The BEST chicken fajitas are so quick to throw together! Chicken gets marinated in the best juicy lime marinade, then seared for that unmistakeable crisp-charred outer edge!
Serve with onions and colourful bell pepper strips and the traditional flour (or corn) tortillas for the best dinner in minutes! OR wrap them in a lettuce leaf for a low carb option. These are the Best Chicken Fajitas and they are so versatile!
Best Chicken Fajitas
Chicken Fajitas would have to be one of the easiest recipes out there, BUT people (used to be me) usually opt to buy seasoning in a packet from the supermarket. Well, these chicken fajitas hit those packets over the head a million times over. Why buy it when you can make it SO MUCH BETTER yourself with just a handful of ingredients, and maybe only 3 extra minutes added to your prep time?
The BEST Chicken Fajita Marinade
My marinade base consists of 5 ingredients. ONLY 5.
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- Lime juice (freshly squeezed is best)
- Cumin
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Chili (you can use crushed red pepper flakes or ground chili)
From here, you can add as much salt and pepper as you wish, finely chopped cilantro, dried oregano, whatever you have on hand. SO MUCH BETTER than a dry rub! You’re guaranteed tender, juicy chicken just from the addition of tangy lime juice.
Chicken breast or thighs
This one is personal preference, although my favourite option is chicken thighs. You can’t beat naturally juicy thigh strips in a tortilla wrap. Having said that, my husband is all for chicken breasts and isn’t that the beauty of cooking! There’s no right or wrong. Charred edges can absolutely be achieved with both cuts.
Cast iron skillet or pan
A cast iron skillet is what I use for the best sear. To use cast iron, make sure you’ve seasoned it properly first to avoid the meat sticking on the base. HOWEVER, if you don’t own a cast iron, you can most certainly use a nonstick pan. Just get your pans hot first before adding your chicken.
Add your thighs in whole and cook them until they are completely cooked through. Allow them to rest, then slice. THIS guarantees the juiciest chicken thigh strips EVER. Cooking them as strips won’t give you an incredibly juicy result.
I choose three different coloured red bell peppers (or capsicums) to get the best visual impact of seeing fajitas on a plate. You can also add orange or use whatever colours you can find in your store.
You guys have so far loved my take on some incredibly crispy Pork Carnitas (Mexican Slow Cooked Pulled Pork), not to mention these popular Chili Lime Steak Fajitas. Being a big believer of if-you’re-onto-something-REALLY-good-why-change-it type of thing, I didn’t mess around too much with your much loved chicken fajita marinade found in this amazing grilled chicken fajita salad here.
There you have it. The most juiciest, tender chicken strips with charred golden crusts and crunchy outer edges. Perfectly seared. Amazingly juicy.
Since I serve our fajitas straight from the skillet onto the table with a buffet of fajita additions, I add avocado slices to the pan just to slightly heat them up a tiny little bit.
Best toppings to serve with chicken fajitas
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Salsa
- Pico De Gallo
- Cheese (I use a Mexican blend, but you can use Cheddar, Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack
- Black Beans & Rice
The BEST Chicken Fajitas!
Love Tex Mex? Try these recipes!
Carne Asada
Crispy Pork Carnitas (Mexican Slow Cooked Pulled Pork)
Cilantro Lime Chicken
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The BEST chicken fajitas are so quick to throw together! Chicken gets marinated in the best juicy lime marinade, then seared for that unmistakeable crisp-charred outer edge! Serve with onions and bell pepper strips!
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2-1 teaspoon ground chili (adjust to your desired spice preference)
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro (optional)
- 1 1/2 pounds (650 grams) chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
- 3 large bell peppers (or capsicums), cut into strips (I use green, red and yellow)
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- 2 avocados, peeled, seeded and sliced
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In a large shallow bowl, combine lime juice, oil, garlic, cumin, salt, chili and cilantro; mix together. Add the chicken thighs and If time allows, let marinate for 30 minutes.
