- Recipes
- What To Make With
- Chicken
Meghan Splawn
Meghan Splawn
Meghan was the Food Editor for Kitchn's Skills content. She's a master of everyday baking, family cooking, and harnessing good light. Meghan approaches food with an eye towards budgeting — both time and money — and having fun. Meghan has a baking and pastry degree, and spent the first 10 years of her career as part of Alton Brown's culinary team. She co-hosts a weekly podcast about food and family called Didn't I Just Feed You.
updated Feb 4, 2020
Be the first to leave a review!
One skillet, a few pantry ingredients, and you've got a sizzling pan of fajitas ready to eat.
Serves 4 to 6Prep15 minutesCook12 minutesJump to Recipe
Jump to Recipe
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Sizzling hot chicken fajitas are what dinner dreams are made of. Tender chicken, sweet bell peppers, and punchy onion mingle with spicy jalapeños and limes for a lively chicken dinner made out of strictly kitchen basics. These skillet fajitas are fantastic for a fast but flavorful weeknight dinner that everyone will love, and don’t require any special ingredients (or seasoning packets!).
This Is the One Chicken Fajita Recipe Your Weeknight Needs
There are plenty of ways to cook chicken fajitas — in your slow cooker, on a sheet pan — but this skillet version is the quickest, most flavorful recipe for a weeknight fajita fix. You’ll need just a single pan to cook both the vegetables and the chicken, and a bit of thoughtful prep ensures everything cooks quickly without getting soggy.
3 Key Steps for Faster, More Flavorful Fajitas
1. Slicing will save you cook time. When it comes to skillet fajitas, you want to cook everything hot and fast. You can avoid overcooking and drying out the chicken by slicing the peppers, onions, and chicken into 1/4-inch strips. For the chicken breast, cutting across the meat’s grain will make for more tender fajitas.
2. Use jalapeños, garlic, and lime juice for lots of flavor. No offense to seasoning packets, but you don’t need one for fajitas. Instead, use fresh jalapeño, lots of minced garlic, and a squeeze of lime juice to flavor these fajitas. Dried oregano and ground cumin also bring their unique combination of earthy, savory flavors to the chicken.
3. Cook the vegetables and chicken separately, then together. This recipe promises to be a one-pan dinner, but to ensure that the chicken’s juices don’t steam the vegetables — making them soggy — cook the vegetables first. Transfer them to a plate or cutting board, then cook the chicken in the same pan before bringing things together.
Serving Chicken Fajitas
Flour tortillas, sour cream, and maybe a little more lime juice is everything you need to finish these chicken fajitas, but feel free to serve over rice, on a salad, or even as a meal prep option for your work week lunch.
Credit: Joe Lingeman/Kitchn; Food Stylist: CC Buckley/Kitchn
1
/
7
How to Make Chicken Fajitas
One skillet, a few pantry ingredients, and you've got a sizzling pan of fajitas ready to eat.
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 12 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons
olive oil
- 1
large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon
kosher salt, divided
- 2 large
medium red bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1
medium jalapeño, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 pounds
boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/4-inch thick strips
- 4 cloves
garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon
dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon
ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons
freshly squeezed lime juice (from 2 limes)
For serving:
Tortillas, warmed
Sour cream
Lime wedges
Equipment
Chef's knife and cutting board
Measuring spoons
Large skillet
Tongs
Instructions
Cook the onions. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the largest skillet you have (at least 12 inches) over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onions and season with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, tossing often with tongs to prevent burning, until they begin to soften and brown, about 3 minutes.
Cook the peppers, jalapeño, and garlic until fragrant. Add the bell peppers, jalapeño, and garlic and season with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, again tossing often, until starting to brown and the garlic is quite fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Brown the chicken with the spices. Transfer the vegetables to a plate. Return the pan to medium-high heat (no need to clean) and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the chicken and season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, oregano, and cumin. Cook undisturbed until the chicken has some golden brown color, flipping halfway through, about 6 minutes total.
Add the vegetables back to the pan and finish cooking. Return the vegetables to the pan and add the lime juice. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and the peppers are soft, about 2 minutes more.
Serve the fajitas. Serve the chicken and vegetables in warmed tortillas with sour cream and extra lime wedges for squeezing.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Filed in:
Chicken
easy
How To
Ingredient
One-Dish Meal
quick
