If you want to know what I really eat during the week (besides salami, this sauce, and so much of this) today’s recipe is it – the BEST Chicken Fajitas!
For years I didn’t “get” fajitas. Go all the way to a restaurant so I can assemble my own food? No thanks. Furthermore they’re filled with bell peppers which, up until last year, I couldn’t even look at in the grocery store. Thankfully, I’ve seen the light (and the fact that you can order your own fajita skillets on Amazon – can you even handle it?!) and have been making the best chicken fajitas weekly for the past 6+ months.
My journey to loving fajitas is not an interesting one so I’ll spare you the details (the CliffsNotes version is that I once tried Ben’s at our favorite Mexican restaurant and loved them. Ha!) Anyway, that was about 2 years ago and its been all fajitas, all the time since then. How much do you love hearing and smelling those sizzling platters before they even arrive at your table?
The first time I attempted to whip them up at home though, was a different story. It was actually a disaster! After mixing up a chili powder-heavy marinade then searing everything over high heat, the marinade burned and the resulting dish tasted nothing like the fajitas I was used to seeing arrive sizzling-hot at our go-to restaurant. I went back to the drawing board (or rather, Ben and his talented palate made their best guess as to what made our restaurant’s version so delicious,) and the recipe I’m sharing today is spot. ON!!
Tips for Making The Best Chicken Fajitas:
- No marinade needed. You DON’T need a marinade to make restaurant-style chicken fajitas! All you need to season the chicken and vegetables with is Homemade Seasoned Salt, cumin, fresh lemon juice (the key ingredient) and smoked paprika, which is optional.
- What to serve with them. Fajitas are typically served with flour tortillas, but since they aren’t gluten free, I eat mine with a side of Mexican Rice and a mountain of Lazy Girl’s Guacamole (mash 1 avocado with a squeeze of lime juice plus Homemade Seasoned Salt.) Pico de Gallo, sour cream, and shredded lettuce are also great to serve with fajitas.
- Cooking tips. Use high heat and don’t overcrowd the pan when searing the chicken and vegetables, which will result in steamed vs seared ingredients. Work in batches and make sure the oil is super hot before cooking each batch.
- Cast iron is best. A large, cast iron pan is preferred for optimal searing and browning. Here’s the one I recommend >
- Meal prep. To save time, you can chop all the vegetables and/or chicken one or two days ahead of time. This is a great weekend meal prep meal.
A margarita is also highly recommended. ;) Alright, let’s get cooking!
How to Make This Recipe:
Start by chopping up all the vegetables. You’ll need 2 bell peppers, any color, 1 sweet onion, and 8oz mushrooms, all sliced thin. Tomatoes are usually included in my favorite restaurant’s fajitas, but I swapped them for mushrooms because tomatoes can easily turn to mush when seared at such high heat, and because, mushrooms. Yum!
Next, thinly slice 1lb chicken breasts. I usually slice each chicken breast in half width wise then thinly slice each half. If you’re slicing ahead of time, cover and refrigerate the chicken, but if you’re ready to start cooking, season with homemade seasoned salt, a dash of cumin, and a dash of smoked paprika then mix to coat.
Time to get cooking! In a very large, preferably cast iron skillet heat 1-1/2 Tablespoons high heat cooking oil until it just starts to smoke. I used almond oil but you could use grapeseed or vegetable oil – whatever you have on hand. Add 1/3 of the vegetables then season with homemade seasoned salt, a dash of cumin, and a drizzle of fresh lemon juice. This combination is fresh, lively, and CRAZY DELICIOUS!!!
Let the vegetables sit in the skillet until the bottoms have seared, then mix and continue to saute until they’re crisp-tender, and then remove to a plate. Continue with the other 2/3 of the vegetables, searing them in oil and seasoning with the seasoned salt, cumin, and lemon juice.
Last step is to heat 1-1/2 Tablespoons oil in the skillet then add the seasoned chicken. Add a drizzle of lemon juice then saute until the chicken is just cooked through, 3-4 minutes.
Add all the vegetables back into the skillet to heat through, then the fajitas are done! So easy, right?
