This recipe for chicken fajitas should be on everyone’s rotation since it is quick, easy and liked by all!
The combination of seasoning and acidity in the marinade, culminates to mouthwateringly juicy chicken as the end result plus a table-full of happy people.
What you will love about this chicken fajitas recipe
The marinade is full of flavor and you can put the chicken in a bag to marinate it either overnight, or if you’re like me and you forgot, you can marinate it 30 minutes before cooking.
All I know is, as soon as you bite into that juicy and delicious chicken, you will be hooked! You will inevitably add it to your list of regular “go-to” recipes, and you will be whipping it up on days when you are short on time.
Ingredients for Chicken Fajitas
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: For this recipe, you will want chicken breasts that are already deboned with the skin off. You don’t want too much fat on your chicken and you want it to be firm so that it doesn’t fall apart in the skillet. In this recipe, you will learn how to perfectly marinate and prepare the chicken breasts so that the end result is ALWAYS juicy.
Spices: The spices for the marinade include all of your basic Mexican spices: cumin, chili powder, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. If you don’t like one of those ingredients then simply leave it out.
Lemon juice: Lemon juice not only adds flavor to our recipe, but it also helps to tenderize the chicken so that it reaches its full potential for juiciness.
Onions and Bell Peppers: Fajitas are not fajitas without onions and peppers! I personally like to use red or orange bell peppers in fajitas since they are slightly more sweet than green peppers. If you like the taste of green peppers, which tend to be slightly more bitter, feel free to use green peppers. This is totally up to you and what you prefer!
Flour Tortillas: The standard and traditional tortilla to use for fajitas is a flour tortilla. I personally like fluffy flour tortillas that are on the smaller side. If you buy larger burrito style tortillas, you will find it more difficult to eat since everything will be falling out and the tortilla-to-topping ratio will be uneven.
Toppings: The basic components in this chicken fajita recipe are being cooked in the cast iron skillet, but in order to have an outstanding chicken fajita, you need to incorporate the right toppings. I suggest you utilize your favorite salsa (ex. salsa casera, chipotle salsa or even salsa verde), shredded quesadilla cheese, sour cream and shredded iceberg lettuce.
Optional Ingredients
Jalapeños- If you like to add a kick to your food, I suggest adding cayenne pepper powder to your marinade and chopped up jalapeños to your onions and peppers.
Traditional toppings- If you want to make it more authentic and less “American”, consider adding diced avocados along with fresh diced white onions and finely chopped cilantro. Squeezing fresh lime juice over an authentic fajita will give it even more depth of flavor.
How to make the juiciest Chicken Fajitas in a Cast Iron Skillet
Step 1- Begin by trimming excess fat off of the chicken breasts and by lightly scoring it. Here is how to score chicken breast. With a sharp knife make 2-3 shallow slits at an angle on one side of the chicken. Make 2-3 more slits perpendicular to slits that are already there. Make sure that it is a shallow slit! You don’t want it deep or to accidentally cut the chicken all the way through.
Step 2- Place the scored chicken in a gallon size resealable plastic bag and add the salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano and minced garlic.
Step 3- Measure out the lemon juice and pour it in the bag, over the top of the chicken and spices. Seal the bag tightly and remove as much air as possible. Gently massage the chicken, juice and spices around the bag so that it coats all of the chicken.
Step 4- Thinly slice the onion and the bell pepper and place the julienned slices in a quart size resealable bag. Add ½ teaspoon salt and 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice to the bag and seal it, trying to remove as much air as possible.
Step 5- Place both bags in the fridge and allow them to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes up to 24 hours. The longer you marinate it, the more flavorful the chicken will be.
Step 6- Turn the stove on medium to heat until the cast iron pan is hot. Remove the bags from the fridge.
Step 7- Place the chicken on the hot pan and let it cook on each side for 6-7 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
Step 8- Remove the cooked chicken and cover it with foil and let it rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing it.
Step 9- While the chicken is resting, put the marinated onions and peppers into the hot cast iron skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil. Heat the tortillas up in a dry pan or on a comál until warm and they begin to brown.
Step 10- With a sharp knife, thinly slice the chicken against the grain for the juiciest results. When the veggies have cooked slightly and begin to brown (the pan should have been hot enough for this to happen), add the sliced chicken back in the pan and toss it all together.
Step 11- Assemble your fajitas with all the toppings you want and enjoy!
Alternative Grilled Method
If you would rather grill the chicken on a gas grill, prepare it the same way and cook it over medium heat using all of the same methodology. In order to grill the veggies, you will need to double wrap them in foil and grill them directly over the flame for at least 15 minutes before adding the chicken. The veggies take longer.
