Sizzling Skillet Chicken Fajitas are truly restaurant-worthy! Soak the chicken in a super flavorful marinade, then cook in a cast iron skillet to create that signature seared chicken that’s still perfectly tender and juicy. Mix with charred bell peppers and onions, then pile it high on a soft tortilla for the ultimate Mexican dinner. After marinating, it can all be done in under 20 minutes!
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These cast iron skillet chicken fajitas are the BEST. End of story. It might just be the only chicken fajita recipe you will ever need.
They are intensely flavorful. It’s all made in a single skillet. The chicken is juicy, yet crusty. The veggies are soft and charred. And then you pile it in a soft tortilla with as many toppings as it can hold. Are you drooling yet? 😋 This is definitely a recipe the whole family will love!
The original recipe was inspired by Carlsbad Cravings, but we adapted it slightly. The absolute best part of the recipe is the marinade. It includes enough citrus and acid to tenderize the chicken, but tons of spices to give it flavor as well. I can't say enough about the fajita seasoning!
🍳 Essential tools
Do you want to know the secret to amazing fajitas? It’s the large skillet! Think about how restaurants serve their fajitas… in a sizzling skillet, yes? If you do the same at home by using a cast iron skillet, you’ll get that signature restaurant-style chicken that is juicy on the inside with a golden sear on the outside.
You don’t even need a high-end cast iron to do the trick. My favorite 12-inch cast iron skillet (affiliate) has a double handle feature. They’re affordable, easy to clean, and last forever!
🌶 Ingredient list
Marinade
- Canola oil: This is the base of the marinade.
- Brown sugar: Just for a bit of sweetness to balance all of the spices.
- Orange juice and lime juice: Use fresh squeezed whenever possible, especially the lime juice. Cartoned orange juice will work fine if that’s what you have.
- Soy sauce: Adds a little tang to the marinade.
- Dijon mustard: Don’t substitute with regular or brown mustard, as those will change the flavor profile.
- Liquid smoke: This is made using condensation from real smoke, so it is not artificial smoke flavor. The amazing flavor it adds is SO worth the extra effort to get it from the store.
- Spices: Chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, smoked paprika, chipotle powder, dried Mexican oregano, pepper.
Chicken Skillet Fajitas
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: To prepare chicken breast for fajitas, cut them in half horizontally, then cut into thin slices about ½ inch wide. Feel free to use chicken thighs if desired.
- Bell peppers: Use a variety of colorful peppers! Red, green, yellow, or orange are all perfect. Remove the seeds and cut into ½ inch slices.
- Onion: I use yellow onion, but purple or white onion are great also. Remove the skin and cut into ½ inch slices.
- Olive oil: You can also use canola oil.
- Salt and pepper: Just a simple way to add extra flavor to the veggies.
- Tortillas: Flour or corn tortillas, depending on your preferences. Our favorite tortillas are the ones that come uncooked. Nothing like warm homemade tortillas without all the work.
- Toppings for fajitas: Shredded cheese, fresh cilantro, diced tomatoes, fresh lime juice, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, salsa and/or pico de gallo.
🥘 How to cook fajitas in a cast iron skillet
- Marinate the chicken. Start by whisking all the marinade ingredients together. Place your sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts in a bag, then pour the marinade on top. Seal the bag and agitate it to coat the chicken. Then let it marinate for at least 6 hours-overnight, or freeze it.
- Drain the meat. Before cooking, drain the chicken in a strainer. Allow the marinade to drain thoroughly. This helps prevent soggy chicken.
- Cook the veggies. Add ½ tablespoon oil to a cast iron skillet (affiliate) and place on the stove top over high heat until very hot. Add the onions, bell peppers, salt, and pepper to the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes. The veggies should be tender with plenty of charred spots. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- How to make fajitas sizzle. Add another tablespoon of oil to the hot skillet and allow it to get hot. Still over high heat, add half of the drained chicken to the fajita pan and sear, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. You should hear that nice sizzle sound if the cast iron pan is hot enough and the meat was drained thoroughly. Remove the meat from the skillet and repeat with the second half.
