Copycat Chili’s Chicken Fajitas
Get into the festive Cinco de Mayo spirit with these
delicious Copycat Chili’s Chicken Fajitas!
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With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, I’ve been craving chicken fajitas like you wouldn’t believe lately! When my wife and I first started dating, we would occasionally go to Chilis and split their chicken fajitas. It quickly became one of our favorite meals, so we decided to try and recreate them at home.
After several attempts, we finally came up with a version that was pretty darned close to the one they serve at Chili’s. In fact, the flavor was so good that we made a huge batch of these fajitas and served them on our back deck at our housewarming party here in upstate New York. (I usually cook the marinated chicken breasts indoors in a large skillet, but you can just as easily throw them on the grill and take advantage of the warm weather.)
Copycat Chili’s Chicken Fajitas
The key to these delicious Copycat Chili’s Chicken Fajitas is the marinade. The chicken marinates overnight, so you’ll have to plan ahead just a bit to make this recipe. The result is a juicy, flavorful chicken breast that is the perfect base for the fajitas.
Add the sauteed onions and bell peppers, and you’ve got a fun meal that is perfect for this time of the year. (Although to be honest, this is one of our staple recipes, and we make it pretty much year-round in our house!) As tasty as Chili’s fajitas are, I think I actually prefer this homemade copycat recipe more!
We used to make 1/2 chicken and 1/2 beef fajitas using flank steak, but we realized that we both like the chicken version better. But feel free to use a thin cut of steak (like flank or skirt) and make a chicken + steak duo. (If you use beef, marinate it for only ~1-2 hours using the same marinade. Chicken can be marinated overnight, but steak tends to become tough if marinating too long.) Enjoy!
How to Reheat Leftovers
Leftover chicken and veggies should be stored in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, just place in dry skillet over medium heat or use a microwave. Both the meat and veggies can be frozen, too. Just place in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 4 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Did you make these Copycat Chili’s Chicken Fajitas at home? Leave a comment. Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). Enjoy!
Looking for more tasty chicken recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Grilled Chicken Fajita Kabobs
Shrimp Fajitas with Corn and Bell Peppers
Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Chicken Fajitas Paninis
Chicken Tikka Masala
Copycat Chili’s Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients
For the Chicken Marinade
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp liquid smoke
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp onion powder
For the Vegetable Finishing Sauce
- 2 Tbsp water
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp lime juice
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the Fajitas
- 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 bell peppers sliced into ½” strips
- 2 large white onions sliced into ½” strips
- Flour tortillas
- Optional toppings: grated cheddar cheese salsa, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, shredded lettuce
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all of the Chicken Marinade ingredients; whisk together until fully combined. Use a fork to pierce each chicken breast in several places and then place the chicken breasts in a medium-sized glass baking dish. Add Chicken Marinade to the baking dish; cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Place a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once skillet is hot, add olive oil and peppers. Sauté for 6-7 minutes, and then add the onions. Continue sautéing for 15-20 more minutes or until onions and peppers soft, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, place another skillet or fry pan over medium-high heat. Place marinated chicken breasts in pan and cook until done (~15-18 minutes), flipping after 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the Vegetable Finishing Sauce. When the peppers and onions are almost done, reduce heat to medium low, add the Vegetable Finishing Sauce and simmer for 2-3 more minutes.
- Once chicken breasts are cooked, transfer them to cutting board and slice thinly.
- Place chicken, onions and peppers on a flour tortilla. Top with optional toppings as desired. (Tip: Wrap the stack of tortillas in a wet paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds before adding toppings. This will both warm and soften the tortillas.)
David these look delicious! I love Chili’s fajitas. We lived in a little town where chills was one of the only american restaurants around. My husband and I would go all the time and get the fajitas. Needless to say, since we moved we haven’t been back. Ah, but these babies are calling my name 😀
Cindy! You totally need to make a batch of these fajitas them. The over-night marinade requires a bit of forethought, but it’s totally worth it. Now I want another batch of these fajitas…haha!!
Chili’s DOES have THE BEST fajitas! And if these are a copycat version – you have hit gold, my friend! Thanks for sharing this recipe – I am gonna have to duplicate that marinade stat!!
This recipe is pretty darned close to the real deal, Shashi. Trust me…I’ve eaten enough Chili’s fajitas in my time!!
I love fajitas. My mom has made them out of this “365 Chicken Recipes” book since I was a little kid and that has always and will always be my fave. Not that it’s anything outrageously special or anything, it’s just nostalgic I guess. But your’s are looking pretty darn tasty themselves. Going to have to give this marinade a try!
Fo sheezee, Chris! This marinade is seriously delicious…it’s one of my go-to chicken marinades (even when I’m not making fajitas). I’m also going to need a batch of your mom’s fajitas. ASAP.
I need to come to your house for cinco de mayo 🙂 These fajitas look amazing. Love the tidbit about the marinade… must plan ahead!