Tips
Low-medium heat- In order to avoid dry chicken, it is best to cook it on low-medium heat. Using high heat tends to burn the outside of the chicken and dry out the meat completely, leaving you disappointed.
Rest the chicken- Resting the chicken for 5 minutes after removing it from the pan is extremely important for juicy chicken! Resist the temptation to cut into the chicken. If you cut into the chicken immediately after removing it from the pan, all of the juices will run out and leave your meat dry. Allowing it to rest will force the juices to reincorporate and settle into the chicken, giving you the best results for juicy and tender chicken.
Slice against the grain- Slicing chicken against the grain ensures that you will have tender chicken. If you slice it with the grain your end result will be stringy and chewy chicken.
Substitutions
Make it gluten free- If you are gluten free, you can substitute corn tortillas for the flour tortillas. Although that is not traditional, it is a great substitute if you need to be gluten free.
Different kinds of cheese- For the toppings, I recommend using a mild and melty quesadilla cheese that is shredded. Feel free to substitute with your favorite shredded cheese like cheddar or mozzarella.
Add other vegetables- Sliced button mushrooms are a good (yet not traditional) addition to the veggies.
What to serve with Chicken Fajitas
Mexican rice- A side of authentic yellow Mexican rice always pairs well with some good chicken fajitas!
Cilantro lime rice- This delicious white rice complements the chicken fajitas really well.
Refried beans- Classic refried beans are twice cooked pinto beans that are either smashed or puréed with onions and garlic, and served as a side dish to many Mexican dishes.
Storage, Freezing and Reheating
Storage instructions: Store any leftover chicken, separate from any toppings or tortillas, in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating: Reheat the chicken in the microwave, heat up a tortilla on a pan then assemble your fajitas with the toppings.
Freezing: The great thing about cooked chicken is that you can easily freeze it to use for another time. Tightly wrap the cooked and sliced chicken in plastic wrap and store it in a freezer bag or airtight container in a deep freezer for up to 3 months. You can use the chicken again for fajitas, burritos, or toss it in a salad.
FAQ’s
Why should I score chicken breasts?
Shallow scoring of the chicken breast before marinating provides more surface area and ensures that you get maximum flavor infused into the chicken.
How to slice chicken breast against the grain?
In order to avoid chewy and stringy chicken, it is imperative to slice it properly or “against the grain.”
This is how you determine how the grain runs and which angle to slice it. After the chicken is fully cooked and rested, if you were to pull it apart with your fingers, you would notice that it comes apart in “strings” all in one direction. You do not want to slice it parallel or in the same direction that the strings run, that would be slicing it with the grain.
Determine which way the grain is (which way the strings run) and thinly slice the chicken at a perpendicular angle to the grain so that you cut through the strings, not with them.
Why do I need to let the chicken rest?
Letting the chicken to rest after pulling it off the heat is a determining factor in how juicy your chicken will be. Allowing the chicken to rest gives the juices a chance to redistribute through the chicken breast. If you cut the chicken immediately after pulling it from the heat, you will drain the chicken of its juices and ensure that you will have dry chicken. Although it requires self control to let the chicken rest, it is the best way to end up with juicy chicken.
How long should I let chicken breast rest after cooking?
Cover the chicken with a tent of foil and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing into it. I have found that 5 minutes does the job of allowing the juices to redistribute and the foil tent still keeps it nice and warm.
Chicken Fajitas
Equipment
- 1 10-12 inch cast iron griddle pan/skillet
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 2-3 lbs
- 1 large sweet onion
- ½ bell pepper green or red*
- ½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons lemon juice separated
- 3 teaspoons salt separated
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
Instructions
- Trim excess fat from the chicken breasts and lightly score one side of the breast 4-5 times.
- Place the chicken in a gallon-size resealable bag and add 2 ½ teaspoons salt, the minced garlic and the rest of the spices.
- Measure out ½ cup lemon juice and pour it in the bag over the chicken and spices. Get rid of as much air as possible from the bag and seal it tightly.
- Gently massage the chicken, juices and spices in the bag until the chicken is coated around.
- Thinly julienne the onion and ½ bell pepper and place the slices in a quart-size resealable bag. Add ½ teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Seal the bag.
- Place both bags in the fridge and let them marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the cast iron pan to medium heat. Place the chicken in the hot pan for 6-7 minutes on each side until the internal temperature reaches 160℉. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover the chicken with foil, allowing it to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
- While the chicken is resting, put the veggies into the hot skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Also heat the tortillas up in a dry pan or comál until warm and they begin to brown.
- After the chicken has rested and while the veggies are cooking, thinly slice the chicken against the grain for the best results. Add the sliced chicken back to the skillet with the veggies and give it a toss.
- Assemble the fajitas with your favorite toppings. Serve and enjoy!