These Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas are a quick and easy way to enjoy your Tex Mex favorite. This chicken fajita recipe comes together on one pan in 30 minutes!
Fajitas are one of the most popular Tex-Mex meals; nearly all of us have eaten them at some point. The dish features a grilled protein of steak, shrimp, or chicken, and vegetables. Traditionally, bell peppers and onions are used in a fajita recipe. However, it’s not uncommon for jalapenos to be included.
Do I use a chicken marinade or fajita seasoning?
The flavor in sheet pan chicken fajitas comes from Tex-Mex spices added to olive oil, lime juice, and soy sauce. So technically, fajita seasoning is part of the chicken marinade, making the answer to this question “both”.
Is there a difference between taco and fajita seasoning?
First of all, I think it’s important to mention that pre-mixed spice blends aren’t a part of authentic Mexican cooking. When chefs and even home cooks in Mexico prepare meals, they add spices individually. This allows them to flavor their dishes with a unique touch.
As for the difference between the two seasonings, it is minimal. Both blends include chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder. Taco seasoning tends to be spicier than the smoky spices of fajita seasoning.
How to make chicken fajitas in the oven
For sheet pan fajitas, the chicken is cooked in the oven rather than being grilled. Everything is placed onto a rimmed baking sheet. As a result, the clean up is SO much easier than with a traditional chicken fajita recipe.
First, slice some boneless skinless chicken breasts and veggies into thin strips. The chicken will go into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag with the chicken fajita seasoning (marinade). Let it marinate for at least 15 minutes. You can marinate for longer if you want to; it won’t hurt anything.
How to serve sheet pan chicken fajitas
Unlike traditional chicken fajitas, served individually on cast iron plates, all of the servings are on a single sheet pan. Depending on how formal your dinners are, you can serve sheet pan chicken fajitas in a couple of different ways.
- Buffet-style – Arrange a fajita toppings bar with toppings and tortillas. Then, let everyone serve themselves chicken and vegetables right from the pan. I think this idea would be so much fun for a Cinco de Mayo party!
- Serve the chicken and vegetables in a large bowl at the table, along with toppings in small bowls.
- If you plan to use the chicken fajita recipe to create meal prep dinners, just portion everything directly into the containers.
Fajita topping ideas
Personally, I think chicken fajitas are perfect just as they are, but what are chicken fajitas without warmed tortillas? Some topping ideas for your chicken fajitas are:
- avocado slices
- guacamole
- salsa
- pico de gallo
- sour cream
- shredded cheese
- jalapeno slices
- diced tomatoes
I also like to serve sheet pan chicken fajitas with sides of Spanish rice and either black or refried beans.
Tools to make sheet pan fajitas
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on adding the fajitas into your weekly lunches.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
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Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp fajita or taco seasoning
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1/4 tsp each salt & pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 each red, green, yellow and orange pepper, sliced
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- 1/2 cup shredded tex mex cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges, to serve
- Corn or flour tortillas, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 F. Mix olive oil, seasoning, lime juice, soy sauce, vinegar, salt & pepper and garlic together in a small bowl.
- Pour marinade over chicken in a resealable plastic bag or in a large bowl and let marinate for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, slice peppers and onions and place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Add chicken to sheet pan with veggies and bake on lowest oven rack for 15 minutes, tossing once halfway through.
- Remove from oven and turn oven to broil. Sprinkle chicken and veggies with cheese, then return to oven and bake for 2 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven, garnish with cilantro and lime wedges then serve and enjoy!
DL says
JUST WONDERING WHY YOU ARE USING A PACKAGED SEASONING WHEN ONE OF YOUR COMMANDMENTS SAYS NO PACKAGED FOODS. WOULDN’T IT BE BETTER TO MAKE YOUR OWN?
Taylor Stinson says
You can make your own fajita seasoning quite easily, I’m not necessarily advocating that anyone use a packaged blend. An easy way to make it is equal parts chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder.
kazy says
Excellent recipe. I really enjoyed it. Never made this before and I was very very pleased. I didn’t use a sheet Pan. Just threw it into a casserole dish because I felt I had more control over the distribution and liquid but I followed the heating instructions exactly. I also put the veggies in with the chicken and poured the marinade over everything in a ziplock bag like you instructed under HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN FAJITAS IN THE OVEN. I did not slice them into strips though, I cut into 1-inch pieces. OH, and I used chicken thighs. Don’t like or trust breasts. They often end up too dry. Not as moist as thighs are. Thighs are much more forgiving than breasts. I also made some guacamole and used up the last of my tortillas. Smeared some sour cream in there too. I also made myself a Margarita. Thanx for sharing!