Cast Iron 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!
These cast iron skillet chicken fajitas are the BEST. End of story.
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? 😋
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.
🍳 Essential tools
Do you want to know the secret to amazing fajitas? It’s the skillet! Think about how restaurants serve their fajitas… in a flaming hot 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 set is this one from Walmart. They’re affordable, easy to clean, and last forever!
🧅 Ingredients
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 of 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 Fajitas
Chicken breasts: Cut these in half horizontally, then cut into ½ inch slices.
Bell peppers: Use a variety of colors! 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.
Toppings: Cheese, cilantro, lime, avocado, sour cream, lettuce, salsa and/or pico de gallo.
🔪 Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. Start by whisking all the marinade ingredients together. Place your sliced chicken 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 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. The veggies should be tender with plenty of charred spots. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Cook the meat. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and allow it 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 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.
👨👩👧👦 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.
🙋 Questions and Answers
This is a great 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 fajitas, fajita bowls, or fajita salads all week long!
You can add or substitute with 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 ⅓ 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 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 an air-tight container 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. My favorite microwave tortilla warmer is this one. 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 tortilla holder to keep them warm. It traps the steam to keep the tortillas fresh all the way through dinner.
📖 Other Mexican food recipes
- Pineapple Lime Rice (Instant Pot or Stovetop) - This is an easy but super flavorful rice that goes with Mexican, Asian, or tropical foods. Soooo yummy!
- Easy Chicken Tinga Tacos - Use rotisserie chicken and a simple tinga sauce to make super 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.
👨🏼🍳 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 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.
Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients
Marinade
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp smoked paprika or regular
- ½ tsp chipotle powder
- ½ tsp dried Mexican oregano
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 tsp liquid smoke
Chicken Fajitas
- 4 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 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- corn or flour tortillas
Toppings (optional)
- shredded cheese
- avocado
- salsa or pico de gallo
- chopped cilantro
- 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 tortillas and toppings.
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.
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 🙂