The Chicken Fajitas Recipe That Changed My Mind - The Food Charlatan (2024)

“On one of my tests making these fajitas, half of the chicken ended up slightly blackened; the second half was quite charred. I separated the batches on the cutting board because I knew some of my kids would want to avoid the overly-charred bits.

My son Hyrum came into the kitchen while I was already at the table. I called over, “Hey son, the fajitas on the left are a lot charred; the fajitas on the right are a little charred.”

Hyrum (disappointed): “Oh, really? So my best option is a little charred? I love fajitas but I REALLY don’t like charred.”

“Are you sure?” I said. (This is a new level of picky, even for him.)

“Yes. I’ve tried to eat charred when you’ve made it before and it’s just like…why would you put that in fajitas??”

That’s when I realized he was saying “chard,” not “charred.” He thought I put SWISS CHARD, the vegetable, in all the fajitas. One of his favorite meals ever, ruined by a bitter vegetable he hates. Oh cruel world!!”

I’d be mad too if someone put Swiss chard in my fajitas, not gonna lie. This story made me crack up, it’s from my best friend Sarah! (I have never cooked with Swiss chard, not having reached that Level of Vegetable yet.)

Sarah has been my closest friend since our college days, when all our roommates would take a night cooking dinner for everyone. Sarah would make something normal and delicious, and I would make something atrocious. One time I found a recipe called “Quick, Cheap, and Easy Casserole” that involved hot dogs, a can of baked beans, and frozen peas. (I’m not making this up. When I say charlatan, I MEAN CHARLATAN. These are my roots folks.)

But not Sarah. She was born with the good-food gene. She came on to The Food Charlatan team last year as my project manager, and now she is diving in to help me with some recipe development, so that we can get you guys more recipes even faster.

Sarah tested these fajitas a bunch of times, no chard in sight, and then I made it and photographed it (tweaked it a smidge), FELL IN LOVE, and here we are! Sarah knows what’s up, these fajitas are fire.

The chicken fajitas that changed my mind

Fajitas are a tough sell for me, even when there is no Swiss chard in sight. Mostly-raw peppers and onions, tossed with slightly limey but mostly flavorless chicken? Even the sizzling-steaming-skillet-show couldn’t entice me. (Also, no cheese in sight. Come on Mexico, throw me a bone here.)

But then we discovered the magic of the marinade. Taking all the normal fajita ingredients and letting them have a good soak together for a hot minute changes everything.

And it doesn’t even take that long, we’re kind of faking it here with a 15 minute marinade. I promise, this whole meal is done in like 45 minutes tops; prep time is fast, cook time is fast. And your house will smell like a Mexican restaurant. You even get to throw onions and peppers into a pan that will SIZZLE LIKE A BOSS.

And about the cheese situation: we are breaking all the rules guys. Sarah came up with this idea that’s even better than just sprinkling cheese on top: she warms each tortilla flat in a pan, sprinkling it with shredded cheese so it melts. LIKE A FREAKIN QUESADILLA. (Has quesabirria hit your neighborhood yet? Bless you, California. The rest of the world is finally catching on to the wrapping-in-cheese-phenomenon.)

The last element to put these fajitas over the top: Top with absurd amounts of Guacamole, then drizzle with Chipotle Mayo. I’ve been dipping my entire life in this stuff lately, no joke. I made a huge batch for these Breakfast Burritos, and it’s been my daily snack ever since. Tacos? yeah. Chips? yeah. Dip with a finger? still yeah. It is SO amazing on these fajitas.

Chicken fajita marinade

So what’s in the magic sauce? Fajita marinade, at its simplest, has only a few ingredients: lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and salt. But there are a few extras that take this marinade from ‘okay’ to ‘hot dang!’

• smoked paprika and liquid smoke to give it that just-grilled flavor
• Cayenne pepper for a little extra heat
• Soy sauce gives this marinade a rich umami taste while letting the other flavors shine
• and of course garlic and cilantro. It’s not Mexican food without those guys.

Ingredients for my easy chicken fajita recipe

Here’s a quick list of basic ingredients you need to make these chicken fajitas. Scroll down to the recipe card below for all the deets!

