If you want to know what I really eat during the week (besides cold cuts, this dish, 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? Nah. Furthermore, they’re filled with bell peppers which up until my 30s 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?!) and the best chicken fajitas are now a near weekly staple.
Just like hearing and smelling those sizzling platters before they hit your table at a restaurant — this easy chicken fajita recipe will make your mouth water!
Watch How to Make Them
No Marinade Needed
The first time I attempted to make Chicken Fajitas at home was a disaster. After mixing up a chili powder-based marinade then searing everything over high heat, the marinade burned and the resulting dish tasted nothing like the fajitas we order from our go-to Mexican restaurant.
I went back to the drawing board and the recipe I landed on is SPOT ON. Fajitas are, at their core, just grilled meat and vegetables, and a marinade covers up that craveable, smoky flavor. It’s complicating something that’s inherently simple.
That said, all you need to achieve restaurant-style chicken fajitas is a basic seasoning mix of: homemade seasoned salt, cumin, smoked paprika, and fresh lemon juice. Easy!
What to Serve Them With
Like most Tex-Mex meals, what makes fajitas even more satisfying is that they’re surrounded on a platter with goodies. Here are some ideas for garnishes and sides.
- Toppings: Sour cream, shredded lettuce, Pico de Gallo
- Creamy Pinto Beans
- Restaurant Style Salsa
- Mexican Rice
- Cuban-Style Black Beans
- Cilantro-Lime Rice
- Quick Guacamole
Serve the chicken fajitas + fixins with warmed corn tortillas, or your favorite flour-style tortillas. I like Mission Gluten Free Tortillas.
Tips for Making The Best Chicken Fajitas
Fajitas are quick cooking and straight forward. That said there’s just a few things to keep in mind when whipping them up:
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. The key to really good, flavorful fajitas is searing the meat and vegetables over high heat. That said, be certain to not overcrowd your pan so the ingredients sear vs steam. Work in batches and make sure the oil is smoking hot before cooking each batch of chicken and vegetables.
- Cast iron is best. A large, 12″+ cast iron pan is preferred for optimal searing and browning. Here’s my favorite enameled cast iron skillet, and a budget-friendly non-enameled cast iron skillet.
- Prep ahead. Because this recipe is so quick-cooking, it’s important to have all the meat and vegetables sliced and ready to go before turning on the heat. Both the chicken and vegetables can be prepped up to 5 days ahead of time.
Lastly, a margarita is also highly recommended. ;) Alright, let’s get cooking!
How to Make the Best Chicken Fajitas
Step 1: Prep the vegetables.
Start by thinly slicing bell peppers, a sweet onion, and button mushrooms. My favorite restaurant’s fajitas contain tomatoes, but I swapped them for mushrooms since tomatoes can easily turn to mush when seared over high heat.
Step 2: Slice the chicken breasts.
Next, thinly slice chicken breasts. I usually slice each chicken breast in half widthwise to create cutlets, and then thinly slice each cutlet into strips. Season the chicken strips with homemade seasoned salt, a dash of cumin, and a dash of smoked paprika then mix to coat.
Step 3: Sear the vegetables.
In a large, preferably cast iron skillet, heat high heat cooking oil like vegetable or canola oil until it begins to smoke — turn on the hood vent! 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 with tongs and continue to saute until they’re crisp-tender. Remove to a plate then sear the remaining vegetables in two batches, heating the oil first before adding them then seasoning with seasoned salt, cumin, and lemon juice.
Step 4: Sear the chicken.
Last step is to heat more oil in the skillet then add the seasoned chicken. Add a drizzle of lemon juice then saute until the chicken is cooked through, 3-4 minutes.
Step 5: Mix then serve.
Lastly, add the seared vegetables back into the skillet to heat through. That’s all she wrote — so easy, right?
Scoop the chicken and vegetables onto plates then serve with rice, a mountain of fresh guacamole, and/or tortillas, and dig in. I hope you love these easy, mouthwatering, best chicken fajitas ever!
Enjoy!
More Tex-Mex Favorites
- Steak Fajitas
- Cheese Enchiladas with Red Sauce
- Large Batch Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
- Crunchy Taco Hamburger Helper
- Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
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The BEST Chicken Fajitas
Description
The BEST Chicken Fajitas are incredibly simple — just chop then sizzle! This restaurant-style, easy chicken fajita recipe requires no marinating step.
Ingredients
- 1lb chicken breasts, sliced into cutlet, then 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 (vegetable oil, canola oil, etc.), divided
- 1 lemon, cut in half
- homemade seasoned salt (see notes)
- cumin
- smoked paprika
- Toppings: sour cream, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo
Directions
- Season the chicken strips with seasoned salt and a pinch of both cumin and smoked paprika then mix to coat and set aside. Add the vegetables to a large bowl then toss with your hands to mix.
- Heat 1-1/2 Tablespoons oil in a large, 12"+ heavy-bottomed skillet — preferably cast iron — over high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, add 1/3 of the vegetables in an even layer in the bottom. Season with seasoned salt, a pinch of cumin, and a drizzle of fresh lemon juice (~1/2 - 1 teaspoon — not too much!) then let the vegetables sit undisturbed until seared on the bottom. Toss with tongs then continue to saute, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 3-4 minutes, turning the heat down slightly if they begin to burn. Remove the vegetables to a plate. Repeat the process of heating 1-1/2 Tablespoons oil then searing and seasoning the vegetables with seasoned salt, cumin, and lemon juice in two more batches.
- Heat the remaining 1-1/2 Tablespoons oil in the skillet then add the chicken, drizzle over a little lemon juice, and then saute until the chicken is cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Add the seared vegetables back into the skillet then toss to heat everything through. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Click here for the Homemade Seasoned Salt recipe >
- Chop vegetables and chicken a couple days ahead to save time.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
joyce 10.29.2023
love the recipe , but the price of that skillet flipped me out, lol
Kristin 10.31.2023
Ack! Luckily it’s completely optional and just for fun for presentation!!
Becky 01.25.2023
Why I slept on making these for so long I’ll never know. These tastes exactly like restaurant fajitas (we go to Mexican every Friday for lunch) and I couldn’t have been happier at how EASY this recipe is to make. Thank you for this new staple recipe!
Kristin 01.26.2023
I LOVE hearing this, Becky!!! So glad you can make your restaurant go-to at home now!
Cindy 10.20.2022
Made these last night, they were delicious, thank you for GF, DF recipes. So glad I found you! Blessing!
Kristin 10.21.2022
I’m so glad you loved them, Cindy!! Absolutely my pleasure!
Elena 05.29.2020
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!
Carol 05.20.2020
Made this twice! So flavorful, best fajita I ever made. Thank you
Janet B 04.16.2020
AMAZING!!! Most flavorful fajitas we have had, and I’ve tried many recipes. I’m done looking, this is it! Fantastic.
Shay 08.22.2019
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.
Mary 05.18.2019
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.
Kristin 05.21.2019
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!) :)
Jennifer Boehme 01.24.2019
Wow… I love Mexican food. I really like this post. Thank you so much for sharing the useful post.
Theresa 06.11.2018
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!
Kristin 06.12.2018
LOVE when you can find something the whole family, including little ones, will eat! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Jennifer 05.15.2018
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!!!!!
Kristin 05.21.2018
I’m SO glad you love this recipe as much as I do, Jennifer! Thank you so much for the recipe and star rating!!
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