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    🏠Home » Recipes » Mexican Recipes

    Easy Chicken Fajitas

    Apr 27, 2021 | Last Updated Apr 28, 2021 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.64 from 11 votes

    These easy chicken fajitas with moist and tender chicken and sauteed vegetables make a great weeknight dinner in about 30 minutes. Cook your favorite Mexican at home today.

    Close up image of a chicken fajita on a white plate

    Table of Contents
    • 🐓The Chicken
    • 🥣Homemade Marinade
    • Serving Suggestions
    • 📖Chicken Fajita Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📖Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Introduction

    We all love chicken fajitas, but now you can make this classic Mexican recipe at home from scratch. And yours will be better than the restaurants.

    The "secret" to this recipe is the marinade. Using a liquid that will penetrate slices of chicken instead of dry spices on a whole chicken breast, you get the outstanding flavor in a short time.

    Just follow the simple step-by-step photo instructions. Only a little work and almost no skill, and you have a new house favorite.

    Only a little work and almost no skill, and you have a new house favorite. Happy almost Cinco de Mayo.

    Here is the "other" restaurant favorite: Beef Steak Fajita. I knew that chicken wouldn't be far behind.

    I always go back and forth chicken or beef... beef or chicken... What to do? Your choice. But both are easy and if you care, much cheaper at home. Another candidate for house favorite recipe.

    Start with chicken, clean it, and cut up. Now marinade, cook in a heavy cast-iron skillet then do some veggies, and you are good to go.

    I wanted something that would fit ingredients that I almost always have on hand. I'll do an "inspired by" to an Allrecipe.com recipe. There are many great finds there. I kicked the spice up some and added an expanded explanation.

    My Rating

    My rating system. Great 5 out of 5

    I always love great Mexican, and this is it.

    🐓The Chicken

    Fresh chicken is preferred here. Use skinless boneless breasts or thighs. I don't recommend pre-cooked shredded chicken like a rotisserie chicken.

    I cut the chicken into strips and then broke them up during cooking. This gives a little of that shredded texture while still having chunks. Cut them into small cubes if you want, but I think the little cubes look like dog food—but they will cook and taste great.

    🥣Homemade Marinade

    The key to why this recipe is so good is the marinade.  Most home recipes are some dry spice mix from the store. It is just not acceptable after you try this.

    By slicing the chicken before seasoning, we are opening up a lot more surface area for the liquid to penetrate instead of a dry seasoning on the surface of a whole chicken breast.

    The marinade will work fairly quickly. So if the chicken goes in at the beginning, by the time you have prepped and cooked the onion and peppers, it will be excellent.

    Like many marinades, longer is better. So 2 hours will get every bit of flavor, and you can leave it longer, like overnight, if that works better for your timing.

    The ingredients of the marinade are fairly standard outside of the liquid smoke. Skip it if you want, but it adds a nice touch of smoke. If you do use it, it must be of good quality.

    Serving Suggestions

    We are all familiar with the sizzling presentation at the restaurant. Just move that skillet to the table and proceed—it will sound and smell familiar.

    Generally, fajitas are served on tortillas. You can heat fajitas in foil in an oven but I give them a light sprinkle of a few drops of water, wrap in a thin dish towel and microwave for 10-20 seconds.

    Suggested Toppings

    • Cheese - usually cheddar
    • Salsa or pico de gallo
    • Sour cream
    • Guacamole

    📖Chicken Fajita Recipes

    Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

    Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

    Grilled Chicken Fajitas in 30 Minutes

    Chicken Quesadillas

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    101's Best Recipes, Mexican Recipes
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    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    seasoning for marinade

    Start by mixing a marinade in a 1-gallon zip lock. 2 tablespoon lime juice, 4 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional), ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/ 4 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1-2 cloves of garlic crushed.

    raw chicken breasts sliced on a white board

    Clean and trim about 1 ½ pound of skinless boneless chicken breasts. This is about 2 medium large ones. Don't worry if you're a little over or under that amount. Cut the chicken into strips about ½ inch thick.