How to make chicken fajitas

Let’s get cooking. The first step is to cut chicken for the marinade. Boneless skinless chicken breasts are too thick, so we need to slice them horizontally to make two thinner pieces. Apparently these are called “chicken cutlets” and I had no idea. I was reading through Sarah’s draft recipe and it said ‘slice into cutlets’ so I sliced them into strips, like an idiot. 🤦‍♀️

But here’s how you do it. I actually use this method all the time and just didn’t know there was a name for it (like in my Chicken Alfredo recipe). It’s much easier to pan-sear chicken breasts that are an even thickness all the way across, rather than ones that are all breast-y on one side, if you know what I mean.

When using boneless skinless chicken thighs (which is my preference) I like to cut the chicken into strips before cooking, so they cook more evenly. They don’t need to be super thin strips, like an inch is fine. I’ve got details in the notes of the recipe!

Whichever way you want to slice it, get your chicken in a bowl and start tossing in all the marinade ingredients. In the picture above I’m adding liquid smoke, which is how were are cheating to get that grill flavor! Love this stuff.

Now chop up some cilantro. I’m always amazed when people come to my house for Taco nights and I ask them to chop cilantro and they’re like “how.” Well, here’s how.

Hold the stems and use a knife spread the leaves outward, then cut away from the stems with your knife slanted. (Pretend my hand is holding onto the stems…seriously need to invest in a tripod. Or grow a third hand??)

Then bunch the leaves up in your fingers and chop finely. The nice thing about cilantro is that the stems are very flavorful and delicious, so if you get a few stems in that’s fine! (Parsley, which looks so similar to cilantro, has super bitter stems, so you need to be more careful. But cilantro is easy.)

Okay here is our finished marinade. Let that sit for at least 15 minutes. (Or chill covered for up to 24 hours!)

How to cook chicken fajitas on the stove

While you wait, prep your veggies so they are all ready to go. Here’s how I like to cut my peppers. Have you tried this method?

I think it’s so much easier than trying to cut a hole around the top of the stem.

I hate having to gnaw through huge pieces in my fajitas, so I cut my peppers in half so they are more bite sized.

And don’t forget the onions. We tried these fajitas with both red and yellow onions. Yellow was the winner, hands down. The flavor is simpler and didn’t compete with the marinade.

Slice them thin, I prefer about 1/4 inch slice. Bust out your onion goggles if you’re a cryer! I have to do this every time! And now that my skin doesn’t bounce back anymore, I look like a raccoon for hours. It’s the price I pay for fajitas. That’s true love right there guys.

Now it’s time to sear the heck out of this chicken! Crank the heat up to medium high heat. The method is the same whether your chicken is in cutlets, whole thighs, or strips. You just have to cook a little longer and maneuver the heat a little more frequently if you do bigger pieces.

Here is the test where I sliced into strips before cooking. I prefer this method because you get more blackened edges (MORE CHARD!! 😂) and it cooks fast. (But you have to do more batches this way).

Tent the chicken with foil while you cook the veggies. I actually usually stick it in my turned-off microwave, does anyone else do this or am I a weirdo?

Slice the chicken against the grain after it has rested a while, if necessary.

Now it’s time to cook those peppers and onions.

Don’t be scared of all the blackened bits! They add so much flavor. (BUT DON’T ADD ANY CHARD! Is this joke getting old 😂)

And don’t forget to add the remaining chicken marinade to your peppers. Tons of flavor there that we can’t miss!

Now that everything is finished, get ready to serve. Since you’re cooking your chicken and veggies separately, you have the option to serve them separately or you can add the chicken back in and serve them together.

Grab your flour tortillas (skip the corn tortillas for these, you guys. NOT as good, trust.)

Do you eat cheese on fajitas?

I mean, call up Mexico and ask. They will say no. But call me up? Oh yeah. My favorite cheeses to use are Monterey jack, Oaxaca, or Manchego, but you could try Quesadilla cheese or really any cheese you fancy.

