Juicy chicken, quickly marinated with a homemade fajita seasoning blend, seared and lightly charred with peppers and onions, all in the same skillet. Great in tacos, bowls, burritos, or just eaten with a fork. The perfect Tex-Mex weeknight dinner idea!
This is one of my Chicken recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
If there’s one kind of meal that will get all my family around the dinner table with smiles on their faces, it’s Mexican, or Tex-Mex.
And honestly, I’m right there with them… I could eat that 7 days a week and be perfectly happy.
One of my favorite Tex-Mex style meals is fajitas. There’s just something about them… that tantalizing smell, the sizzle, the smokiness… man, now I’m hungry!
Months back, I shared my homemade fajita seasoning, and this is a great use for it.
We love to enjoy these chicken fajitas in tortillas, in a burrito, in a bowl with cilantro lime rice, in quesadillas, and more!
How to make chicken fajitas in a skillet?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Marinate chicken. I recommend to do this about 30 minutes.
- Cook chicken. I love to use a cast iron skillet for this, since it cooks evenly and gives a great char.
- Cook peppers and onion. The chicken has to rest before slicing, so it’s a perfect time to cook the veggies.
- Slice chicken. Once sliced, add back to the skillet with the cooked veggies.
- Add lime juice. This brightens up all the flavors!
- Stir and serve. Stir everything together well and serve hot.
Helpful Tip!
The size and thickness of chicken breasts can vary greatly, so if you find that yours are quite thick, you can slice them in half. Hold your knife parallel to the cutting board and carefully slice the chicken from right to left (if you’re a righty)… opening the chicken breast up like a book. Slice all the way through, so you now have 2 thinly sliced pieces of chicken from one breast.
Variations of this recipe
- Chicken thighs – this recipe will also work well with boneless skinless chicken thighs! But know that the cooking time may change a little, and just make sure that the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Store-bought seasoning – I love using my homemade spice blend, but this recipe will also work well with an equal amount of ready-made fajita seasoning.
- Other veggies – bell peppers and onions are the traditional veggies used for fajitas. I swapped a bell pepper for a poblano in this recipe because we love the smokiness, but feel free to add any of your favorite veggies as well!
- Spicy – to increase the heat level, you can add more cayenne pepper to the fajita seasoning, or use jalapeños or serranos in the skillet instead of the bell pepper and/or poblano.
- Cheese – not traditional, but so delicious! Add a generous handful of shredded Mexican blend cheese (or your favorite) to the skillet after squeezing the lime juice over the cooked chicken and veggies and cook until melty.
FAQ’s
You can use either! Here in the Midwest, we typically use flour tortillas, but please feel free to use what you love.
I’ll tell you what we like to do, but please feel free to use whichever taco/fajita toppings you love best! We love to use sour cream, fresh cilantro, an extra squeeze of lime, some diced avocado, and a sprinkle of cheese.
Making chicken fajitas ahead of time
Make dinner even quicker and EASIER by prepping everything ahead of time.
Slice all veggies and chicken ahead of time and store them separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
You can also mix up the seasoning blend a few days in advance and store at room temperature.
I don’t recommend cooking chicken fajitas ahead of time, since during all the reheating, the chicken can get pretty overcooked.
Storage
Leftover fajitas should be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within 4-5 days.
My Favorite Cast Iron Skillet!
Cast iron skillets are my go-to for recipes like this, where a great sear is needed. The even heat distribution just can’t be beat!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
Fajita seasoning
- Homemade Fajita Seasoning (click on the ingredient for the direct link to the recipe)
Fajitas
- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 Tbsp fajita seasoning divided
- juice of 1 lime
- 3 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil divided
- 2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
- 1 medium red bell pepper seeded and sliced into thin strips
- 1 poblano pepper seeded and sliced into thin strips
- 1 large yellow onion sliced into thin strips
- juice of half a lime to squeeze over the skillet to finish
Instructions
Prepare
- If making homemade fajita seasoning (clickable link) add spices and stir to combine. If using store-bought, disregard this section.
Marinate chicken
- Add chicken breasts, 3 Tbsp of fajita seasoning, juice of 1 lime, 1 1/2 Tbsp of the vegetable oil, and minced cilantro to a large resealable plastic bag. Seal and massage mixture into the chicken. Alternately, add everything to a bowl and massage into the chicken, then cover tightly with plastic wrap. Marinate for at least 20 minutes, or up to a couple hours.
Cook chicken
- Heat a large cast iron skillet (or other heavy bottomed skillet) over MED HIGH heat with 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil. When oil is hot, add chicken and cook 6-8 minutes per side, until deep golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Transfer chicken to plate and let rest for about 5-10 minutes.
Cook vegetables
- While chicken is resting, add sliced bell pepper, sliced poblano, and sliced onion to the same skillet. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp fajita seasoning, and drizzle with a little more vegetable oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4-5 minutes, or until tender and charred at the edges.
Slice chicken
- While peppers and onions are cooking, slice chicken breast into thin strips.
Put it all together
- Slide peppers and onions over to one side of the skillet, then add the sliced chicken to the other side of the skillet.
- Squeeze half a lime over the skillet and stir to combine everything.
Serve
- Serve with lime wedges and warmed tortillas. Top with your favorite toppings, like guacamole, sour cream, minced fresh cilantro, and more!
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- Recipe prep time doesn’t include marinating time, since that exact time will vary from person to person.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Erin says
Looks so delish! Adding on our weeknight dinner rotation!
Catalina says
One of my favorite chicken dish! I love how rich this fajita is!
Sandra says
Looks like a fabulous weeknight dinner! Definitely a must try!
Beth says
Oh, yum! Now that’s what I call fajitas! I can’t wait to make these for the family. We love fajitas.
Sue says
Delicious