These Easy Chicken Fajitas are bursting with flavor. They feature tender chicken marinated in lime and orange juice and the perfect blend of spices, bell peppers, and onions.
I love to serve them with refried beans and cilantro lime rice. Everyone enjoys it, and it is one of my family’s favorite meals. You are going to love this easy, delicious, and flavorful meal.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Juice: lime or orange juice. I like the combination of the two, but you could use one or the other.
- Spices: ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Add a bit of cayenne pepper or chipotle peppers for extra heat in adobo sauce.
- Bell peppers: any colored peppers will work, but various colored bell peppers make for a beautiful presentation.
- Tortillas: we like flour, but corn tortillas are delicious too.
- Toppings: chopped cilantro, guacamole, lettuce, pico de gallo, salsa, and cheddar or queso cheese.
How to make Chicken Fajitas
Start by combining the olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, garlic, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper in a zipper bag or bowl. Add the chicken and marinate for 30-60 minutes.
Heat a bit of oil in a large pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until cooked through and slightly charred. Remove the cooked chicken to a plate and cover loosely to keep warm.
Heat a little more oil over medium heat. Add the veggies to the skillet, cooking until the onion is soft, and the peppers are slightly charred. Cut the chicken, add it back to the skillet, and stir to combine and warm. Squeeze a little extra lime juice over the fajita mixture. Serve with warm tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, and fresh lime slices.
Preparation Tips
- Marinate the chicken for 30-60 minutes. This gives the chicken ample time to tenderize and absorb the marinade flavors. Marinating chicken much longer than that does nothing to enhance the flavors and may indeed toughen the chicken.
- Cut the chicken right before adding it to the skillet to ensure it stays juicy.
- For a low-carb meal, throw the cooked chicken in a bowl with some lettuce, black beans, avocado, and salsa.
Storage and Reheat
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power.
To freeze the chicken, first flash-freeze it on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Then, move the chicken to a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. I do not recommend freezing the onions and bell peppers because of the moisture content.
Frequently Asked Questions
Grilled chicken makes delicious fajitas. Simply marinate the chicken per the instructions. Preheat the gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat or about 400 degrees. Grill for 2-3 minutes each side or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Tent the chicken while you prepare the rest of the dish in a skillet.
You can use corn tortillas. Wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave for 20-30 seconds or until warm.
Though not traditional, you certainly can. They are your fajitas, so add whatever you want.
More Tex-Mex Recipes
Easy Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients
Chicken Fajita Marinade
- ¼ olive oil
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Chicken Fajitas
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
- 2 medium yellow onions chopped
- 3 bell peppers in assorted cut into thin strips any color but variety is better
- limes for squeezing over cooked fajitas mixture and for garnish
- 8 flour tortillas
- sour cream
- guacamole
- fresh chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Combine the olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, garlic, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper in a zipper bag or bowl. Add the chicken and marinate for 30-60 minutes.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until cooked through and slightly charred. Remove the cooked chicken to a plate and cover loosely to keep warm.
- Heat another tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the veggies to the skillet, cooking until the onion is soft, and the peppers are slightly charred.
- Cut the chicken, add it back to the skillet, and stir to combine and warm. Squeeze a little extra lime juice over the fajita mixture.
- Serve with warm tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, and fresh lime slices.
Notes
- Marinate the chicken for 30-60 minutes. This gives the chicken ample time to tenderize and absorb the marinade flavors. Marinating chicken much longer than that does nothing to enhance the flavors and may indeed toughen the chicken.
- Cut the chicken right before adding it to the skillet to ensure it stays juicy.
- For a low-carb meal, throw the cooked chicken in a bowl with some lettuce, black beans, avocado, and salsa.
Nutrition
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Melissa C
This recipe looks incredible and I already pinned it as I am making this next week! The pictures are everything too and now I am super hungry.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Melissa! Enjoy!
Lana P
It’s definitely a dish that the whole family can enjoy, and it’s great that you can prep the ingredients ahead of time to make things even easier.
vidya
i will try this with tofu and other veg alternatives for the chicken .. it looks so delish
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Vidya! Enjoy!
Mow De
Yummy! My sister would love this recipe! As for me, I would sauté portobello mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions in substitute for chicken. A versatile dish, made meat-free too.
Natasha Mairs
These look really nice. I would make real chicken for my husband and teens but use Quorn for myself. And I would add lots of salsa to mine.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Natasha! Enjoy!
Beth
The easy chicken fajitas recipe was delicious! I love how simple it was to make. Can I substitute the chicken with another protein, like beef or tofu, for a different flavor?
Beth Pierce
Yes, you sure can!
Tara Pittman
My family enjoyed these. They asked me to make them again. They are easy and delicious!
Christy G
These fajitas look amazing. I buy precut and marinated steak usually. I’ll have to give this recipe a try.
Amber Myers
Yum, these were so good! My family loveed them and I liked that they were easy to make.