Skillet Chicken Fajitas served in a hot skillet or a sizzling hot platter with sautéed onions, peppers, mushrooms, avocado, or Guacamole, and served with Pico De Gallo and flour tortillas on the side!
Marinated Chicken Fajitas that are well seasoned and flavorful are as Tex-Mex as it gets. To me, these chicken fajitas, as well as Steak Fajitas, are comfort food. It screams, Texas! To me, it says I’ve come home.
My husband determined the quality of the Mexican Food Dinners at Mexican restaurants by the quality of their Homemade Tortilla Chips, Margaritas, and Chicken and Beef Fajitas!
With these Skillet Chicken Fajitas, you can turn a weeknight dinner into a Mexican fiesta! Also, be sure to keep this recipe to serve on Cinco De Mayo, along with Mexican Shrimp Cocktail, and a Spicy Peach Margarita.
Table of Contents
- Marinated Chicken Fajitas
- Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Fajitas
- Should I Use Chicken Breasts or Chicken Thighs?
- How To Make Chicken Fajita Marinade
- How Long To Marinate Chicken Fajitas?
- Ingredients For Skillet Chicken Fajitas
- How To Make Skillet Chicken Fajitas
- Chicken Fajitas Toppings
- Recipe Tips
- What To Serve With Chicken Fajitas
- What To Do With Leftover Chicken Fajitas
- More Recipes You’ll Love
- Recipe
- Reviews
Marinated Chicken Fajitas
The key to great chicken fajitas is the Chicken Fajita Marinade (see below) and Chicken Fajita Seasoning. I know people like fast and easy recipes, and this recipe is quick and easy AFTER the chicken has finished marinating.
The marinade is really the key to getting delicious, tender chicken fajitas that are full of flavor.
Another reason you’ll love these fajitas is that if you serve them with the onions, peppers, or other vegetables and without the tortillas, these marinated chicken fajitas will fit into many healthy meal plans. So they could also be called Keto Chicken Fajitas! 🙂
Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Fajitas
I love cooking these chicken fajitas in a hot cast-iron skillet so that these chicken fajitas really sizzle! While I love the ease and convenience of Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas, the cast iron skillet gets these fajitas sizzling hot the way they are served at Mexican restaurants.
If you want to go more in-depth about fajitas and their history, then I would refer you to my Tex-Mex Beef Fajitas, which discusses the history and the influences of Texas and Mexico in this recipe.
This Skillet Chicken Fajitas Recipe can be combined as part of a Fajita Bar when served with Shrimp Fajitas, Turkey Fajitas, or Steak Fajitas.
Should I Use Chicken Breasts or Chicken Thighs?
Traditionally, chicken breasts are typically served in Tex-Mex restaurants and slice up nicely to make a nice presentation.
However, chicken thighs have dark meat and have more fat, which would mean that the chicken is more likely to be tender and juicy.
Therefore, either chicken breasts or chicken thighs can be used in fajitas, and both will be delicious. I have even used leftover turkey to make Turkey Fajitas.
How To Make Chicken Fajita Marinade
Fajita Marinade Ingredients
- Orange juice
- Pineapple juice
- Lime juice
- Oil
- Soy sauce
- Worcestershire
- Garlic
- Fajita Seasoning (Homemade or Store-Bought)
How Long To Marinate Chicken Fajitas?
I recommend marinating the chicken breasts for at least 8 hours or overnight for the best flavor. However, if you are short of time, marinate them for at least 30 minutes.
Ingredients For Skillet Chicken Fajitas
Below I discuss the ingredients and possible substitutions if you don’t have a specific ingredient on hand. However, if you are looking for each ingredient’s specific measurements, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this article, just above the comments, for the printable recipe card, which includes all the ingredients and the specific amounts of each one.
- Chicken – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are typically used. However, you could use boneless, skinless chicken thighs as well.
- Oil – An oil that can handle medium-high heat is needed. Examples would be avocado oil, canola oil, peanut oil.
- Onion – White or sweet Vidalia onion that has been sliced.