    chicken in the marinade in a bag

    Add to the marinade for about 15 minutes, but refrigerated 2 hours is a bit better. Overnight is fine, also.

    chopped onion with red and green pepper on a black board

    Put 1 teaspoon oil in a large cast-iron pan and heat over medium-high heat. While heating, slice up a large onion and one or two peppers. I like medium red and green pepper. If your pepper is large, you only need one. Mix 1 tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon lime juice, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce in a small bowl.

    cooking peppers and onions in a cast iron skillet

    When the oil is hot, add the veggies and after a few minutes add the water, soy sauce, and lime mixture. When onions are are clearing and starting to brown (about 8-9 minutes), remove from pan and set aside and cover.

    cooking chicken in the skillet

    Add a little oil to the pan. When hot, add the drained chicken and brown. Near the end of cooking, break apart the chicken with a wooden spoon. This will make much smaller pieces and prove the meat is cooked. About 8-9 minutes. Please check a few of the large pieces with an instant-read thermometer to be sure you are to 165°.

    cooked chicken with peppers and onion in cast iron skillet

    When the chicken is done, move the meat to one side and add the veggies back to the pan. Cook and stir for a minute or two until veggies are reheated.

    chicken fajita on a white plate

    Serve hot in the skillet with heated tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, and anything else you like. An easy way to heat tortillas is to sprinkle a dish towel with some water put tortillas inside and heat in a microwave.

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    📖Recipe

    Close up image of a chicken fajita on a white plate

    Easy Chicken Fajitas

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    These easy chicken fajitas with moist and tender chicken and sauteed vegetables make a great weeknight dinner in about 30 minutes. Cook your favorite Mexican at home today.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.64 from 11 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 4 servings

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts - cut into thin slices or cubes. Thighs are fine.

    Marinade

    • 2 tablespoons lime juice
    • 4 tablespoons water
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke - optional
    • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper - adjust for heat
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper
    • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
    • 1-2 cloves garlic - crushed

    Veggies

    • 1 teaspoon oil
    • 1 pepper - large or 2 medium - green or red
    • 1 onion - large
    • 1 tablespoon water
    • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
    • 1 teaspoon lime juice

    Serving

    • 4-6 flour tortillas
    • cheese - usually cheddar
    • sour cream
    • salsa
    • Guacamole

    Instructions

    • Start by mixing a marinade in a 1-gallon zip lock. 2 tablespoon lime juice, 4 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional), ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/ 4 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1-2 cloves of garlic crushed.
      seasoning for marinade
    • Clean and trim about 1 ½ pound of skinless boneless chicken breasts. This is about 2 medium-large ones. Don't worry if you're a little over or under that amount. Cut the chicken into strips about ½ inch thick.
      raw chicken breasts sliced on a white board
    • Add the chicken to the marinade while preparing vegetables. You can marinate for up to 2 hours if refrigerated or even overnight. But the short marinade will do nicely.
      chicken in the marinade in a bag
    • Put 1 teaspoon oil in a large cast-iron pan and heat over medium-high heat. While heating, slice up a large onion and one or two peppers. I like a medium red and green pepper. If your pepper is large, you only need one.
      chopped onion with red and green pepper on a black board
    • Mix 1 tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon lime juice, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce in a small bowl. When the oil is hot, add the veggies and after a few minutes add the water, soy sauce, and lime mixture. When onions are clearing and starting to brown (about 8-9 minutes), remove from pan and set aside, and cover.
      cooking peppers and onions in a cast iron skillet
    • Add a little oil to the pan. When hot, add the drained chicken and brown. Near the end of cooking, break apart the chicken with a wooden spoon. This will make much smaller pieces and prove the meat is cooked — about 8-9 minutes. Please check a few of the large pieces with an instant-read thermometer to be sure you are to 165°.
      cooking chicken in the skillet
    • When the chicken is done, move the meat to one side and add the veggies back to the pan. Cook and stir for a minute or two until veggies are reheated.
      cooked chicken with peppers and onion in cast iron skillet
    • Serve in the hot skillet with heated tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, and anything else you like. An easy way to heat tortillas is to sprinkle a dish towel with some water put tortillas inside and heat in a microwave.
      chicken fajita on a white plate
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    My Private Notes

    Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.
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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips

    1. You can use chicken breast or thighs.
    2. I prefer to use two smaller peppers so I can have a mixture of colors.
    3. Raw chicken only here. This is not a recipe for precooked chicken.
    4. Lime juice is important. The liquid smoke is not. If you use liquid smoke (I do suggest it), it must be of good quality.
    5. This has a touch of heat. Cut down the cayenne if you want.
    6. I didn't cover how to assemble your fajita. I think you know what you like if you are reading this. I did add a tip for the tortillas.
    7. Good refrigerated and reheated for up to 4 days.
    8. Nutrition is meat and veggies only. No toppings or tortillas. And only part of the marinade is included.
     
     
    Nutritional information is for chicken and veggies only.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Calories : 89.4 kcal (4%) | Carbohydrates : 3.1 g (1%) | Protein : 12.4 g (25%) | Fat : 2.9 g (4%) | Saturated Fat : 0.5 g (3%) | Trans Fat : 0.1 g | Cholesterol : 36.2 mg (12%) | Sodium : 171.1 mg (7%) | Potassium : 258.3 mg (7%) | Fiber : 0.6 g (2%) | Sugar : 1.2 g (1%) | Vitamin A : 30.3 IU (1%) | Vitamin C : 3.4 mg (4%) | Calcium : 11.2 mg (1%) | Iron : 0.3 mg (2%)
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Main Course
    Cuisine : Mexican

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Originally Published May 3, 2012. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Gail

      May 13, 2022 at 3:34 pm

      Can I use bottled lime juice?

      Reply
    2. Fran

      April 29, 2021 at 10:52 am

      Your new website is almost as good as your recipes......and that means it is great! Thank you for everything.....keep on cooking....for two of course.

      Reply
    3. Catherine

      April 28, 2021 at 10:10 am

      5 stars
      Dr Dan, this recipe sounds and looks delicious. I’ve pinned it under my Mexican food pin and will be trying it soon.
      I read every word of your text regarding the new website and not sure what you meant as the “reminder”? The site looks great and have no thoughts of unsubscribing.....your recipes are a staple here. Thanks for making them available. Catherine

      Reply
    4. Darice T

      May 05, 2020 at 6:58 pm

      I always make a mixture of chicken and steak when making Fajitas. It tastes great and there is no deciding between the two.

      Reply
    5. Ziyi

      May 07, 2019 at 3:21 am

      5 stars
      I love exploring tortilla with different fillings and this turned out to be so good! Thanks for the great recipe!

      Reply
    6. Charlene

      May 05, 2019 at 12:58 am

      5 stars
      We had these tonight for dinner and WOW fantastic! I was really curious about the lime, liquid smoke, and soy sauce together and these were amazing! Highly recommend, nice to have had the meat prepared ahead of time so dinner went together in a snap. Thanks Dr. Dan - another great recipe!

      Reply
    7. Lara

      April 29, 2019 at 10:18 am

      5 stars
      Delicious on the grill, too. Having that slightly charred taste ramps up the flavor even more, and no skillet to clean!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        May 01, 2019 at 12:42 pm

        Hi Lara,
        I agree, the grill does add something special.
        Thanks for the note and rating.
        DrDan

    8. Marsha

      October 08, 2014 at 10:09 pm

      Does the T stand for teaspoon or table spoon? Thanks

      Reply
      • DrDan

        October 08, 2014 at 10:16 pm

        T is tablespoon and t is teaspoon. I just moved the FAQ section onto the main part of the menu bar to help.
        DrDan

    9. Chris

      May 09, 2012 at 8:30 pm

      I love fajitas, probably one of my favorite meals from the grill.

      I have to have a little cumin in mine, one of the definitive flavors in the profile.

      Reply

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