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HomeRecipes30 Minute Meals

30 Minute Chicken Fajitas

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By: IsabelPosted: 2/4/19

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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 with peppers and onions in a black cast iron pan with Mexican ingredients around it.

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?”

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.

Sliced chicken breast in a white bowl in marinade made with cilantro.

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.

Sliced red, green and yellow bell peppers and onions in a clear bowl.

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!

Cooked chicken fajitas with sliced bell peppers and onions in a cast iron skillet.

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.

Chicken fajita tacos topped with sour cream, guacamole and chopped cilantro.

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Recipe

4.58 from 33 votes

30 Minute Chicken Fajitas

Serves: 8 servings
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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!
Prep: 14 minutes
Cook: 16 minutes
Total : 30 minutes
Limited on time? Make these healthy and easy Chicken Fajitas in only 30 minutes for a quick and delicious Mexican dinner tonight!

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.

Isabel’s Tips:

Make sure to slice the chicken into thin strips to help reduce the overall cooking time.
If you want to marinate the chicken longer than 2 hours, leave out the lime juice. If you marinate it in lime juice for too long, it can start to affect the texture of the chicken and break down the fibers in a bad way.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving Calories: 185kcal (9%) Carbohydrates: 6g (2%) Protein: 23g (46%) Fat: 9g (14%) Saturated Fat: 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 55mg (18%) Sodium: 482mg (20%) Potassium: 411mg (12%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 3g (3%) Vitamin A: 650IU (13%) Vitamin C: 122.9mg (149%) Calcium: 40mg (4%) Iron: 2.2mg (12%)
Author: Isabel Eats
Course:Main
Cuisine:Mexican
Limited on time? Make these healthy and easy Chicken Fajitas in only 30 minutes for a quick and delicious Mexican dinner tonight!
Did you Make my 30 Minute Chicken Fajitas?Leave a comment below and tag @isabeleats on social media!
@isabeleats

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This Homemade Salsa recipe is made with fresh ingredients like tomatoes, onions and cilantro and is ready to eat in only 5 minutes!
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Reader Interactions

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Have a question? Use the form below to submit your question or comment. I love hearing from you and seeing what you made!
Recipe Rating:




  1. Kate Horn says

    Posted on 1/20 at 7:22 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! I added extra cumin 🙂

    Reply
  2. Madonna says

    Posted on 11/24 at 7:04 pm

    I love quick Mexican food. so happy to find this site.

    Reply
  3. Nikki Vint says

    Posted on 11/23 at 8:33 pm

    5 stars
    Super easy to make, healthy and delicious!!! Anytime my family’s in the mood for Mexican, you are my go-to gal!! Thanks Isabel!!

    Reply
  4. Liliya says

    Posted on 9/6 at 7:22 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is easy to make and very delicious! We actually grilled the meat and used the pepper/onion mixture as a topping. Thank you for sharing this recipe. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Danielle says

    Posted on 10/14 at 6:07 pm

    Love these! They are a weekly go-to in our house. What would you consider a serving size for the nutrition facts? Thank you!

    Reply
  6. Amirreza says

    Posted on 9/18 at 12:32 am

    5 stars
    This food is amazing! we enjoyed cooking it and we do love the taste. thank you for your great, simple and very bright instructions. it was delicious.

    Reply
    • Isabel says

      Posted on 9/19 at 10:20 am

      I’m so glad you liked it!

      Reply
  7. Candace says

    Posted on 8/6 at 10:17 pm

    5 stars
    Amazingly good (and so simple)! Thanks for sharing…can’t wait to try more of your delicious receipes!

    Reply
    • Isabel says

      Posted on 8/7 at 6:22 pm

      Thank you so much, Candace. I’m so happy you liked it!

      Reply
  8. Alejandro Saravia says

    Posted on 7/27 at 1:54 am

    5 stars
    It turn out GREAT!!
    Thank you
    Delicious!!!

    Reply
  9. THOMAS J MUNN says

    Posted on 4/29 at 9:40 pm

    If you sous vide the chicken with marinade for about an hour at 150 its great!

    Reply
  10. Kim R. says

    Posted on 9/29 at 12:06 am

    5 stars
    It’s 12 AM in the morning, I’m looking for taco recipes. Thank you for this post. Your photos make me hungry.

    Reply
    • Isabel says

      Posted on 10/4 at 9:03 pm

      Haha, thank you!

      Reply
  11. Bearsma says

    Posted on 8/9 at 1:36 am

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

    Reply
  12. Riesa says

    Posted on 4/24 at 9:46 pm

    5 stars
    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
    • Isabel says

      Posted on 4/25 at 9:19 am

      Thank you so much! I’m so happy you and your hubby liked it! Makes me so happy 🙂

      Reply
  13. Pat says

    Posted on 1/27 at 12:29 pm

    Best I’ve ever made. Love these! Thanks for sharing!!!

    Reply
    • Isabel says

      Posted on 1/30 at 7:25 am

      Thanks, Pat 🙂

      Reply
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i’m isabel

A first-generation Mexican American who loves to cook! Here at Isabel Eats, you’ll find a mix of all your favorite authentic Mexican recipes with a twist! Read More

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