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Chicken Fajitas

Crazy delicious chicken breast may sound like an oxymoron, but—thanks to a limey, pineapple-and-jalapeño marinade—these chicken fajitas are as delicious as it gets.

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cast iron skillet of chicken fajitas with bell peppers, avocado, and fresh limes

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.

ingredients for chicken fajitas in small bowls

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:

  1. Place your boneless, skinless chicken breasts into a zip-top bag, squeeze the air out and seal the top.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
glass bowl with raw chicken in fajita marinade
skillet of raw red, yellow and green bell peppers and onions
cast iron skillet of cooked fajita chicken
cast iron skillet of cooked fajita chicken, red, green and yellow bell peppers and onions

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Crank those burners & yell “dinner in ten!”—it’s time to cook!
fajita chicken, sauteed bell peppers and sliced avocado topped with red pepper flakes

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!
cast iron skillet of chicken fajitas with tortillas on the side

Tools You’ll Need to Make Chicken Fajitas:

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!

Chicken Fajitas

  • Serves: 8
  • Prep Time:  30 min
  • Cook Time:  20 min
  • Calories: 316

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple
  • zest of 1 lime
  • juice of 1 lime, about 1/4 cup
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 jalapeño, seeded, minced
  • 2 tbsp worcestershire
  • 2 tbsp cilantro leaves
  • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded into 1"thickness an cut into 1" strips and (optional) pounded thin
  • 4 tbsp olive or canola oil, divided
  • 1 small red onion, ¼ thinly sliced for the marinade ¾ sliced for the sautéd veggies
  • 1 green bell pepper, ½” sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, ½” sliced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, ½” sliced
  • 8-10 6” or 8” flour tortillas

serve with

  • lime wedges
  • cilantro leaves
  • avocado
  • queso fresco or cotija cheese

Method

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the marinade.
  2. Mix the chicken into the bowl and let it marinade for 30 minutes at room temperature or cover it and place it in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the the oil in a large cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Working small batches add the chicken to the pan and sauté until the chicken is cooked all the way through.
  4. When the chicken is cooked add the remaining 2 tbsp oil to the pan and turn up the heat to high. Once oil is smoking sauté the red onions and bell peppers on until they are just tender and turning dark brown in some spots. Add chicken back into the pan and mix everything together.
  5. Serve the fajitas with warm tortillas, lime, cilantro, avocados and cheese if desired.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories316
  • Protein38 g
  • Carbohydrates24 g
  • Total Fat11 g
  • Dietary Fiber1 g
  • Cholesterol66 mg
  • sodium487 mg
  • Total Sugars5 g

Chicken Fajitas

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • Archie Lynch

    There is some indication we might want to put some red onion in the marinade but the instructions don't exactly spell that out. Do we, don't we, should we?

    No the red onion does not go in the marinade. Hope you enjoy Archie!

  • dawn waddington

    can i marinate the chicken overnight?

    You sure can Dawn, hope you enjoy!

  • Ana SF

    I'm assuming the nutritional information is for the chicken, and doesn't include the tortillas? Thanks!

    Thanks for asking Ana, the nutrition information does include tortillas. The recipe serve 8 so the nutrition is for one serving. It just doesn't include anything listed under "for serving" (lime wedges, cilantro, avocado and queso fresco).

  • Steve bauer

    Do I add marinade in cast iron pan with chicken

    No need. Just take the chicken out of the marinade and put it in the pan. Hope you enjoy, Steve!

  • Julia

    Can you substitute lemon for lime?

    Sure!

  • Flora

    I made these today and they were delicious. My only advice would be to cut the chili powder by half. Very good recipe.

    Thanks Flora! Glad you loved them!

  • Eileen Bickenbach

    So easy!! The marinade is everything. My picky eaters couldn't get enough!

    Yay!

  • Suzy

    Made a double batch. Came out awesome! Sweet, savory and not too hot from the jalapeño. Good and quick ! Loved it!

    We love hearing this!

  • The NachoJones1

    Made these last night and they were delicious. The pineapple and the Worcestershire compliment each other so well. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks so much.

    Yay! So glad to hear!

  • Giselle

    Made these tonight and everyone loved them! I made a homemade salsa and added it to the tacos and it was delicious!!

    Yay! So glad you loved them!