Chicken Fajita Skillet
This Chicken Fajita Skillet recipe is packed with flavor! It starts on the stove top and then finishes baking in the oven – this easy one-pan meal is perfect for weeknight cooking!
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If you love fajitas, then you definitely need to put this recipe on the list to make – and soon. The tender, juicy chicken combined with the rice, veggies and seasonings is mouthwaterinly delicious. All of the flavors in chicken fajitas…just in a one-skillet meal!
This easy chicken fajitas recipe makes for a perfect meal that the whole family will love. Aside from marinating the chicken overnight (that’s where all of the flavor comes in!), this meal will come together in about ~40-45 minutes (and most of that is inactive cooking time). Let’s jump right into the ingredients for this chicken skillet recipe:
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
The list of ingredients in the marinade might look lengthy, but these are mostly pantry staples.
- Lime Juice + water.
- Vegetable Oil (can substitute olive oil)
- White Vinegar
- Soy Sauce
- Garlic
- Liquid Smoke – gives the chicken a wonderful smoky flavor even though you’re cooking it inside on the stovetop. Beware: A little bit of liquid smoke goes a long way!
- Chili Powder, Cayenne Pepper, Salt, Black Pepper and Onion Powder
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, can substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs if desired
Chicken Skillet
Once the chicken rests in the marinade overnight, pull it out, discard the excess marinade and get to cooking!
- Vegetable Oil
- Red Onion, thinly sliced
- Bell Peppers, thinly sliced
- Garlic
- Paprika, Cumin, Salt and Black Pepper
- Basmati Rice + Water
- Lime Juice
- Fresh Cilantro
Optional Toppings
These toppings are optional based on your preferences. Here are some of our favorite toppings:
- Sour Cream
- Pico de Gallo, can substitute diced tomatoes favorite jarred salsa
- Avocados, sliced, can substitute spoonfuls of guacamole instead
- Lime Wedges
- Shredded Cheese, preferably Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack
- Corn Tortillas or Flour Tortillas, the tortillas aren’t a topping, but rather an optional side dish to this recipe.
Chicken Fajita Skillet
This Skillet Chicken Fajitas recipe is a fun one to make. The chicken, peppers and onions all get cooked in a cast iron skillet. Then the rice gets added (along with a bunch of water), and the whole thing gets moved into the oven to bake. Yup, the rice gets baked in the oven. It’s a fun little trick that saves a bunch of time when making this Chicken Fajita Skillet recipe – in fact, this recipe is the perfect weeknight meal since the active time is only about 15 minutes or so. That leaves you time to check your email, find your next Netflix obsession or clean up the kitchen. (Let’s be real – finding the next Netflix obsession is way more interesting than cleaning the kitchen!)
We love fajitas around our house. In fact, this Copycat Chili’s Fajitas recipe is one of our tried-and-true comfort food meals. It’s amazing! The key to flavorful fajitas is marinating the chicken overnight. I used the exact same marinade for this Chicken Fajita Skillet. Delicious! The peppers and onions add a bunch of flavor for sure, but the real key here is the fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro.
Once this skillet came out of the oven, I squeezed in a fresh lime and added a handful of chopped cilantro. Truth be told, I mixed in an extra handful after I took the photos – I love cilantro! We also added a spoonful of sour cream. I highly recommend this for the added flavor and creaminess – the sour cream balances the acidity from the lime, and it’s quite tasty.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftovers should be allowed to cool before being stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, use a microwave or a dry skillet over medium-low heat. (Tip: Add a splash of water if using a skillet to prevent the rice from drying out.) These leftovers also freeze well! Just store ’em in a freezer bag for up to 3 months and let thaw in the fridge before reheating.
If you’re looking for an easy dinner recipe that’s still packed with flavor, then this Chicken Fajita Skillet deserve a spot on the menu! And depending on the size of your family, you might be lucky enough to have leftovers. We turned the leftovers into burritos on Night #2, and then we still had just enough to make a quesadilla to split between us on Night #3.
Make tonight a fajita night – I hope you enjoy this skillet as much as we did!
Did you make this Chicken Fajita recipe at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!