- Mix and serve. Add the veggies back into the skillet with the chicken and toss with tongs. Then serve with tortillas and toppings.
🍽 How are fajitas traditionally served?
Traditionally, fajitas serve the strips of meat and charred vegetables on a sizzling iron skillet with sides such as refried beans, Mexican rice, warm tortillas, and a variety of favorite toppings. A true Tex-Mex favorite!
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
There are a few important things to consider if you want to serve skillet chicken fajitas to a crowd. First, you can freeze the chicken in the marinade up to 3 months in advance, so a big chunk of the work can be out the way. You can also prep veggies the day before, which really just leaves the cooking for the day of.
The biggest thing to keep in mind is that the amounts in this recipe are designed to fit in one cast iron skillet. To double the recipe, you will have to use two large skillets simultaneously. It is possible, but depending on how comfortable you are it may be a lot going at once. To serve, either leave in the skillets or place ingredients in groups on a long platter.
🙋 Questions and Answers
This is the perfect meal prep recipe! First, you can freeze the chicken in the marinade up to 3 months in advance. You can also cut all the veggies the day before and prep most of the toppings the day before. Then you just have to cook it all. Once you have cooked the fajitas, you can store everything separately for awesome leftovers. Make fajita tacos, fajita bowls, or fajita salads all week long!
You can add or substitute with jalapenos, zucchini, yellow squash, or mushrooms. Just make sure to cut the veggies in equal size pieces to ensure even cooking.
In my experience, each person will eat about half of a large chicken breast worth of fajitas. This recipe calls for four chicken breasts (or about 2lbs) and serves 6 with a few leftovers.
You cannot freeze chicken fajitas after they have been cooked, but you can freeze the chicken fajitas in the marinade for up to 3 months. My favorite way to do this is to double or triple the marinade when I am already doing the work, then freeze 2-3 batches of chicken in separate zipper bags. Then I have 2-3 meals ready for me in the freezer!
These make great leftovers. Store them in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat them in a hot cast iron skillet to recreate some of the yummy char, or in the microwave for a quicker option.
Whether you use corn or flour tortillas, there are a few ways to warm them.
1) Over an open flame on the stove. Use tongs to flip them a few times until lightly charred and hot.
2) In the microwave. This tortilla warmer (affiliate) has become my favorite. It is AMAZING.
3) In a lightly oiled skillet. You can spray a cast iron or non-stick skillet with oil, then cook until both sides are warm and just barely crisped.
Whichever method you choose, stick the warmed tortillas in this warmer (affiliate) to keep them warm. It traps the steam to keep the tortillas fresh all the way through dinner.
📖 Other Mexican food recipes
- Pollo de Tinga - Use rotisserie chicken and a simple tinga sauce to make flavorful tacos for a busy weeknight.
- The Ultimate Grilled Taco Marinade - This marinade is quick to make in the blender, perfect for skirt steak or chicken. It makes amazing tacos, nachos, or Mexican bowls.
- Roasted Pineapple Habanero Salsa - Roasted veggies, sweet pineapple, and fiery habaneros make the most addicting salsa recipe.
- Authentic Dutch Oven Carnitas - You can't beat tender pulled pork with crispy edges. It makes great tacos, enchiladas, and more!
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Don’t skimp on the marinade. I know it’s a lot of ingredients and you might be tempted to skip a few…. But don’t. It’s worth it, I promise.
- Drain the fajita meat very well before cooking. To get that signature sear, you want to eliminate as much liquid as possible.
- Use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet for best results. It gives you the best char while maintaining the juiciness of the meat.
- If liquid accumulates while cooking the chicken, remove the chicken and drain off the extra liquid. This extra step helps keep the outside crispy instead of soggy.
- Cook the meat in batches for best results. Overcrowding the pan causes the chicken to steam instead of sear.
