Easy Baked Chicken Fajitas

This Baked Chicken Fajitas Recipe is my go-to for an easy dinner.  With only a few ingredients and one casserole dish, this Mexican inspired meal can be prepped and in the oven in as little as 15 minutes. You won’t believe how delicious it is and how much flavor is packed into every bite.  This is a recipe that is on our regular rotation for a good reason!

this Recipe

 

Chicken Fajita Bake- The Story

These baked chicken fajitas are the first recipe on this site for a very important reason!  They embody everything I want Easy Family Recipes to be about.

This recipe is quick.

This recipe is easy.

This recipe is mostly healthy.

This recipe is insanely delicious.

Easy Baked Chicken Fajitas

This isn’t a traditional chicken fajita recipe (check out this one if you are looking for authentic chicken fajitas!)  In this baked chicken fajitas recipe you bake the chicken breast whole.

Although you can cut the chicken into strips after cooking, and eat with tortillas or however you want, I usually serve the chicken fajita bake as a whole chicken breast on top of rice.

You get all the flavors of fajitas in a fraction of the time, making a really easy recipe!  With only 5 every day ingredients, you can have it from the fridge to the oven in just a few minutes.

I will shred and freeze the leftover fajita chicken (on the rare occasion we have leftovers, or if I double it just for this purpose) to use to make enchiladas, tacos, or tostadas quickly on another night. See the bottom for some great leftover recipes!

If you want to offer more variety, you can pair these with my Easy Steak Fajitas or Quick Pork Fajitas for a Mexican feast!

How to Make Baked Chicken Fajitas

If you hang around you will find that I always post the recipe card for any meal at the bottom of the post, but in this section I will go through the recipe step by step and answer most questions you might have.  

So follow along here to get my tips and tricks, or skip to the bottom for the quick view.

Ingredients + Substitutions

• Chicken breast– If you have extra large, thick chicken breasts, you may want to cut them in half so they are half as thick, if your chicken breasts are small-medium then I recommend using 4.
• Fajita seasoning– I LOVE to use this homemade fajita seasoning, but the charm of this baked chicken fajita recipe is that it is so quick, so you can use premade or even substitute taco seasoning.
• Sweet bell peppers, thinly sliced (any combination or green, red, orange, yellow)- I like to mix it up with a few colors to make it pretty, but you can use all one color or a mix, it doesn’t matter too much for taste. Make sure the slices are fairly thin so it can cook as evenly as possible.
• Sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced- You can also use red onion if you prefer it.  Make sure the onion is sliced thin so it cooks through and the sweetness comes out.
• Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded- You can substitute mexican blend here, but I like sharp cheddar because it gives the most flavor with the least amount of cheese.  If you are really watching calories, you can even reduce the amount a little without impacting the final dish.
• Chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)- If you like cilantro, I find this to be a great little extra, but it by no means is the most integral part of the dish.

Recipe Step by Step

Recipe Variations

• Spicy Chicken Fajitas– By default this is a pretty mild recipe, to make spicy chicken fajitas, add 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper to the fajita seasoning. Then slice fresh jalapeño peppers to cook along with the veggies.
• Loaded Veggie Chicken Fajitas– If you like a big variety of vegetables in your fajitas, you can add squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and even tomatoes into the veggie mixture. If you add too many extra veggies you may need to cook them on a separate sheet pan.
• Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas– If you want an even faster cook time, you can use this method for making chicken fajitas on a sheet pan.

Short Cuts

To make a quick recipe even faster for the busiest nights, try these tips!

• Use precut the veggies so that they are already ready to go or buy them already prepped.  Many super markets will sell bell pepper and onion already cut in the refrigerated produce section, or you can buy them frozen and thaw before use.
• Pre-make fajita seasoning. You can use store bought, or make your fajita seasoning in advance to save time.
• Use pre-shredded cheese- again, store bought or do it yourself, but having these three things prepped, makes the chicken fajita recipe come together in as little as 5 minutes.

What to serve with Chicken Fajitas

When you make Fajitas, you already have the base of a full meal with a protein and veggies.

To take it from good to great, you need to add some toppings and a couple of sides.

What to put in Fajitas

I like to offer a variety of toppings so that each person can customize their own fajita. This makes not only for a kid pleasing dinner, but also a great option for entertaining or having a party.

Start with a tortilla- you can use flour or corn based on preference. Then add all the toppings you want… or that your fajita can hold!

Here are my favorite toppings for fajitas:

• Homemade Salsa
• Sour cream
• Guacamole
• Cheddar cheese
• Pico de Gallo
• Shredded lettuce
• Chopped cilantro

Got the toppings!  So what goes well with fajitas? 

Sides for Fajitas

• Mexican rice
• Refried beans or black beans
• Chips – served with homemade salsa, guacamole or queso
• Green chile cheddar mashed potatoes (not traditional but we love it!)

How much fajita meat do you need per person?

You should account for 4 oz of raw meat per person when served with vegetables, rice, and beans. If there are no sides, you should estimate 8 oz of steak per person.

Oven Baked Chicken Fajita Leftovers

If you have leftovers after making these quick chicken fajitas, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.

To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:

• in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
• in the freezer up to a month

Leftover Recipes

Here are a few ways to repurpose those leftovers and give them a delicious makeover!

• Fajita Chicken Nachos– These are my kids favorite way to eat leftovers. Make sure to top with sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo.
• Chicken Fajita Casserole– This is a great way to stretch even a small amount of leftover chicken fajitas into a meal.
• Chicken Fajita Bowl– On a bed of rice (you can use Mexican Rice or Cilantro lime rice) add reheated sheet pan chicken fajitas, shredded lettuce, corn and black bean salsa, guacamole, and a sprinkle of cheese
• Chicken Fajita Tacos– Lightly heat flour tortillas on each side in a skillet. Add chicken fajita meat and veggies. Top with pico de gallo for a classic taste or pineapple salsa for a fun twist.
• Chicken Fajita Salad– On a bed of romaine (or other crunchy lettuce) add chicken fajita meat and veggies. Then add a dollop of sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, shredded cheese and a drizzle of jalapeno ranch dressing.

More Easy Baked Chicken Recipes

If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!

You can check out all of my Easy Dinner recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.

• Cheesy Bacon Ranch Chicken with Broccoli
• Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
• Oven Baked Salsa Chicken
• Cheesy Pesto Chicken Bake

I hope you love this recipe as much as our family!  Baked chicken fajitas are easy and delicious and you can find it on our table at least once a month!  If you have a chance to try it out, I would love to hear about it in the comments!  Or snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @easyfamilyrecipes.  I absolutely love to see others enjoying my food!  It would make my day!