Chicken Fajita Skillet
Ingredients
For the Chicken Marinade
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp liquid smoke
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
For the Fajita Skillet
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 3 bell peppers thinly sliced (any color bell pepper can be used – I used 1 red, 1 yellow and 1 green)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1¾ cup water
- ½ Tbsp lime juice
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- {optional} sour cream
Instructions
For the Chicken Marinade
- Using a small bowl, combine all of the marinade ingredients (except for chicken); whisk together until fully combined.
- Use a fork to pierce each chicken breast in several places and then place the chicken breasts in a large glass baking dish. Pour marinade on top of chicken breasts, turning several times to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
For the Fajita Skillet
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Using a large cast iron skillet, add oil and place over medium-high heat.
- Remove chicken from marinade and slice into ½” slices. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add onions, bell peppers, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper and lime juice; stir until well combined. Continue sautéing for 6-7 more minutes.
- Add rice and water; stir until well combined. Transfer skillet into oven; cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until rice is tender.
- Remove skillet from oven and add lime juice and chopped cilantro; stir until well combined. If desired, add a spoonful of sour cream on top before serving.
Looking for more fajita recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Mmmmm well this is fun! Love the marinade, and all of the components to this recipe. I can say I’ve never made rice in the oven!
I know it seems a bit odd to cook rice in the oven, but it works! And combined with the fajita ingredients here? Yum!
What an awful feeling to realize that your phone was in your pocket. UGH!
We’re big fajita fans in this house – love this skillet spin on the classic. Definitely a must try!
Oh man, you’re telling me re: the phone, Marissa. It was terrible!
And, yes, I highly recommend trying this skillet fajita. The flavors were awesome, and I enjoyed turning the leftovers into a quesadilla, too! 🙂
Sounds really tasty David. I like the marinade. I don’t think I’ve ever tried such, but must soon.
Phones in the water? Done that, but have you ever been up on top of construction scaffolding and bend down to look and forget your iPhone was in your pocket? Emphases on “was in” my pocket. I’m here to attest that an iPhone can not survive a 100-foot fall onto concrete!
You absolutely need to try this marinade, Ron – it’s one of my all-time favorite chicken marinades!
Oh no – the 100-foot iPhone drop? Sounds like a great way to have a really bad day. I can only imagine the feeling as you watched the phone fall…ugh!
lots of fabulous flavours here david. i love your carnival of festive flavours with the mixed capsicums (peppers). oh dear such a nuisance losing a phone like that…
There really are a lot of flavors going on in this skillet meal, Sherry – it’s one of our favorites! And the leftovers? We turned ’em into quesadillas, and they were awesome. 🙂 Thanks so much, my friend!
Lol, I am still trying to visualize walking right into the pool with your phone! But this fajita skillet looks incredible! I love how you can repurpose it for burritos too 🙂
Oh man, don’t ever try to recreate walking into the pool with your phone. To be fair, it was in the pocket of my bathing suit, and I just forgot it was there. But still. It was not a good day!
In other news, this fajita skillet was quite tasty – and it made for a great burrito and quesadilla filling, too! 🙂
Oh I dropped my phone in the water (In the snow, on the ice, etc.) That’s why my phone model is relatively simple (Even though I don’t need to change them like every year). Your pool story is funny, but wait for this. It happened with my university best friend. One day she dropped her phone in…a jar with cranberry juice (Don’t even ask!) The phone survived, but she needed to dry it out in the bathroom as the warmest room. Few hours later, she was checking it out, and dropped it into the toilet (Don’t even ask! But the phone didn’t survive that second murder attempt.)
Anyway, gadgets – are only gadgets, and those things tend to get broken, sooner or later (With me mostly sooner lol). But at least comfort food doesn’t disappoint, and you’ve got a perfectly delicious and hearty dish!
Wait – phone dropped into a jar with cranberry juice!? That feels like it takes a special talent to do that! And it survived!? Only to be dropped into the toilet…oh man, that phone had some stories to tell. Haha!
But you’re right, Ben. Comfort food doesn’t disappoint like gadgets dropped in water. And this chicken fajita skillet was some awesome comfort food on these cold days! Have a great weekend, my friend!