👋 Connect with us!
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below to let us know how it is! We’d also love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Tag @borrowedbites or hashtag #borrowedbites to show us your food!
📋 Recipe
Sizzling Skillet Chicken Fajitas (w/ BEST Marinade)
Ingredients
Marinade
- 2 tablespoon canola oil
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon orange juice
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika or regular
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
- ½ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoon liquid smoke
Chicken Fajitas
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs) cut in ½ horizontally, then cut in ½ inch slices
- 3 bell peppers various colors, cut into ½ inch slices
- 1 yellow onion or purple or white, cut into ½ inch slices
- 2½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoon canola oil
- corn or flour tortillas
Toppings (optional)
- shredded cheese
- avocado
- salsa or pico de gallo
- fresh cilantro chopped
- fresh lime juice
- sour cream
- shredded lettuce
Instructions
- Whisking all the marinade ingredients together. Place sliced chicken in a bag, then pour the marinade on top. Seal the bag and agitate to coat chicken in marinade. Marinate for at least 6 hours - overnight, or freeze it.
- Once marinated, drain chicken in a strainer, allowing to drain thoroughly.
- While chicken is draining, add ½ tablespoon of oil to a cast iron skillet and heat over high heat until very hot. Add the onions, bell peppers, salt, and pepper to the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes. Once tender and charred, remove from skillet.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the hot skillet and allow to get hot. Still over high heat, add half of the drained chicken and sear, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the meat from the skillet and repeat with second half of chicken.
- Add the veggies back into the skillet with the chicken and toss with tongs. Then serve with warm tortillas and toppings.
- We love comments! Please come back and leave us one after you’ve tried this recipe.
Notes
- Don’t skimp on the marinade. I know it’s a lot of ingredients and you might be tempted to skip a few…. But don’t. It’s worth it, I promise.
- Drain the meat very well before cooking. To get that signature sear, you want to eliminate as much liquid as possible.
- Use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet for best results. It gives you the best char while maintaining the juiciness of the meat.
- If liquid accumulates while cooking the chicken, remove the chicken and drain off the extra liquid. This extra step helps keep the outside crispy instead of soggy.
- Cook the meat in batches for best results. Overcrowding the pan causes the chicken to steam instead of sear.
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Aspen says
Wow, so flavorful! I have a hard time cooking juicy chicken, but those were very helpful tips to get it to turn out like restaurant quality fajitas. Thanks!
Danielle says
This really is one of my favorite recipes. So happy you like them!
Rachel says
Yep, this is another keeper. I actually didn't have any peppers to cook with but I did use onions and tomatoes instead. Make sure you drain the marinade VERY well like they said, it makes a HUGE difference in the chicken's ability to sear. There's something so unique and so satisfying when cooking in a cast iron skillet. Tummy's happy and full in our home.
Misty says
Yup, a super thorough drain does the trick. So glad you enjoyed it!
Phyllis says
This is Phyllis again. This time I doubled the recipe like you suggested. I used 4 lbs of chicken breasts and divided it up into four equal portions to feed three people each time. I’m freezing them now in my glass storage bowls and then I will remove them and use my food saver to seal them out of the glass storage bowls for four terrific dinners. The doubling idea is a great one. You two have GREAT recipes and so easy to follow. Love all the ‘TIPS’
Misty says
We love to double it and freeze it too! Glad you enjoyed it.
Phyllis says
I just fixed this last night and it was so tasty. I will always do it this way from now on. This actually made enough for the two of us to make three dinner meals. I took the other two meals and froze and sealed them for the future. Thanks for the great recipe. Keep up the good work.
Misty says
That's great! Nothing better than extra meals on hand for the future. Glad you enjoyed them!
Margie says
Whoaaaa, these were so tasty. The marinade had a ton of ingredients, but I’ve never had more flavorful fajitas. Yum!
Misty says
Yes, it's a super flavorful marinade! Glad you liked it 🙂