Chicken Fajitas

By Ali Slagle

Total Time: 40 minutes
Rating: 5(2,961)
Notes: Read community notes

You might think fajitas are too fussy for a weeknight, but this easy, foolproof version roasts on a sheet pan and can be ready in an hour. Because the ingredients are thinly sliced, everything cooks in a flash — and with little attention required. Smoked paprika, chipotle chiles and a quick stop under the broiler provide the smoky flavor that would traditionally come from the grill. This recipe is very adaptable: Chicken is called for here, but you could also use shrimp or skirt steak. For a vegetarian version, substitute fresh corn kernels, mushrooms, poblano peppers or zucchini for the meat. Cut the vegetables into sizes you’d want in a taco, coat them in the lime-chipotle marinade, roast until cooked, then broil until charred.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

6tablespoons olive oil
1lime, zested and juiced (about 2 teaspoons zest and 2 tablespoons juice)
1 to 2chipotle chiles in adobo, to taste, coarsely chopped
2teaspoons ground cumin or crushed cumin seeds
1teaspoon smoked paprika
Kosher salt and black pepper
1½pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
3bell peppers, any color or a combination
1large red onion
8flour tortillas, plus more as needed

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together 4 tablespoons oil, the lime zest and juice, chipotle chiles, cumin and paprika with 1½ teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken, toss to coat and set aside to marinate while you prepare the vegetables.
Step 2
Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise, remove stem and seeds and cut into ¼-inch slices. Peel and halve the onion and cut it into ¼-inch slices. On a sheet pan, toss the bell peppers and onion with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
Step 3
Gently shaking off excess marinade as you go, transfer the chicken to a second sheet pan. Roast the chicken and vegetables until the chicken is cooked through and the peppers are soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 4
Once the chicken is out of the oven, move an oven rack close to the broiler. Turn on the broiler and transfer the sheet pan of vegetables to the rack. Broil until charred to your liking, 2 to 5 minutes.
Step 5
While the vegetables are broiling, place the tortillas directly on a free oven rack until warm, about 1 minute, flipping once halfway through. Wrap the tortillas in a kitchen towel or foil to keep them warm.
Step 6
Serve chicken and vegetables with tortillas and desired toppings.

Ratings

5 out of 5

2,961 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Bicka5 years ago

This was excellent. Followed the directions but I had already chopped adobo chilis so I added about 1 tbs which turned out well. I saw one comment that you should not roast the veggies with the meat, only broil them which I think is so wrong. The roasting softens and sweetens the peppers and onion and then broiling gives them a bit of smokiness. Next time I will make more chicken to the peppers since I ended up with lots of leftover peppers but no chicken.

Christy5 years ago

Easy but don’t put the veggie pan in when you put chicken pan in! Directions aren’t clear. Wait and only do veggies 5 min or less under broiler

mj5 years ago

There are easier ways to make fajitas. Cut up chicken or mushrooms, slice peppers, onions, maybe a zucchini and stirfry. Add a little taco seasoning and salsa. Put it on a tortilla and add cheese if you like. And you can heat tortillas on a dry skillet, medium heat. The next night have the leftovers with fish tacos. Tilapia or any mild flavored fish--- dredge them in taco seasoning and fry for a few minutes on each side. Add salsa and chopped cabbage if you have it.

Terri Warren5 years ago

I made this last night and it was just terrific. Exactly as directed (used two chipotle peppers), I prepped the veggies ahead and marinated the chicken for about two hours. Heavenly and easy. Will definitely do this again, my husband loved it

Steve5 years ago

Very good. I found that the chicken still had a lot of liquid after 15 minutes, so I put the chicken and it’s juices under the broiler for a few minutes. This reduced the liquid to a sauce and added more flavor.

Mike5 years ago

Deceivingly delicious for how simple it is. A great weeknight meal made from things we commonly have on hand. Don’t overcook the chicken! We added canned chili beans and that made a nice side. Easy and good.

Ella5 years ago

Delicious and easy! Wrapped a stack of tortillas in foil and let them warm up while cooking the chicken and veggies.

Randye5 years ago

I can't believe I never thought of this one! I used my own home made fajita seasoning ans served with avocado slices. Was so delicious. Will be making this again for sure.

kelly2 years ago

you can easily freeze whats left of the chipotles in adobo, works great!

Kathy5 years ago

This was easy, inexpensive, and delicious. I’ll definitely make it again and again. I made it exactly as called for in the recipe.

