Yield: 4
Chicken Fajitas
This easy skillet Chicken Fajita recipe delivers perfectly seasoned, juicy chicken with sweet, tender onions and bell peppers. Taco Tuesday just got a whole lot better!
Ingredients
For the Fajitas:
- 1 recipe chicken fajita marinade
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, or thighs
- 4 tablespoons butter, or oil, divided
- 2 bell peppers, large, seeded and cut into strips
- 1 yellow onion, large, cut into strips
For Serving:
- Flour tortillas, or corn tortillas
- Pico de gallo , or salsa
- Sour cream , or Mexican crema
- Cheese, shredded cheese, queso, or crumbled Mexican cheese like queso fresco
- Guacamole
- Cilantro
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Instructions
- Butterfly the chicken breasts in half so that they’re thinner, they will cook quickly and more evenly this way. (Slice the chicken breast in half from the side of the breast as if you’re cutting open a bagel, so that the chicken is about 1/2 an inch thick. If you have 3 breasts you should now have 6 thin chicken breasts.)
- Take a steak knife and poke several holes through the chicken on both sides, this will allow your marinade to get into the chicken so that it’s extra flavorful. Place chicken breasts in marinade in an airtight container and refrigerate for 20 minutes minimum, or 2 to 3 hours for best results. (Chicken can be marinated for up to 12 hours.)
- Once chicken has marinated, remove from the refrigerator and remove chicken from the marinade (reserve the marinade) and let chicken sit out for 15 minutes before cooking to warm up.
- In a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons butter and let melt. Add chicken, cooking for about 4 minutes on each side. Let the chicken cook undisturbed for the first few minutes, until you have a good sear. Once seared well on one side, turn the pieces over and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until well seared on the second side.
- Add 2 tablespoons of reserved marinade and continue cooking for about 6 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F on an instant-read meat thermometer. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm on a plate wrapped with foil.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and onions to the same skillet and cook for 6 minutes, until they become translucent.
- Add bell pepper, and sauté until bell peppers are tender, but still have texture, about 8 minutes.
- Slice chicken breasts into strips and add chicken back to skillet and toss to combine with bell peppers and onions. Turn off heat.
- Serve chicken fajitas immediately, as desired, or in tortillas with all your favorite toppings!
Notes
Storing: To store, let the chicken fajitas cool, and then store the chicken in an airtight container. (Store any toppings and tortillas separately.) Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Reheating: To reheat, place the chicken in a skillet over medium heat and cook until just heated through. Don't overcook it, or the chicken will dry out.
Dark Meat: You can also use chicken thighs for this recipe. Thighs may take a minute or two longer to become tender in the skillet, and they may release more liquid. For the ultimate juicy and tender chicken thighs, aim for an internal temp between 175°F and 185°F.
Bell Peppers: I like to use red, yellow, or orange bell peppers in my fajitas. Green bell peppers have a stronger, more peppery, savory flavor to them. Red, orange, and yellow bell peppers tend to be sweeter and milder.
Don’t Over Marinate: Since the marinade used in this recipe has fresh citrus juice, be careful not to over marinate your chicken. If left in acidic citrus juice too long, chicken can start to break down and become tough, rubbery and sometimes even mushy. 2 to 3 hours is the perfect amount of marinating time, but just don’t go over 12 hours!
Nutrition Note: Nutrition facts are estimates only for the chicken, onion and bell peppers, it does not include the optional toppings and tortillas.
Nutrition
Calories: 334kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 37g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 139mg, Sodium: 291mg, Potassium: 855mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 2321IU, Vitamin C: 94mg, Calcium: 25mg, Iron: 1mg