Something about chicken and rice. They were made for each other! Can’t get enough of it, in all its forms. This one looks awesome, easy enough for a weeknight dinner.
And yes, I’ve lost a phone, too, that way some years ago. Forgot to make my iPhone out of my swimming trunks… I was only in the water for less than a minute before I remembered, but that was enough to do it in. More recently, I did drop my phone in water for a moment. No harm done, thankfully!
I know what you mean, Frank! Chicken + rice is a great combo, and there are so many ways to play with the flavors. We particularly enjoy the fajita spices/flavors in this version.
Ah, I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only one who went swimming with his phone in the pocket. Ugh. But I am somewhat encouraged by your recent mishap that didn’t lead to the phone being ruined. I’m not going to try to recreate it, but it’s good to know phones might be getting better about that!
Yum!!! I SO want this for dinner. Tonight! Really, it sounds like such a hearty comfort food dish. And your shrimp Fajitas are also calling to me. While I can’t say I’ve ever walked into a pool with my phone, I just had the screen fixed for the 2 time in 6 months. No fun. 🙂 ~Valentina
Oh man, the phone screen! That’s so annoying. Fortunately, it’s not terrible expensive – at least not compared to a whole new phone.
In other news, I hope you got some fajitas…whether they were actual fajitas, or a skillet version like this recipe. 🙂 Thanks, Valentina!
Ok I will try this recipe as is and I am sure it will be excellent–even with chicken! But you know me, I need a steak recipe just like this! The marinade sounds pretty good for steak, too. What do you think? Would you change anything for steak?
Hey Debbie!! You know, this marinade would definitely work on steak, too. In the past, we’ve done half-chicken and half-steak using the same marinade. If using it for steak, I wouldn’t marinate it overnight, though. We learned that lesson the hard way years ago – the steak turns tough. Aside from the time difference, I would keep the exact same marinade! I hope you get a chance to make this – we’ve literally been making some version of these fajitas for about 15 years now. 🙂
One of my favourite things to cook when I get home from work on a Saturday night is Chicken Fajita’s as they’re quick and easy and Lynne can get all the ingredients ready for me to cook when I get in! This alternative baked Chicken Fajita would be a great alternative and uses my skillet too! Thanks David.
Yup, I’m with ya on chicken fajitas, Neil! They feel like a weekend meal since they are a bit ‘fancier,’ but they really aren’t hard to make. I highly (!!) recommend trying this marinade sometime. We’ve been using this marinade for ~15 years now – it’s that good!
That did happened to me when I was in the beach. So I placed my phone inside a waterproof case, so I can take photos of the inflatable water park that we are in, minutes later the water came inside the waterproof case and soaked my phone inside. Luckily it was a Samsung Gaxaxies are waterproof but I cant charge it, it says my terminals are wet. I did not have rice during that time as I was in a vacation, I ended up pointing the terminals in an aircon duct so the moisture dries out and it worked. Anyways those fajitas looks amazing, I love all in one dishes like this, specially if there is rice involved and its as tasty as those.
Oh no – the waterproof case wasn’t very waterproof at all! That’s the worst, Raymund! Quick thinking to air dry it out like that – glad it worked out.
And I’m with ya on the rice. I do love a good rice dish, and this one is quite tasty when combined with the marinated chicken!
Yummmm….this was so good. Easy with a lot of flavor, and feels pretty healthy too. Almost everything in this recipe is something I already have in the kitchen. I didn’t have liquid smoke, but it still tasted great. I’ll look forward to trying it with next time. I did happen to have all different colored bell peppers on hand, which I don’t always, so I got lucky there. Other than that, the ingredients are pretty common and I didn’t even have to run to the store. It tastes anything but common though. This goes into the rotation!
Hey Judy!! So glad you enjoyed this recipe – it’s one of our go-to’s. Truth be told, this recipe is just a slight variation on that Copycat Chili’s Fajitas recipe…and we make that recipe probably 5-6 times a year! The liquid smoke does add a nice boost of smoky flavor. Be careful with that stuff, though – a little bit goes a long way!!