- Red and Green Bell Peppers – sliced at about the same width as the sliced onions. You can throw some yellow and orange bell peppers in there to add some additional color.
- Mushrooms (optional) – sliced mushrooms. These are optional but delicious if you love mushrooms.
- Butter
- Water
- Tomato Paste
How To Make Skillet Chicken Fajitas
For the full, detailed, step by step instructions, scroll down to the bottom of this article, just above the comments, for the printable recipe card. Below are the high-level steps required.
- Marinade the chicken.
- Sear the chicken on the stove.
- Bake the chicken, so it finishes cooking.
- Let the chicken rest.
- Cook the vegetables.
- Slice the chicken and serve with your favorite toppings.
Chicken Fajitas Toppings
The chicken is so flavorful that you can serve it by itself. However, below are some traditional toppings and side dishes to serve with chicken fajitas.
- Sliced Avocados or Guacamole
- Sliced Limes
- Pico De Gallo
- Mexican Cotija cheese, grated (similar to parmesan)
- Salsa
- Sour Cream
Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip marinating the chicken. That makes a big difference in both the flavor of the chicken and the texture. It helps the chicken to be tender and juicy and prevents it from drying out.
- A cast-iron skillet is recommended as it distributes heat evenly and is oven safe.
- To save time, you can slice the vegetables ahead of time.
- For the best flavor, cook the vegetables in the same skillet as you cooked the chicken.
- I recommend using my Homemade Chicken Fajita Seasoning for the fajitas. It adds so much flavor. In this recipe, I add it to the marinade instead of directly on the chicken.
What To Serve With Chicken Fajitas
- Flour tortillas (optional)
- Mexican Rice
- Mexican Cauliflower Rice
- CIlantro Lime Rice
- Refried beans or charro beans
- Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
- Instant Pot Mexican Rice Pudding
What To Do With Leftover Chicken Fajitas
If you have any leftover chicken fajitas, then you can use them in quesadillas, nachos, and more. See below for some recipes that use chicken fajitas in them.
More Recipes You’ll Love
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Recipe
Skillet Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients
Chicken Fajita Marinade
- 4 ounces Orange Juice
- 4 ounces Pineapple Juice
- 2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 2 Tablespoons Homemade Fajita Seasoning
Skillet Chicken Fajitas
- 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast (or chicken thighs)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 ounces onion, sliced
- 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 6 ounces bell pepper, sliced (red and green bell peppers)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
For Serving
- 4 flour tortillas (optional)
- 2 limes, quartered
Chicken Fajita Toppings
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced (or prepared Guacamole)
- 1/4 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup pico de gallo (optional)
Instructions
Chicken Fajita Marinade
- In a sealable container, add chicken and all ingredients listed under Chicken Fajita Marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight for 8 hours.
Skillet Chicken Fajitas
Cook The Chicken
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet on the stove over medium heat. Brown marinated chicken on each side, about 4 minutes per side.
- Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and continue cooking for another 15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165 Degrees F.
- Turn off the oven and move the chicken to the cutting board to rest for about 5 minutes.
Cook The Vegetables
- Turn off the oven and lower the stovetop to med/low. Add the butter, water, and tomato paste to the skillet and combine.
- Add the onion, mushrooms, and peppers to the skillet. Cook until just slightly underdone and lower the stovetop to low heat.
- Thinly slice the chicken and return to the skillet. Cook another minute, top with toppings, and serve.
Notes
- Nutrition calculation does not include tortillas.
- Don’t skip marinating the chicken. That makes a big difference in both the flavor of the chicken and the texture. It helps the chicken to be tender and juicy and prevents it from drying out.
- A cast-iron skillet is recommended as it distributes heat evenly and is oven safe.
- To save time, you can slice the vegetables ahead of time.
- For the best flavor, cook the vegetables in the same skillet as you cooked the chicken.
- I recommend using my Homemade Chicken Fajita Seasoning for the fajitas. It adds so much flavor. In this recipe, I add it to the marinade instead of directly on the chicken.
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