A Quick, Easy, Foolproof Chicken Fajita Recipe.
Let go of any cumbersome ideas you may have about fajitas—that they’re something you only order in restaurants, or that they’re only supposed to be made with steak—and make a little room in your life (and calendar) for a new weeknight staple! Our easy chicken fajita recipe is here to make your life a little easier, and a whole lot tastier.
How to Cut Chicken for Fajitas
Or, maybe we should say “how to pound chicken breast”, because really, pounding the boneless, skinless chicken breast until it is about an inch thick is what makes this easy chicken fajita recipe work so well. Plus, it’s fun to do! Perhaps the most defining feature of fajitas is that the meat—whether its steak or chicken—is always cut into thin, deeply flavorful strips, but before you can cut it, you need to pound it. Here’s how to get your chicken breast cut into those perfect fajita strips:
- Place your boneless, skinless chicken breasts into a zip-top bag, squeeze the air out and seal the top.
- Gather up all of your frustrations (if you’ve got them) and pound them out on that chicken breast until it’s about one-inch thick. You can use a mallet or even just a rolling pin. Note: this is also a very fun job for kids who are old enough to do this without hurting themselves, if you’re willing to outsource.
- Now we slice! With that chicken nice and thin, now it’s time to cut it into beautiful little strips. The thinner you slice the chicken, the faster it will cook, and the faster it will take on all the delicious flavors of the lime-y, pineapple-flecked fajita marinade you’re about to make.
How to Make Chicken Fajitas:
Once your chicken has been cut into lovely thin strips, it’s ready to begin its transformation from plain chicken breast into juicy, tender, flavorful bites of chicken fajita goodness. In other words, it’s ready to marinate in some classic Mexican flavors—plus a few less-than-traditional taste-enhancing additions—get cooked up with a rainbow of peppers, and fill warm flour tortillas.
Here’s how to make chicken fajitas:
- Marinate the chicken! OK, we’ve kind of buried the lede here. This is the best chicken fajita recipe ever because of the “secret” ingredient we’ve snuck into our marinade—canned, crushed pineapple! Pineapple is not just sweet and tangy, it’s also quite unusually acidic, making it ideal for marinating meat of all kinds. Our chicken fajita marinade pairs it with lime juice and a bit of cider vinegar to tenderize the chicken quickly and imbue it with loads of flavor. Worcestershire sauce, jalapeños and garlic round out this savory slurry, and make the chicken as savory as it is tender.
- Prep your vegetables. Your chicken needs to marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temp (or four hours in the fridge), in other words the perfect chance to prep the rest of the fajita ingredients and maybe mix up a pitcher of margaritas. Slice the red onion and bell peppers that’ll go inside your fajitas, and maybe prep all of the fajita toppings—avocado, lime, and queso fresco—while you’re at it.
- Crank those burners & yell “dinner in ten!”—it’s time to cook!
How to Cook Chicken Fajitas on the Stove
While you could make these easy chicken fajitas using just one skillet, we like to have two going at once to help get dinner on the table that much faster. Here’s how we do it:
- Toast your little flour tortillas until they’ve got just a bit of a blister, but pull them out of the pan before they burn! This happens fast—maybe ten seconds on each side.
- Sauté the chicken in one pan—about ten minutes at medium heat.
- Sauté the fajita vegetables in the other pan—this also takes about ten minutes (nice how that works out, huh?).
- Serve! Lay out a spread of toppings, so that everyone can build their own fajita just how they like it—an extra squeeze of lime juice, a little avocado for creaminess, or a big handful of queso fresco. There’s no wrong way!
Tools You’ll Need to Make Chicken Fajitas:
- Skillets.
- Bowl for marinating.
- Sharp knife for cutting the chicken super thin.
- Tongs are very helpful for turning the tortillas.
- Mallet (handy, but not a must)
Other Quick & Easy Mexican Chicken Recipes:
You’ll find a Mexican-inspired chicken recipe on our meal plan at least once a week, and usually more often than that. Bright, bold flavors and quick preparations make these easy Mexican recipes a no-brainer for weeknight dinners everyone can get excited about:
The Easiest, Best Chicken Fajitas Ever—Right?
These easy chicken fajitas offer so much deliciousness for so little effort—we’re pretty proud of them. We hope you make them, and love them as much as we do! If you do, snap a photo of your finished fajitas, and maybe even a video of the beautiful people you share them with. Tag us on Instagram using@themodernproper and #themodernproper so we can see! Happy eating!
