Have you ever seen some ripping hot sizzling Skillet Chicken Fajitas walk by your table at a restaurant and feel that immediate sense of envy? Pine no more! This criminally simple meal is all yours any day of the week in the comfort of your own home.
I mean, seriously. Who doesn’t love fajitas?! We always have a stock-pile of chicken and tortillas ready to go for nights we need an easy dinner. I swear the chopping takes longer than the actual cooking process. Especially when the chicken goes into the pan already sliced, it’ll be cooked up in a matter of minutes.
Not only is this recipe time-friendly and super easy, it’s so much fun to serve! Grab whatever toppings you have in the fridge and set up a build-it-yourself station or fill the dinner table with all the options. Your family will be so excited for a special dinner, and you will barely have to exhaust any effort. The perfect plan.
Ingredients
Click “Jump to the Recipe” at the top of the page or keep on scrolling down to the recipe card for ingredient amounts and the full recipe instructions. Below I have substitutes, extra detail, FAQ, and tips.
- Chicken – I used chicken breast. You can use thighs instead or a mixture of the two. It’s best to use skinless and boneless chicken for fajitas!
- Lime juice – Freshly squeezed or from a bottle.
- Cilantro – Freshly chopped. Dried cilantro won’t be quite the same for this recipe.
- Garlic – As much or little as you like! You can use garlic powder instead of fresh if needed.
- Spices – Cumin, chili powder, and oregano. Fajitas are, traditionally, super simple and get most of their bright flavor from the fresh ingredients. If you want to add more spices, you can try cayenne, smoked paprika, onion powder, and/or garlic powder.
- Olive oil – For sautéeing. Other oils such as vegetable, coconut, canola, safflower, sunflower, avocado, and grapeseed would work instead.
- Salt & pepper – Season to taste.
- Bell peppers – Any color(s) you like! I love a variety of color in my fajitas.
- Onion – White or yellow will work best, but red will be great if that’s what you have on hand.
How to make skillet chicken fajitas
- Marinate: Add the chicken breast, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, cumin, oregano, 1/2 tsp of the chili powder, and a pinch of each salt and pepper to a bowl. Stir to mix everything well, then cover with plastic wrap or bees wrap and let it marinate for 20-30 minutes in the fridge.
- Sauté chicken: Heat the olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the chicken, and spread it out evenly over the surface of the skillet. Let the chicken sit, without stirring, until it browns. 1-2 minutes. Toss the pieces and let them sit 1-2 more times until completely cooked through.
- Sauté veggies: Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. Add the bell peppers and onion to the skillet along with the remaining chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes tossing occasionally, until tender-crisp with browned edges.
- Finish: Add the chicken back to the skillet. You can toss everything together, or keep the veggies and chicken separated in the skillet to serve.
FAQ
Some fajita recipes will marinate and cook the chicken breasts whole before slicing and serving. It’s up to you! I prefer slicing before-hand to have more surface area to allow that chicken to soak up as much marinade as possible.
This simple marinade will compliment not just chicken but beef, pork, and even seafood such as shrimp or white fish. Keep in mind that if you use a different type of meat, the cooking time will change.
Absolutely! You can marinate this chicken up to a whopping 2 days before you cook it. The lime juice will cause the outside of the chicken to turn a bit white, but don’t worry at all. This is just from acidity and does no harm.
I served these with homemade guacamole, tortillas dry-toasted on a hot skillet, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and hot sauce. You can try some pico de gallo, sour cream, fresh or pickled jalapeños, salsa, green onion, cheese, lettuce; the list goes on! You can even serve your fajitas in a bowl over steamed rice.
Tips for making perfect chicken fajitas
- Chop the peppers and onion while the chicken marinates to save yourself some time.
- Fajitas are best enjoyed fresh. If you want to save some time to prep ahead, you can prepare the chicken and the marinade, and chop the veggies. Then you can simply dump everything into the skillet when you’re ready to cook.
- Keep your stirring at a minimum. You want to build up some nice color and char on both the chicken and veggies! If you’re constantly stirring them, it won’t happen.
- It’s so important to cook the veggies on high heat. That way, you’ll get some nice color without the bell peppers getting too soft and losing that perfect tender-crisp bite.
- Toast your tortillas! Seriously. It’s life-changing. Rather than toasting them in the oven where they can dry out and lose their flexibility, toast them on a dry skillet over medium-high to high heat. 10-15 seconds per side should do the trick.
How to store leftover chicken fajitas
Transfer your leftovers to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can reheat in the microwave, you use the oven for optimal crispiness. Place your chicken and veggies on a sheet pan and cover with foil. Bake at 325F for 5-10 minutes, until slightly warmed, then remove the foil and cook for another 5 minutes until hot.
Looking for more easy, delicious dinners like this?
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Skillet Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast skinless and boneless, sliced into strips
- 2 tbsp lime juice from 1 lime
- 1 tbsp cilantro fresh, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp oregano dried
- 1/2 tsp cumin ground
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper or to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 large bell peppers any color(s) you like, sliced into strips
- 1 medium onion sliced into strips
Instructions
- Add the chicken breast, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, cumin, oregano, 1/2 tsp of the chili powder, and a pinch of each salt and pepper to a bowl. Stir to mix everything well, then cover with plastic wrap or bees wrap and let it marinate for 20-30 minutes in the fridge.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the chicken, and spread it out evenly over the surface of the skillet. Let the chicken sit, without stirring, until it browns. 1-2 minutes. Toss the pieces and let them sit 1-2 more times, until completely cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. Add the bell peppers and onion to the skillet along with the remaining chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes tossing occasionally, until tender-crisp with browned edges.
- Add the chicken back to the skillet. You can toss everything together, or keep the veggies and chicken separated in the skillet to serve.
BLOB
BLOB?!
Great meal
Thank you! 🙂
The fajitas! The cumin gives it a unique touch, just wonderful as usual!
One of my FAVE spices! Thank you 🙂