Warm up a tortilla in a pan, then sprinkle with shredded cheese and let it melt (like an open-face quesadilla.) This makes the tortilla warm and tender. Add your fajita chicken and veggies, squeeze on fresh lime juice, sprinkle on cilantro, and go straight to paradise.

What do you put on fajitas?

These fajitas are the real deal and adding toppings only makes them better. Here are some of my favorite fajita toppings!

• Sour cream
• Chipotle Mayo << I’m telling you!! I’ve been known to straight up dunk my fajita into it (maybe I need a chipotle intervention??)
• Cheese
• Chopped cilantro
• Lime wedges
• Sliced avocados or Guacamole
• Hot sauce (use your fave!)
• 5-Minute Restaurant Style Salsa << so easy you’ll wonder why you ever buy salsa

How to make fajitas sizzle at home

When you add those onions and peppers to the pan, they will steam and shout like crazy, I promise. But they will settle down before it’s time to serve. If you are looking for that moment at the restaurant when the waiter carries the impressively loud sizzling skillet to the table, here’s how it’s done:

Cook your fajitas as instructed. Then, right before you bring it to the table, crank the heat up to high for 10-20 seconds and squirt with 1-2 tablespoons lime juice. This will make it sizzle and steam again and you can quickly walk it out to the table. In restaurants, they do the same thing using what they call “sizzle sauce,” usually a mix of water, lime juice, soy sauce, etc.

What’s good to serve with fajitas?

Chicken fajitas are already a complete meal by themselves, but I’ll never say no to a good side dish, ya know? Here are some of my favorite sides, drinks, and desserts to serve with chicken fajitas!

• Brown Rice << healthy and delicious!
• Traditional Tejano Pinto Beans << literally just obsessed with these beans
• Brazilian Limeade << cool, creamy, tart, and perfect for serving with spicy food
• Vanilla Bean Horchata << I can never get enough horchata!
• Pico de Gallo << a fast and fresh topping for your fajitas
• Mexican Cucumber Salad with Cilantro and Lime << I love the flavors! This salad is so easy
• Spanish Cauliflower Rice << going low carb? This isn’t rice but it’s just as good
• Tres Leches Cake << the sweet and creamy Mexican dessert of your dreams
• Mexican Rice from Little Sunny Kitchen
• Homemade Refried Beans from Dassana’s Veg Recipes

How to store chicken fajitas

Leftover chicken and peppers/onions can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. They’re an awesome meal prep option to make on the weekend. You can even put them in containers with beans and rice for a protein-packed work lunch (no tortillas needed). If it were me I’d just sprinkle the shredded cheese on top and let it get melty when you microwave it.

Can I freeze chicken fajitas?

Yes, freezing already-cooked fajitas is easy! But a warning: frozen, reheated peppers and onions will be soft, not crisp-tender like they are when fresh. If you don’t mind soft veggies then put the chicken, peppers, and onions all together in a Ziplock bag and freeze for 2-3 months. If you keep your meat and veggies separate for serving, you can freeze just the meat and cook up some fresh onions and pepper when you use the meat later. To use, thaw the bag in the fridge overnight or at least for a few hours, then warm everything up in a skillet on medium high.

If you’d like to do your future-self a favor, you can freeze the uncooked chicken and marinade in a ziplock. Let it thaw overnight and cook the next day with fresh veggies. I wouldn’t freeze raw onions and peppers ahead of time, they will cook up mushy.

Chicken fajitas frequently asked questions

More delicious Mexican food

• Carne Asada << carne asada…my true love forever and ever. Made with skirt steak!
• The Best Chicken Tacos << these are so easy to make on the stovetop or in the slow cooker.
• Slow Cooker Pork Tacos with Mexican Coleslaw << savory pork, crunchy fresh topping.
• Chicken Flautas << an amazing appetizer or dinner. So crispy!
• Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies << cinnamon and chocolate might be my new favorite combo.
• Mexican Wedding Cookies << no matter what you call these, they’re totally irresistible.
• How to Make Churros from Love from the Oven
• Enchiladas Potosinas from La Piña in La Cocina
• Chicken Alambres from My Slice of Mexico