Why you’ll love these baked chicken fajitas
I love fajitas, but making them on the stovetop always felt like a lot of running back and forth, watching things burn, dirtying a million pans. Not anymore. This sheet pan version fixes all of that.
Everything goes onto one pan, and you get delicious, juicy chicken and perfectly cooked vegetables without even being in the kitchen. Seriously simple, with minimal cleanup.
And, since fajitas are also endlessly customizable when it comes to toppings, so everyone at the table can build their own the way they like it. Dairy free cheese isn’t necessary, but sometimes we use it.
Have leftovers? Try making a fajita salad or adding them to breakfast tacos!
This recipe would be great with: chipotle salsa / roasted tomatillo salsa / roasted chili corn salsa / jalapeño margaritas / refried black beans
Melissa’s tips + tricks:
- Butterfly the chicken. If you didn’t buy thinly sliced chicken breasts, you’ll want to butterfly your chicken to help it cook at the same rate as the vegetables.
- Don’t skip the foil. Covering the pan keeps them natural steam in the pan and helps keep the chicken juicy and tenderize the veggies. Remove the foil halfway through to give everything time to crisp up and brown.
- Use a kitchen thermometer. The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165˚F. There should be nice pink and the juices should be clear, but the best way to ensure a safely cooked piece of chicken is to use a meat thermometer.
- How to slice chicken: Make sure you give the chicken about 5 minutes to rest before slicing to make sure it retains all its juiciness. Then, slice it thinly against the grain.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of onion is best for fajitas?
You can really use any onion you have on hand, but yellow or sweet onions would be the best choice. I like to use sweet onions for most recipes, and I think they work really well in this fajitas recipe.
Do you cut fajita meat before cooking it?
No. It’s best to cook the fajita meat before cutting it. This will help the meat to stay tender and juicy. This recipe calls for chicken tenders, so if you’re swapping chicken breasts, you can slice them into chicken tender shapes so they cook faster, but that’s all I would recommend.
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts - butterflied
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- ½ tablespoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
- 3 bell peppers - sliced
- 1 large onion - sliced
- 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with chilies
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- Coarse salt & pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 425˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice your veggies and butterfly chicken. Then, measure out the remaining ingredients before you begin.
- Season the chicken. Mix the chili powder, cumin, oregano, granulated garlic, salt & pepper together in a small bowl. Place the chicken breast on your baking sheet and season liberally with the spice mixture.
- Mix the vegetables. In a medium bowl, stir together the tomatoes, minced garlic and a pinch of coarse salt. Spread over the chicken and top with sliced bell peppers and onions.
- Bake the fajitas. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven for 25 – 30 minutes, or until vegetables have softened and slightly browned and the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165˚F (74˚C).
- Slice and serve. Remove from oven and allow the fajita mixture to rest for about 5 minutes. Then, thinly slice the chicken before serving.
