Chicken Fajitas

By Ali Slagle

Published March 11, 2023

Chicken Fajitas
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Christine Albano.
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
5(3,740)
Comments
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You might think fajitas are too fussy for a weeknight, but this easy, foolproof version roasts on a sheet pan and can be ready in an hour. Because the ingredients are thinly sliced, everything cooks in a flash — and with little attention required. Smoked paprika, chipotle chiles and a quick stop under the broiler provide the smoky flavor that would traditionally come from the grill. This recipe is very adaptable: Chicken is called for here, but you could also use shrimp or skirt steak. For a vegetarian version, substitute fresh corn kernels, mushrooms, poblano peppers or zucchini for the meat. Cut the vegetables into sizes you’d want in a taco, coat them in the lime-chipotle marinade, roast until cooked, then broil until charred.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 6tablespoons olive oil
  • 1lime, zested and juiced (about 2 teaspoons zest and 2 tablespoons juice)
  • 1 to 2chipotle chiles in adobo, to taste, coarsely chopped
  • 2teaspoons ground cumin or crushed cumin seeds
  • 1teaspoon smoked paprika
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1½pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
  • 3bell peppers, any color or a combination
  • 1large red onion
  • 8flour tortillas, plus more as needed
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

732 calories; 33 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 20 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 62 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 48 grams protein; 1132 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together 4 tablespoons oil, the lime zest and juice, chipotle chiles, cumin and paprika with 1½ teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken, toss to coat and set aside to marinate while you prepare the vegetables.

  2. Step 2

    Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise, remove stem and seeds and cut into ¼-inch slices. Peel and halve the onion and cut it into ¼-inch slices. On a sheet pan, toss the bell peppers and onion with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Gently shaking off excess marinade as you go, transfer the chicken to a second sheet pan. Roast the chicken and vegetables until the chicken is cooked through and the peppers are soft, 15 to 20 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Once the chicken is out of the oven, move an oven rack close to the broiler. Turn on the broiler and transfer the sheet pan of vegetables to the rack. Broil until charred to your liking, 2 to 5 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    While the vegetables are broiling, place the tortillas directly on a free oven rack until warm, about 1 minute, flipping once halfway through. Wrap the tortillas in a kitchen towel or foil to keep them warm.

  6. Step 6

    Serve chicken and vegetables with tortillas and desired toppings.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
3,740 user ratings
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Comments

Bicka

This was excellent. Followed the directions but I had already chopped adobo chilis so I added about 1 tbs which turned out well. I saw one comment that you should not roast the veggies with the meat, only broil them which I think is so wrong. The roasting softens and sweetens the peppers and onion and then broiling gives them a bit of smokiness. Next time I will make more chicken to the peppers since I ended up with lots of leftover peppers but no chicken.

mj

There are easier ways to make fajitas. Cut up chicken or mushrooms, slice peppers, onions, maybe a zucchini and stirfry. Add a little taco seasoning and salsa. Put it on a tortilla and add cheese if you like. And you can heat tortillas on a dry skillet, medium heat. The next night have the leftovers with fish tacos. Tilapia or any mild flavored fish--- dredge them in taco seasoning and fry for a few minutes on each side. Add salsa and chopped cabbage if you have it.

Christy

Easy but don’t put the veggie pan in when you put chicken pan in! Directions aren’t clear. Wait and only do veggies 5 min or less under broiler

Veronica

This has become a go-to in our household! We just throw everything on one sheet and call it a day… a little easier and still plenty good for a quick weeknight meal!

Ben

Good recipe, made some tweaks to increase flavor which also made the recipe easier. Add chicken to same sheet pan as vegetables and use all marinade. Toss to coat peppers and onions. Remove chicken before broiling. Broil vegetables longer to accommodate the liquid from marinade. The marinade on peppers and onions was great.

NTT

Delicious! My husband is from South Texas, and he thought it was great too. I had to reduce the spice for my 3-year-old, so I used 1/4 tsp smoked paprika and 3/4 tsp sweet paprika, and I only used 1/4 tsp of mostly adobo sauce, very little chipotle. The chicken was still very flavorful.

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