Scoop the chicken and vegetables onto plates then serve with rice, a mountain of fresh guacamole, and/or tortillas, and then dig in. I hope you love these easy, yummy, best chicken fajitas ever! Enjoy!
Similar Recipes:
- Chicken Fajita Cheeseburgers
- Fajta Caesar Salad
- Vegetable Fajita Tostada Bowls
- Restaurant Style Chicken Tortilla Soup
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The BEST Chicken Fajitas
Description
The BEST Chicken Fajitas are incredibly simple with no marinating step. Just chop then sizzle. Tastes just like a restaurant's version!
Ingredients
- 1lb chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
- 2 bell peppers, any color, thinly sliced
- 1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 8oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 6 Tablespoons high-heat cooking oil (almond, grapeseed, vegetable, etc.)
- 1 lemon
- Gluten-Free Seasoned Salt (see notes for recipe)
- Cumin
- Smoked paprika (optional)
Directions
- Season chicken strips with seasoned salt and a pinch of both cumin and smoked paprika then mix and set aside. Add vegetables to a large bowl then toss with your hands to mix.
- Heat 1-1/2 Tablespoons oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat. When it begins to smoke, add a third of the vegetables then season with seasoned salt, a sprinkle of cumin, and a drizzle of fresh lemon juice (1-2 teaspoons - not too much!) Let vegetables sit undisturbed until seared on the bottom then continue to saute, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender, 3-4 minutes, turning heat down if they begin to burn. Remove vegetables to a plate. Repeat searing vegetables in two more batches, each in 1-1/2 Tablespoons oil, adding seasonings and lemon juice to each batch.
- Heat remaining 1-1/2 Tablespoons oil in skillet then add chicken, drizzle over a little lemon juice, then saute until cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Add vegetables back into skillet then toss to heat through. Divide fajita mixture between plates then serve.
Notes
- Click here for the Gluten-Free Homemade Seasoned Salt recipe >
- Chop vegetables and chicken a couple days ahead to save time.
- Serve fajitas with rice, gluten-free tortillas, and/or guacamole.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
I’ve just bookmarked this page I love it so much! Fajitas are my go-to when eating out, mainly because I don’t eat a lot of carbs. Mom (thanks mom!!!!) too me to Chili’s for fajitas and yes, they were delicious, but the oil they added was over-the-top. Food was VERY oily which I try to avoid. Who need extra calories? Ok, I have a favor to ask now. Is there any way you could look into at some point a replica of their Chicken Enchilada soup? Something with a few less calories in it? The flavor is wonderful and I wish I could make something like that at home =) Have a great weekend.
I actually bake them in the oven – mix a little cornstarch or arrowroot into the spice blend, toss everything in a 9×13 pyrex pan with a little olive or avocado oil, mix well and bake! Then I can be making and prepping all the toppings while it’s baking. SO much easier!
I sear them quickly and finish them in the oven too. It’s changed my life, it makes really really good satisfying and easy dinners in a pinch.
This looks so good! I love all the ingredients. Hey, Mission has GF tortillas. So good you cant even tell. Have wonderful weekend. Xo
I’ve never understood fajitas, either. It’s not so much the DIY part of it, but I’ve never understood why/how they are different from tacos. Maybe I’ll have to give them a try, though.
So excited about this! We rarely make fajitas at home because they never live up to the restaurant deliciousness. Excited to try this!
I am just now looking at the blog on the computer instead of off bloglovin on the app and WOW! Looks fantastic!
Can ummm I just come over for dinner? I could pretty much smell them through the screen. Sorry, not sorry. And on Sunday when Iowa punches us all in the kisser with the tropical temperature of 1, I’ll be sizzling these babies up in Urbandale :)
Yum! I love mexican food!! My husband asks me to make him homemade guacamole a few times a week!!
I’m sad that you aren’t doing your Friday Favorites posts as frequently. You have such a great style, along with your talent with food, that I nearly always found myself pinning an item you recommended in Friday Favorites.
Thank you so much, Devin! Friday Favorites go up every other week so be on the look out for the next one next Friday!
I LOVE fajitas. The cook in my house (my husband) makes them frequently, but always marinades the chicken first. I’ll see if he wants to try your recipe. Thanks!
