanted.
- Bell peppers — Of any color including green, red, yellow, and orange. I used a rainbow.
- Onion — Fajitas work best with yellow or white onion.
- Fajita seasoning mix — Making a from-scratch fajita seasoning mix and skipping the packets at the store means you’re also skipping any additives or coloring, excess sodium, artificial sweeteners, or fillers. My homemade recipe takes less than 5 minutes to make, and since you probably have everything you need already in your pantry, why not go fully from scratch?
- Canola oil — For cooking the chicken and veggies.
- Limes — For the chicken marinade and also for serving.
- Flour tortillas — To prevent your tortillas from cracking, warm them gently in a skillet or in the microwave (wrapped in a damp paper towel) before loading on the toppings.
How to Make Chicken Fajitas in One Skillet
- Add oil and lime juice to the fajita seasoning mix to create the marinade. The acid from the lime juice along with the kosher salt tenderizes the chicken as it rests.
- Slice the chicken breasts into ¼″ thick strips and toss with the fajita marinade. Make sure the chicken is fully coated with the seasoning then rest for 15 to 30 minutes before cooking.
- Coat the vegetables with the rest of the marinade. Most recipes focus on all the ways you can make the chicken super flavorful and neglect to properly season the fajita vegetables, too. I use the same marinade for both the chicken and veggies so the entire dish is full of Mexican flavor.
- Cook the chicken and vegetables separately. I like my chicken fully cooked and my vegetables with some snap, so cooking them in batches separate from one another ensures I get the best of both worlds.
- Add the veggies back to the pan for all of the flavors to marry and mingle. Like a great pasta and sauce, bringing these two batches together is where the magic happens.
- Warm your tortillas to prevent cracking, then load up your fajitas. If you’re a fajita purist, scoop the chicken and vegetables into your tortilla and enjoy as is. Or, you can trash up your fajitas with melty cheese and lots of toppings, like yours truly.
What to Serve with Chicken Fajitas
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
The BEST Chicken Fajitas Recipe
Ingredients
Fajita Seasoning Mix
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Chicken Fajitas
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 batch fajita seasoning mix (recipe above)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil , divided
- 2-3 limes
- ½ green bell pepper , cored and seeded
- ½ red bell pepper , cored and seeded
- ½ yellow bell pepper , cored and seeded
- 1 yellow onion , peeled and halved
- 12 flour tortillas
Instructions
- Make the marinade. Mix the fajita seasoning in a small bowl with the cornstarch. Add ¼ cup of the oil and the juice of 1 lime and whisk to combine. Thin the mixture with water if it's too pasty. Set aside.
- Slice and marinate the chicken. Slice the chicken breast into ¼" thick slices and place in a shallow bowl or zippered freezer bag if making ahead for meal prep. Add ⅔ of the fajita seasoning marinade and toss to coat the chicken well. Set aside.
- Season the veggies. While the chicken marinates, slice the bell peppers and onion and place in a shallow bowl or zippered freezer bag if making ahead for meal prep. Add the remaining ⅓ of the marinade and toss the vegetables until well coated. Set aside.
- Cook the vegetables. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat and add the vegetables. Cook until the onion softens and the peppers take on color, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes. Transfer to the shallow bowl.
- Cook the chicken. Heat the remaining oil in the skilled and cook the chicken undisturbed until bottom of the chicken pieces begin to turn white, the bottoms are browned, and the chicken releases its juices, about 4 minutes each side.
- Return the veggies to the pan. Add the peppers and onion back to the skillet and cook for another 2-3 minutes until everything is warmed through. Remove from the heat and give the dish a squeeze of the remaining lime.
- Serve. Serve with warm flour tortillas, pico de gallo, avocado sauce, crema, and more lime wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
Meal Prep Option
This meal is spot-on-perfect for meal prep and can be refrigerated up to 2 days before cooking.
- Mix the spice mix and marinade.
- Prep the chicken and veggies, then mix with the marinade in separate freezer bags or containers.
- Prep the condiments and dressings and keep them in the fridge.
- When ready to cook, break out the components and fixins, cook, and enjoy!
More Mexican Recipe Using Chicken
We send good emails. Subscribe to FoodieCrush and have each post plus exclusive content only for our subscribers delivered straight to your e-mail box.
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest for more FoodieCrush inspiration.
As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There are affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
Nancy
Excellent recipe. Love the seasoning, not too heavy on the cumin, great taste. I did 1/8 teaspoon, personal preference. Very good, this is a keeper and the whole family loved it.
Thank you for the comment Nancy, and happy to hear it was a hit at the table.
Michelle
It was easy and delicious! I prepped during the day when I had time and when it was time to cook, dinner was ready in less than 10 minutes! Thank you!
Glad it came together quickly and delicious!
Susannah
Delicious
Thanks Susannah and glad you enjoyed it!
Veronica Desai
hello! any chance you can bake these instead of using the skillet?
Hi Veronica, yes you could bake this in the oven. Toss the vegetables and chicken in the seasoning with a few drizzles of oil to coat well. Place on a sheet pan lined with foil and bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Enjoy!
Nancy
This marinade was delicious on both the meat and the vegetables. I will make this again. It made fabulous fajitas.
So glad you liked it Nancy. Thanks for the feedback!
Kristin
The seasoning is perfect, these were so good my husband is still raving hours after dinner
Thanks Kristin, so glad you both liked it!
Lulu
Delicious, satisfying & quick.
Great quick dinner
Thanks for the comment and stamp of approval Lulu.
Kirsten
I love fajitas. I make them all the time. I wanted a new recipe as I felt my other recipe wasn’t flavorful enough. I happened upon this one and absolutely loved it! We served with cilantro lime rice as well. This was so good and amazing!
I’m glad you enjoyed Kirsten!
Jade
I am not a huge fan of fajitas but I was looking for something fast and easy to make so I gave this recipe a try and I was very impressed with how it came out. The seasoning mix/marinade is perfect! My chicken was actually juicy and flavorful and didn’t take long to make at all! I will definitely be saving this recipe.
So glad you enjoyed Jade!
Dianne
This is the best fajita recipe ever!