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30 Minute Chicken Fajitas

30 Minutes or Less· Gluten Free· Healthy Mexican Food· Low Carb· Main· Meat & Poultry· Paleo· Recipes

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Limited on time? Make these healthy and easy Chicken Fajitas in only 30 minutes for a quick and delicious Mexican dinner tonight!

Limited on time? Make these healthy and easy Chicken Fajitas in only 30 minutes for a quick and delicious Mexican dinner tonight!

Chicken fajitas are a very popular meal in my house. Not only are they juicy, flavorful and healthy, but they’re also ready to eat in only 30 minutes!

Time is a big motivator for me. Too often I think I have to spend hours and hours in the kitchen in order to make a delicious meal. And while that holds true for authentic barbecue, slow cooker recipes and grandma’s famous stew, it doesn’t really reflect the majority of weeknight meals that I make.

So when I’m not in the mood to cook and can’t find the motivation to step into the kitchen, I ask myself, “How much total time am I willing to spend making a meal right now?”

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Sometimes the answer is zero to five minutes. And those are the nights I eat leftovers or sandwiches. Sometimes it’s 10 to 20 minutes. That’s when I pan fry some chicken, steam some veggies and call it a day.

But most of the time, the answer is 30 minutes or less. Why? Because I can make myself do anything for 30 minutes. I can exercise for 30 minutes. I can clean for 30 minutes. I can pay attention in a boring meeting for 30 minutes. 30 is the magic number.

Cooking good food in that amount of time is totally possible and it doesn’t have to be complicated. Case in point – this 30 Minute Chicken Fajita recipe.

Chicken fajita marinade - Limited on time? Make these healthy and easy Chicken Fajitas in only 30 minutes for a quick and delicious Mexican dinner tonight!

From start to finish, these fajitas should take you 30 minutes to make. I suggest having all of the tools you’ll need (measuring spoons, knives, cutting boards, bowls, etc…) and the ingredients in front of you ready to go in order to make the most of your time.

A quick chicken fajita marinade

The first thing you’ll want to do is slice the chicken into thin strips. This will help reduce the amount of time needed to thoroughly cook the meat. Then chop a handful of cilantro until you have about 1/4 cups worth. If you have any left over, save it for topping your fajitas at the end.

Add the chicken and cilantro to a large mixing bowl and toss together with the following ingredients:

  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon – cooking oil, minced garlic, chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon – ground cumin, dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon – coarse kosher salt, paprika, Ancho chili powder

Cover and set the bowl aside to marinate while you slice prepare the peppers and onions.

Peppers and onions for chicken fajitas - Limited on time? Make these healthy and easy Chicken Fajitas in only 30 minutes for a quick and delicious Mexican dinner tonight!

How to make chicken fajitas

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in a tablespoon of cooking oil and the chopped peppers and onions. Sprinkle with some salt and cook for about 8 minutes until the veggies are soft.

Remove them from the skillet, place in a large bowl, cover and set aside.

In the same skillet, add another tablespoon of cooking oil and the marinated chicken. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked through.

Add the cooked peppers and onions back to the skillet, mix together with the chicken and voila! Your chicken fajitas are officially done!

Limited on time? Make these healthy and easy Chicken Fajitas in only 30 minutes for a quick and delicious Mexican dinner tonight!

Isn’t that the easiest thing ever?

I served these chicken fajitas in some homemade flour tortillas, but you could also eat this with some Mexican Rice, Cilantro Lime Rice, low carb Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice or on top of salad greens.

Limited on time? Make these healthy and easy Chicken Fajitas in only 30 minutes for a quick and delicious Mexican dinner tonight!

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30 Minute Chicken Fajitas

4.54 from 13 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 14 mins
Cook Time: 16 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

For the meat and quick marinade

  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced into thin strips
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice (juice of 1 lime)
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder

For the peppers and onions

  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
  • 2 bell peppers, sliced into strips
  • 1 large poblano pepper, sliced into strips (or substitute with another bell pepper if you can't find poblanos)
  • 1/2 large onion, sliced
  • 1 pinch salt

Optional toppings

  • guacamole, sour cream, chopped cilantro, flour or corn tortillas

Instructions

  • Add all the ingredients for the quick marinade in a large mixing bowl. Toss together until chicken is evenly coated with spices. Cover and set aside.
  • In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add the peppers, onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, until the veggies are soft.
  • Remove from the skillet, place in a large bowl, cover and set aside.
  • Add the remaining tablespoon of cooking oil to the same skillet. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked.
  • Add the peppers and onions back to the skillet, toss together with the chicken and remove from heat.
  • Serve in warm flour or corn tortillas and top with sour cream, guacamole and chopped cilantro.

Notes

Nutritional information does not include optional toppings
Nutrition Facts
30 Minute Chicken Fajitas
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 185 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 14%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 55mg 18%
Sodium 482mg 20%
Potassium 411mg 12%
Total Carbohydrates 6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 3g
Protein 23g 46%
Vitamin A 13%
Vitamin C 149%
Calcium 4%
Iron 12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment below and tag @isabeleats on Instagram with the hashtag #isabeleats!
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Comments


  2. 5 star delicious!!!! But 30 min.???? Theoretically maybe lol Was def. worth the extra time though, delicious! Lol

    Reply


  3. Just made these and my hubby said they’re in the top 3 fajitas he’s ever had (restaurants included)… we’re from Texas, so we eat a lot of fajitas. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Oh, I totally feel you there. I have BEEN THERE. Luckily, pepper season is right around the corner so you’ll have plenty of veggies on sale that you can pick up at the grocery store soon! Let me know when you make it. I’d love to know how it turns out!

      Reply


  17. I agree that the magical number is 30 minutes. Any longer than that and the pizza starts to sound like the better option 🙂 This looks like a delicious and efficient recipe! Yum! Will try soon for sure.

    Reply

    • I totally hear you, Adina. It really is the magical number. Though pizza sounds like a good option after that, I don’t know about where you live but when I order delivery, it takes longer than 30 minutes anyways! So might as well get in the kitchen and get it over with 🙂

      Reply


  21. Those fajitas and that guac look so good. They seriously need to be in a restaurant already. Great post, thanks for making me drool on my keyboard :p

    Reply

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