Emily5 years ago

My boyfriend and I loved these, delicious and easy for a weeknight. Used chicken breast and it was surprisingly tender. Served with some sour cream and salsa verde but I think it would have been good without anything added. I heated the tortillas on the stovetop because I like the toasted flavor.

M/R Cooper5 years ago

Made a larger amount so needed two sheet pans to roast veg. Then once they cooked down combined on one and used second one for chicken. Very good recipe, but might use thighs instead of (of mixed with) breasts. Served as fajitas with tomatillo sauce, salsa, sour cream and cilantro. Broiling veg at end a nice touch. Easy.

Karen5 years ago

This recipe was great - fast, tasty, and healthy - everything I look for in a recipe these days! Used pre-cut chicken strips because I was in a hurry, they cook fast so keep an eye on them. I only put one chipotle but next time I'll do two, it wasn't that spicy. Love the lime flavor.

CB5 years ago

This is delicious and easy. I served with refried beans, avocado, and crumbled cotija. We discovered at the end that our broiler is broken. The peppers were delicious as is, but would have been next level with a little bit of char. We also agreed that the marinade is versatile and the chicken could be done on the grill as well. Yum!

Momo5 years ago

Quick and delicious, made as written. Served with black beans.

Debbie in Seattle3 weeks ago

This dish is a success even with my picky eaters who generally avoid all veggies. I also had to leave the chiles out, for those picky eaters, and it was still delicious.

easy and flexible3 weeks ago

Chalula chipotle sauce subs well in the marinade - about 10 shakes (drops) if you don’t have chipotle peppers. Sub any neutral oil for olive oil. This is a flexible recipe so sub away!

Lynn1 month ago

Really tasty doubled with sirloin steak, and great way to use up the chipotle chilis in adobo I always have in my fridge. Too hot to use the oven today so I sautéed everything and served with rice, black beans and toppings. Thanks for a yummy and easy recipe!

topher1 month ago

substitute poblano for bell peppers and you wont be sorry.

Karen1 month ago

Made this exactly as written…marinating the cut up chicken (breast for husband, thighs for me) just for as long as it took to cut up the veggies. Roasted on 2 sheet pans for 20 minutes, and then broiled the veggies for an extra 3 minutes. Served on flour tortillas with guacamole and sour cream. Super easy and fast. Very delicious. Honestly would change nothing.

Mary1 month ago

My daughter made this and it was exquisite !

Linda1 month ago

Really liked this marinade for the chicken. Some times chipotles in adobo sauce will tend to be too strong but the amount in the recipe was perfect.

Lora1 month ago

Boneless chicken thighs, marinated 2 hours, dumped bowl of marinade and chicken on sheet & roasted. 2 peppers yellow & green, 1 onion, roasted same as chicken. No broil because broiler wouldn't turn on. Vegetables were lush, almost melted.

Debbie2 months ago

Super easy and absolutely delicious. Big hit with my picky eaters.

JM2 months ago

Delicious and easy! I was very literal and bought exactly what the recipe called for and didn't think ahead to "desired toppings" in Step 6. While I'm sure some salsa or guacamole would've been great, these are satisfying and tasty on their own with just a squeeze of lime juice. Can't wait to make these again!

Megan A2 months ago

I followed this recipe as written and it was fantastic. I did save some time by prepping the veggies the day before, which turns this into a quick and easy weeknight meal.

Anonymous2 months ago

Amazing! I’m from the Southwest and was suspicious of such a simple recipe, but I was wowed by the flavors. Served it with what I could find ready made here in the UK: basic salsa and guacamole, plus crumbled feta cheese and Greek yogurt standing in for sour cream. Will make again! Worth using some of my precious stash of imported chipotles in adobo.

Maureen Reiner2 months ago

This was fabulous! Broiling the veggies was a big plus and greatly added to the flavor. I have a new oven and I thought I had overdone it on the broiling but it was delicious! I added salsa, avocado slices and some sour cream but it would have been great with just chicken and veggies.

Ann2 months ago

Love this easy recipe! It was super flavorful and came together very quickly. We roasted the veggies & the chicken at the same time and broiled the veggies when we broiled the chicken and it gave the dish a nice depth of flavor.

choco2 months ago

I forgot to shake out the marinade on the chicken, and it was too moist, so I think that removing extra marinade would have helped. I added condiments like guacamole and salsa, and tomatoes and sour cream which helped.

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