I love making fajitas. I like assemble-your-own kinds of meals and adore Mexican food. It’s strange to think I’ve only ever made steak ones (marinated in garlic and lime juice – yum!), but these look fantastic and so easy! Totally giving them a try :)
Looks SO good! :)
I may try these soon. I just got a package of yellow/orange/red bell peppers (love the colors :))on a great sale at Aldi, have mushrooms *also from an Aldi sale :), and am about to pick up chicken. I may also try your chicken and rice soup recipe soon. I enjoy your blog. :)
Made this for dinner tonight – it was delicious. Thanks for another great recipe!
So glad to hear, Nora, thanks for the feedback!
Im with you on the bell peppers. I cook a lot for myself and friends and have used them frequently. But I have never really liked them. Finally getting to the point where I like the sweet bell peppers but the green ones are still iffy unless they are really cooked down.
I heard that a lot of Mexican restaurants put flour in their fajitas so they usually aren’t gluten free. Just an FYI. I can’t wait to make this!
Glad I am not the only one who recently discovered fajitas! :) Question, does your 2 year old eat this ok? I’ve got a 3 and 1 year old who are going through a picky phase but I refuse to be a short order cook… :(
He eats the chicken, rice, and guacamole!
[…] Chicken Fajitas […]
I made these for dinner tonight and they were such a big hit!! Everyone loved them and I seriously can’t stop thinking about how good they were. Thanks for sharing!!
AWESOME!! So glad to hear it, Alyssa! Thanks for the feedback!
made these tonight! my husband said this is one of his top 10 favorite recipes!
Yessss – so glad to hear! Thanks so much!
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I’ve tried numerous fajita recipes including another one that claims to be the “best chicken fajitas.” We’ll, let me assure you, THIS one truly is the best one you’ll find. Even better than the fajitas at our local “mom and pop” Mexican restaurant. Who would have thought you could get such incredible flavor without marinating??? So simple and quick. A new favorite I’ll be making again and again.
WOHOO!! So glad to hear! I was so glad to find that delicious fajitas don’t need to be marinated too!
Wow, so simple but sounds delicious. May toss in a few shrimp also.
I was looking up a fajita recipe because I have never made them before, and I found yours! I made them tonight and they were amazing! My husband and kids loved them too. I made the guacamole and rice as well. I thought my daughter was going to eat all the guacamole herself. The recipes were so simple yet so yummy!! Thank you!!
[…] The BEST Chicken Fajitas are incredibly simple with no marinating step. Just chop then sizzle. Tastes just like a restaurant’s version! […]
Made these last night and had the leftovers for lunch today and they were so good! I even whipped them up after grocery shopping after work. So it can be done very quickly. Thanks for all your great recipes!
I now see your husband at my work. He is probably like why do all these ladies stare at me. ;-)
Thank you so much for the feedback, Erin! I’m so glad you liked them!
making this tomorrow and love the fact that it just has a few simple ingredients. Thank for the homemade rice also.
Holy Smokes!!! Not only delicious, but OH SO easy! And lemon? Who’d a thunk it?!!
Right?! So glad you loved! :)
Would love an email option
These were amazing! Definitely deserves the title of BEST Chicken Fajitas. Wow! So delicious!
You are too kind – thank you so much for the feedback, Emilie!
I love the simplicity of this recipe. Exactly what I was looking for. I’ve seen your page before and as a fellow Iowa girl (go Hawks!) who loves cooking, I’m going to check out this blog more often from now on. I received a fajita pan randomly for Christmas so we’re going to test her out TONIGHT!
Perfect! I hope you loved it, Danielle!
This were amazing! I think it will be a weekend meal so my husband is here to help like tonight. Our fav fajitas for years were the grilled ones on Annie’s eats and we think these are better. Thank you!
So glad you loved them, Amy!! :)
Made these this week for dinner. FANTASTIC! Even my 2.5 year old ate every last bite. Making this a staple dish at my house. Thank you for sharing!
That is amazing!! Thanks so much for the great feedback, Jessica!
We made these and I’m pretty sure my husband came close to dying in ecstasy. These fajitas are beyond good! They were also quick to make which is so nice when you’re trying to get a family fed, bathed, and in bed on a week night! I’m pretty sure the husband was a little bitter that I finished off the last of the left overs on these but I’m pregnant so I told him I was feeding his unborn child. Hard to argue that point.
