Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
It's a fajita fiesta! Now you can get the bold flavor of authentic chicken fajitas with the convenience of a sheet pan dinner. Just add chicken, veggies and spices. Bake for 30 minutes. And enjoy a delicious and convenient home cooked meal!
It happens every time we're in a Mexican restaurant. The server walks by with a sizzling platter of fajitas, and every head in the room turns to see which lucky person gets to dig into that tantalizing treat.
Now that tantalizing treat can be made to order for your family, thanks to our easy-to-make Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas. They're guaranteed to turn heads among your crew and the total prep time is 15 minutes or less!
Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees, so it's nice and hot when the ingredients are assembled. Grab a large mixing bowl and begin assembling the ingredients.
Cut your chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and place it in the mixing bowl. Season with olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, Mexican chili powder, dried oregano, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Then mix until well combined.
Next, mince 2 cloves of fresh garlic. We typically use pre-minced garlic for convenience. If that's you, remember 1 clove of fresh garlic = 1 teaspoon of pre-minced garlic. Add the garlic to the bowl and begin preparing the bell peppers.
Our recipe calls for red, yellow and orange bell peppers since they tend to be sweeter. But if green bell peppers are your thing, don't hesitate to use them. Cut and deseed the bell peppers, slicing them into narrow strips. Add the peppers to the bowl and mix all the ingredients thoroughly until everything is coated in olive oil and spices.
Now grab your favorite baking sheet and hit is with a couple shots of cooking spray, so your ingredients won't stick while cooking. You can also use parchment paper or aluminum foil to line the baking sheet.
Arrange the fajita mixture in a single layer across the pan, so all the ingredients cook evenly. Now place the baking sheet in your pre-heated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remember, there are many factors that can affect cooking time, including which oven you own, how thick your chicken and veggies are and even what altitude you're at. So make so to check that your chicken is fully cooked before serving.
When your ingredients are cooked, you can have fun adding different yummy garnishes. We used limes, sour cream, cilantro, avocado and mozzarella cheese for this recipe. But you can use virtually anything that tickles your taste buds. Other suggestions for garnish include, lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, salsa or your favorite hot sauce.
Serving is super easy too! Our family typically just lines up, buffet-style, and we assemble our tacos one by one. For sides, we really like Mexican rice, cilantro lime rice, Mexican street corn or tortilla chips and guacamole.
What we like about this Sheet Pan Chicken Fajita Recipe!
Nicole - The outdoor grill just isn't my forte when it comes to cooking. So when Mike's not home to smoke or barbecue the chicken for fajitas, this is an easy workaround. Plus, the chicken comes out juicy and tender every time.
Mike - I love this recipe because everyone in the house can get exactly what they want on their fajita. If one of the kids has a suggestion, we add it. If one of them doesn't like a particular ingredient on the pan, they can scoop around it. Never any arguments on fajita night!
Sheet Pan Chicken Fajita Ingredients
2.5 lbs chicken, diced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp Mexican chili powder
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp black pepper, or to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sour cream, for topping
1 avocado, diced, for topping
1 cup mozzarella, shredded, for topping
1 lime, juiced, for topping
12 tortillas (e.g., flour tortillas)
How to make Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190°C) to ensure it's ready when your fajitas are prepared.
Prepare the Chicken and Veggies: In a large mixing bowl, add the diced chicken, olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, Mexican chili powder, dried oregano, cumin, salt, and black pepper to the bowl. Mix until well combined. Then add the minced garlic, sliced red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, and sliced red onion. Mix everything together until the chicken and veggies are evenly coated with the spices and oil.
Arrange on a Sheet Pan: Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper, aluminum foil, or lightly greasing it. Spread the seasoned chicken and veggies evenly across the sheet pan, ensuring they are in a single layer. This will help them cook evenly.
Bake the Fajitas: Place the sheet pan in the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and starts to develop a golden brown color. Make sure to check the chicken for doneness, as cooking times may vary slightly.
Assemble Your Fajitas: Once your chicken fajitas are cooked to perfection, it's time to assemble your meal. Warm your tortillas according to package instructions or personal preference and place a generous portion of the cooked chicken and veggie mixture onto each tortilla.
Tips and Tricks
Make sure to spray your baking sheet with some cooking spray before adding your fajita mixture. You can also line the sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Both will help ensure your ingredients don't stick.
It's easy to add garnish to your ingredients after cooking. But if you've got picky eaters, you can just assemble the various garnishes in separate bowl and allow everyone to build their own fajita.
We like to warm our tortillas slightly so they're nice and flexible, so they won't tear when you're eating.
We used limes, sour cream, cilantro, avocado and mozzarella cheese as garnish for this recipe. But you can use virtually anything else you like, including, lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, salsa or your favorite hot sauce.
FAQs
Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts? Absolutely! In fact, many people will ONLY use thigh meat for fajitas. We like the boneless, skinless variety for simplicity. They're a little more work to slice, but they tend to turn out even juicier than the chicken breasts!
What should I serve with Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas? The options are endless, but wom of our favorites are Mexican rice, cilantro lime rice, Mexican street corn or tortilla chips and guacamole.
Can I use green bell peppers? Yes, no problem! We like the red, orange and yellow peppers since they're a bit sweeter, but if green bell peppers are your thing, go for it!
Do I have to use fresh garlic? The short answer is no. We almost exclusively use pre-minced garlic and have never really noticed a difference. But many people prefer the flavor of fresh garlic and think it has a more dynamic flavor than pre-minced.