Thanks, Laura…and you are totally welcome to come over for cinco de mayo at our place!! (Just bring an extra bag of chips!)
Just in time for Cinco!
See, I’ve actually never had these fajitas from Chili’s, but I’ve been known to throw down on some sizzling fajitas elsewhere.
I think it’s totally acceptable to throw down on these fajitas, Graham! (And they don’t have crawfish in them, so you’re safe…haha!)
Love love love chicken fajitas and these look awesome!
Thanks so much, Tina!!
Mmmm, I love fajitas! Remind me not to read your blog when I am hungry David, because now I am going to be craving fajitas until I make these.
Haha! I love fajitas, too, Katie! I say get in the kitchen and make a round today…I might have to do the same soon!!
Ok man, you’re making me craving fajitas, big time…and it’s only 9:30am. I would love to have one of those bad boys for lunch later today!
Who says you can’t have fajitas at 9:30am? I won’t tell if you won’t!
I tried these without letting them sit in the marinade overnight, and another night with ren sitting in the marinade. I gotta say, I didn’t notice a different in the taste. They were great both ways!
Interesting! I don’t think I’ve ever tried these without the overnight marinade, so I’m glad to hear it can work both ways. And now I might have a craving for fajitas this afternoon! 🙂
Got it marinating now, I had to marinate the veggies too tho, they never have quite enough flavor imo. I’m only going to marinate 5 hours tho and see how they come out! 🙂 I’ve made a similar copy cat version for years that are really good, but not quite the same. So I’m hoping this one is the one! 😉
Awesome!! I really hope you enjoy this version, Jessica. It’s one of my favorites…and I think it’s pretty darned close to the “real thing.” The marinade is the key!! Come back and let me know how your fajitas turn out tonight! 🙂
Am making this tomorrow night for my Mother’s birthday dinner! Can’t wait to see how they come out! Thanks for your post! Will let you know! #lovetocook
Awesome! I really hope you enjoy it, Beth…this is one of my long-time favorite recipes, and now I want to make it again myself. Maybe I’ll make it tomorrow, too! Thank you for being a fan! 🙂
Does Chili’s really marinate their chicken over night?
Hey Abbey! I’m not sure how Chili’s prepares their chicken, but I can tell you that this marinade is delicious. It takes a little planning to marinate the chicken the day before…but I promise it’s worth the effort! 🙂
This was a great recipe. I was able to marinade for 2 hours after work and the flavor was still really good. I cooked the chicken separate in an iron skillet then did vegetables after removing chicken. Added a tablespoon of butter before the vegetables and the sear was great -The finishing sauce makes them taste just like Chili’s . Great recipe will make it the standard in our house.
Hey Shelly! Good to hear that this recipe still turned out well even with the 2 hours marinating time. It sometimes is a pain to think a day ahead on the marinating…but then again, it means you get to drool about dinner all day while it’s marinating! 🙂 This recipe is one of our go-to recipes around here, and we often use this when entertaining friends and family. We just make a big batch of chicken and veggies and then put out all sorts of taco toppings. Then everyone makes their own tacos. In fact, we have plans to make these next weekend again! So glad you enjoyed these, and I really appreciate you swinging back by to comment!
This was so good! Added mushrooms because I love mushrooms!!!
Awesome idea on the mushrooms, Debbie! I’m totally adding those next time we make this. (And we make this at least once a month…haha!) 🙂
Authentic and delicious these taste just like Chili’s and are easy to make – one of our family favorites!
Thanks so much, Jamie! I’m really glad you enjoy this recipe – it’s one of our family favorites here, too. This recipe is on regular dinner rotation in our house!
Excellent! I made 8x more sauce because I love it!
Thanks so much, Joanie! I totally see why you’d make extra sauce…it truly is delicious! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe, and I really appreciate you taking the time to comment! 🙂
These were delicious. I made some changes as I did not read recipe until day of so I didn’t marinate overnight, only for a couple hours. I didn’t have cayenne pepper so it wasn’t in marinade. I sliced my chicken breast first before putting in marinade. I also made beef too. I didn’t fry in olive oil but some butter and garlic. The veggies just in butter and then added your finishing sauce.
Hey Becki! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe – it’s one of our favorites! We’ve forgotten to plan ahead a couple of times and just marinated the chicken that morning instead of overnight – it still works out well. This is a staple in our house, and I hope you make it again!
Loved this recipe! I doubled the sauce for the veggies. My peppers and onions were very large. It was perfect.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Kathy! It’s a favorite in our house – and that sauce really is the key. We make this recipe on a regular basis here. Cheers!
Amazing recipe used to work at chilis and loved their fajitas and these are just about spot on!!! Thank you
Awesome! That’s a huge compliment to this recipe given that you used to work at Chili’s. This is one of our favorite recipes…so glad you enjoyed it, Katie!
Delicious! The whole family loves it even the grandkids.
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, Sue! We love this recipe, too. I’d guess we’ve made this recipe several dozen times over the years. I hope it becomes a staple in your house, too!