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Heat a large skillet or pan (12-inch | 30cm) on medium-high heat until smoking. Add a drizzle of olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Sear the chicken on both sides until golden, charred and cooked right through (about 8 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your fillets). Flip them a couple of times while cooking so they get a nice even char.
Transfer chicken to a warm plate, loosely tent with foil and let rest.
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Add the peppers and onions to the skillet (drizzle with a little extra oil only if needed), and cook until the onion is soft and the peppers are slightly charred and cooked to your liking. Season with salt and pepper.
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Slice chicken into strips.
Serve with warmed tortillas, chopped cilantro and sliced avocado (plus your desired fillings).
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Esther Ramadan says
Did you cut your chicken through the middle to make them thin? Yours looks a lot thinner than mine typically do.
Karina says
Hi Esther,
No I did not.
JJ says
The good stuff! Exactly like the fajitas you would get in a restaurant in So-Cal. Where I grew up it was standard to use green bell peppers and cut them and the onions into good sized squares.
Karina says
I am so glad that you enjoyed them!! They really are so good. Thanks for the feedback and thanks for following along with me! xo
Beth says
I make this recipe once a week, and I always look forward to fajita night! This recipe is sooooo good, thank you for sharing!!!!
Marilyn Schmidt says
Is there a site I can go to to print this recipe?
Karina says
Yes, please visit my site at cafedelites.com. Here is the link to this recipe for you: https://cafedelites.com/chicken-fajitas/. You can print any of my recipes from my site. Thanks for following along with me! XO
Trish says
Made this last night. Needless to say the pan was empty. Everyone loved it!! Thank you
Darla U says
LOVE THIS RECIPE!! My Boys keep begging me to make it again. Thanks so much for sharing. Also tried this with Pork not bad but the Chicken thighs was the best tasting!
Maggie Unzueta says
This dish looks amazing. I wish I could eat that right now!
Beverly Chance says
I am not a good cook…at all. I decided to try cooking again here lately and found your website. This was the first recipe to try…THANK YOU! It turned out delicious, the directions were spot on, nothing confusing, I barreled right through. Thanks again.
Karina says
That is great to hear! I am so glad that you tried this recipe and it worked great for you! Thank you for sharing and following along with me! XO
Diane Bernard says
Made chicken fajitas with this recipe and it was awesome! My husband owns a restaurant & is the chef and he declared this as THE BEST Mexican dish I’ve ever made! Made it exactly as you did but did add some fresh hot peppers coz th hubbly loves them! Thanks for the recipe!
ken Weaver says
I made this over the weekend and my 2 sons loved it
Laura Burton says
Can I marinate the chicken longer than 30 minutes?
Karina says
Yes, of course! YUM!
Angie says
I made this tonight for my family. Very flavorful. Very easy to make. My family loved it. Will be making again.
Karina says
YAY!! That is so exciting to hear! Thanks so much for sharing!
Debbie says
I made this tonight for my family and they loved it. I followed the directions as written. So easy and so flavorful. A crowd pleaser at my house. Will be making again and again. Thank you!
Karina says
That is awesome! Too perfect! So glad that it worked out for you! Thanks for sharing!
Sharon Hamilton says
I made the chicken fajitas last night. Soooo delicious. The marinade made the chicken truly juicy and even more tasty than I could have imagined! This recipe is going to be a frequent meal and so good I will most definitely make it for dinner guests. Thanks for the great recipe. I’m moving on to other Cafe Delites recipes FOR SURE!!!
Tymeron Smith says
YAY! Perfect! Thanks so much for your love and support! I really appreciate it!
jessica says
I love this Chicken fajitas SO much! I’ll have to give it a try one of these days thanks for sharing
Karin B says
Can you post a pic of what your ground chili bottle looks like? I have no clue what that is, but I want to! 🙂
Beverly Y says
It’s just chili powder. McCormick’s or Badia or even store brand. That’s all.