Bahahaha – for 9 months, you get anything you want, Mama!! So glad you guys loved it!!
Absolutely delicious!
Made these for dinner tonight…..absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!
So simple, so awesome, and even my pickiest child would eat the chicken part. (He’s a raw veggie only kid, but I figure if all I have to do is set aside a few peppers for him, I can do that.) This is a total win for the whole family. Thank you!
Your recipe is my go to when we want fajitas. It’s simple, easy and so delicious and fresh tasting. I also make the rice you show. Thank you for posting this great chicken fajita recipe.
So glad to hear it, Jane! Thanks so much for your feedback!
I have never had fajitas at a restaurant. I have made some from other recipes in the past. I adore bell peppers and onions. And chicken. And properly cooked mushrooms. So… These are, hands down, the best fajitas I’ve personally stuffed in my face. Oh. Man. I am drooling just thinking about the container I have in the fridge right now… I’ve had a spate of recipes come out weak in flavor recently, and this broke the spell for sure! Is there supposed to be a lot of oil left on the fajitas? I don’t know if that’s normal… But regardless, this reminds me, texturally and mouth feel-wise, of takeout chicken lo mein. lol The onions are very noodle-like, and I guess the feel, smell, and taste of the vegetable oil is highly reminiscent of Chinese for me. I’ve been eating my fajitas over a mix of black and brown rice, and it is amazing. Thank you so much for the recipe! Maybe I will just live off this from now on…
I am soooo glad these worked out for you!!! The fajitas I get at my favorite Mexican restaurant go heavy on the oil which I appreciate and use as a little “sauce” so feel free to reduce next time if it was too much for you. Again, so glad you loved the recipe though!
That extra oil does serve very well as a sauce to lightly coat the rice I had this on, really infusing my whole dinner with deliciousness. I made this for a second week before moving on. This is certainly something I could see myself coming back to, and it’s really made me crave rich and powerful flavors. So I’m embarking on a bit of a chili kick now.
Made these last night for my fam and they thought they were delicious! The fresh lemon made them so yummy! I did my own spice mix of cumin, paprika, pepper and cajun seasoning and was smoky and spicy. Definitely going into the dinner rotation and I’m excited to prep my veggies next time for a quicker dinner.
So glad you loved it, Cassie! Thank you so much for your feedback and star rating!
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This is the BEST fajita recipe I’ve ever made. Hands down, so much better than any of the mixes or marinades. The only thing that would make it better would be a recipe for the fajita seasoning so I can have that on hand as well as the seasoned salt. Which I do keep on hand and need to make a new batch of as it is. I have made these before and loved them, and tonight, I made them and made burrito bowls. Which my husband about died over. Thanks so much!!!!!
I’m SO glad you love this recipe as much as I do, Jennifer! Thank you so much for the recipe and star rating!!
This meal has become a welcome house staple for our family. For how quickly it can be thrown together, the flavors are flat out impressive. Everyone in our house is happy when it’s fajita night, even our picky 3-year-old!
LOVE when you can find something the whole family, including little ones, will eat! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Wow… I love Mexican food. I really like this post. Thank you so much for sharing the useful post.
Do you think these would get mushy or lose anything if I made it today and reheated in a crockpot tomorrow? I’m serving a large group.
Hi Mary! I think there’s a chance the pepper could become mushy and/or the chicken would dry out if reheated in the crock pot. I think this dish is best enjoyed fresh (though that is just a personal preference – where there’s a will there’s a way!) :)
These were so good and so easy. Anytime I have tried to make fajitas at home I have bought one of those seasoning packets and they were awful. These tasted great and I didn’t have to buy anything special. Double win! Only mad that I didn’t try them sooner.
AMAZING!!! Most flavorful fajitas we have had, and I’ve tried many recipes. I’m done looking, this is it! Fantastic.
Made this twice! So flavorful, best fajita I ever made. Thank you
So so delicious! Made it tonight and my family gobbled it up, even my typically picky nine year old! You are my go-to for quick, delicious, easy to follow dinner recipes. Thank you!