There’s nothing better than a sizzling pan of Chicken Fajitas! Green and red bell peppers, onions, and perfectly marinated and seasoned chunks of chicken come together in this classic Mexican dish that’s as fun to make as it is to eat!

I’ve been making chicken fajitas for my family for as long as I can remember and each time I do they always hit the spot!
Whether we’re loading up soft tortillas, filling a burrito, or eating the chicken fajitas on top of rice, the experience is always great, and with such little effort.
Similar to Chili Colarado, I serve these chicken fajitas with some lime wedges, sour cream, sliced jalapeno, cotija cheese, guacamole, and cilantro but feel free to be as creative as you’d like.
And if you’re so inclined, these pair really well with a Paloma or Jalapeno Cucumber Margarita.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Chicken. Chicken breasts are preferred for chicken fajitas, but you can use chicken thighs as well. If using thighs, the meat should be cooked to at least 185°F due to the extra connective tissue.
- Marinade. The marinade for the chicken combines fresh lime juice, pineapple juice, low-sodium soy sauce, garlic, and Tabasco sauce.
- Fajita seasoning. While you certainly can buy premade seasoning from the store, taking the extra 2 minutes or so to make your own is so worth it. I use chili powder, paprika, sea salt, garlic powder, black pepper, ground cumin, onion powder, and cornstarch.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Slice 2 pounds of chicken breasts into thick strips. Juice 1/3 cup of lime juice and mince 5 cloves of garlic.
- In a large sealable bag, place the chicken, lime juice, and garlic along with 1/3 cup of pineapple juice, 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce. Seal the bag and place in a bowl just in case the bag leaks. Allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for 12 hours but preferably overnight. While the chicken marinates, prepare your fajita seasoning by combining 2 teaspoons of chili powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons of paprika, 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch.
- The next day, remove the chicken from the marinade and pat the strips dry with paper towels. Remove the seeds from and slice 1 large red bell pepper and 1 large green bell pepper. Slice 1 large white onion.
- Heat a large cast iron pan to medium-high heat with 3-4 tablespoons of neutral oil. Once the oil is hot, add the peppers and onions and saute until moderately soft and charred.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the fajita seasoning and cook for 1 more minute, then transfer the peppers and onions to a plate covered with tented foil to stay warm.
- Pat the chicken dry one more time and sprinkle the chicken pieces with the remaining 2 tablespoons of fajita seasoning.
- Add a touch more neutral oil to the pan if needed, and once it’s very hot, add the chicken strips. Spread them out and leave them undisturbed for 3-4 minutes then flip them over and cook the other sides until well charred and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160°F.
- Use a spoon to move the chicken to one side of the pan and place the peppers and onions on the other side. Remove the pan from the heat and serve immediately with warmed flour tortillas or rice and your favorite condiments. Enjoy!
Top tips
- Don’t skip the marinade. I know it may be tempting to skip the marinade and jump right into making your chicken fajitas, but I’m telling you the marinade is a game changer. It not only adds extra flavor to the chicken, but the citrus in the marinate tenderizes the chicken and yields much better texture.
- Use homemade seasoning. Grocery stores often sell prepackaged fajita seasoning and they’re often loaded with sodium. Making homemade is always better but it also give greater control over the sodium level in your dish.
- Serving. Burrito sized flour tortillas or smaller taco sized are our go-tos for chicken fajitas. Be sure to warm the tortillas lightly to make them easier to fold. Chicken fajitas are also great served over rice, or even by themselves.
More Mexican-inspired recipes
If you enjoy the flavors in these chicken fajitas, I think you’ll love these other recipes.
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Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (908g) chicken breast cut into strips
- 1 large red bell pepper seeded and sliced
- 1 large green bell pepper seeded and sliced
- 1 large white onion sliced
- neutral oil
- 12 large flour tortillas for serving
- sour cream for serving
- guacamole for serving
For the marinade
- 1/3 cup (80ml) lime juice
- 1/3 cup (80ml) pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
For the fajita seasoning (mix together)
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Combine the marinade ingredients and place in sealed bag with the chicken. Place the bag in a bowl in case it leaks. Marinate in the fridge for at least 12 hours but preferably overnight.
- The next day remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Heat a large cast iron pan to medium-high heat with 3 tablespoons of neutral oil. Once the oil is hot, add the peppers and onions and saute until moderately soft and charred. Add 1 tablespoon of the fajita spice and cook for 1 more minute. Remove the peppers and onions to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Pat the chicken dry one more time and sprinkle the chicken pieces with 2 tablespoons of fajita seasoning.
- Add more oil to the pan if needed and once it is very hot, add the chicken strips. Spread them out and leave undisturbed for 4 minutes. Flip the pieces and cook the other sides until well charred and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. Move the chicken to one side of the pan and place the peppers and onions back on the other side. Remove the pan from the heat and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Serve with guacomole, sour cream, hot sauce, cilantro, limes or your favorite accompaniments.
- It’s best to marinate the chicken overnight, but even a couple of hours will work well if in a rush.
- The fajita seasoning mix makes exactly 3 tablespoons worth which will all be used for this recipe.
- Leftovers can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave or on a stovetop.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Was good, but didn’t care for the spices. Nothing like any fajitas I’ve ever tasted.
We’re glad you enjoyed, Laura, but sorry to hear you didn’t care for the spices. The spices we use are pretty standard fajita seasoning spices. It would be interesting to hear what you didn’t like about them.
Easy and delicious. I’ve made it twice…skipped the marinating the second time – still good in a pinch! The spice mix is excellent.
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Max!
I made this last night and it was delicious! Didnโt have pineapple juice so I substituted with an orange mango juice. Marinaded for a few hours instead of overnight but I think it still worked.
Will definitely make again!
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Carolyn!
Jim and Tara,
Another great recipe. Made this last night, it was delicious!
Thanks for sharing all your wonderful recipes.
We’re so happy you enjoyed and appreciate the comment, Lori!
loved everyone of your recipes I’ve tried. We want to try this. Does having a cast iron pan matter? We are an older couple and those pans are so heavy. but we will get one if it’s needed. thanks
No, you definitely do not need a cast iron. You can make it in a non stick pan or in a stainless steel pan. Whatever you have is fine!
thanks
Thanks for the information about the skillet. I have a few great skillets, but not a cast iron. I thought that was a great question.
This recipe sounds so good I’m definitely going to have to try it we love Mexican here in my family and it sounds easy enough for me to try I love your recipes thank you very much for all of them
Please let us know how you like it when you’ve made it. Thanks, Jackie!