These Chicken Fajitas have a terrific flavour hit from a really great Fajita marinade. Served alongside charred capsicum and onion, stuff them inside warm tortillas for a tasty Mexican Fajita fiesta for dinner tonight!
Chicken Fajitas
Whenever I see rainbow coloured capsicum on sale at the stores, I immediately think of Fajitas.
I know, I know, full points for (un)originality.
Though to be fair, when I see just redcapsicum on sale, my first thought is the not so well known Spanish Romesco Sauce. The magic chargrilled capsicum-almond sauce that I use as a dip / sauce / marinade that I am abnormally addicted to.
So don’t crucify me for choosing the obvious when multi coloured capsicums are on sale!?
Fajita Chicken deserves a great marinade!
The secret ingredient in this marinade is orange juice. No, it doesn’t taste of oranges once cooked. When mixed with other savoury ingredients (lime, garlic, cumin, olive oil) then cooked, you end up with an incredibly flavourful chicken that’s savoury, fragrant and balanced with a hint of sweet.
Fruit juice is used in a wide range of marinades, from Cuban Mojo marinades to Mexican Pork Carnitas, to Korean Marinades to Hawaiian. It injects with subtle flavour and also the sugar brines like salt so proteins retain juiciness when cooked. Did you know that? There’s your cooking trivia for the day!
PS Don’t worry if you don’t have fresh or bottled OJ on hand. See recipe notes for alternatives.
Fajita Vegetables – a big hit of greens!
One of the reasons I enjoy Fajitas so much is that you get a good serve of veggies without even realising. To serve 4 people, I like to use 3 large capsicums (that’s bell peppers to some of you) and a large onion.
This way, I can stuff the warm tortillas with tons of veggies, then top with a sensible serving of chicken. A slice of avocado, a quick drizzle of sour cream and you’ll be clutching an overstuffed tortilla of Fajita goodness, ready to be devoured.
Go forth and fulfil your Fajita cravings!!! – Nagi x
Chicken Fajitas
Watch how to make it
Chicken Fajitas recipe video!
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Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 1/4 cup / 65 ml lime juice
- 1/4 cup / 65 ml orange juice (Note 1 for subs)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Fajitas:
- 700g / 1.2 lb skinless chicken thighs or 2 large chicken breasts , halved horizontally (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 capsicums / bell peppers , deseeded and sliced (red, yellow or green)
- 1 large onion , halved and sliced thickly (brown, yellow, white or red)
To Serve:
- 8– 12 small tortillas
- 1 large avocado , halved and sliced
- Sour cream
- Fresh lime wedges
Instructions
- Place Marinade ingredients in a large bowl and mix. Add chicken, toss well to coat. Marinade for 1 hour to 24 hours (or freeze immediately then defrost overnight).
- Use 2 skillets to cook the chicken and vegetables at the same time, if you can.
Vegetables:
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy based skillet over high heat until smoking. Add vegetables to cover the base of the pan in a single layer without too much overlapping (I cook in 3 batches). Spread out, leave for 45 seconds (to char it).
- Toss quickly then spread out. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Leave 45 seconds, toss then spread out, then leave 45 seconds. Remove onto platter and repeat with remaining Vegetables.
Chicken:
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until caramelised. Turn and cook the other side for 3 – 4 minutes.
- Remove onto a plate, cover loosely with foil. Rest for 3 minutes then slice.
To Serve:
- Warm tortillas using chosen method.
- Pile peppers and onion onto tortilla. Top with chicken, drizzle with sour cream, squeeze over lime juice. Fold, devour and be happy.
Recipe Notes:
Originally published in April 2017 using a rather generic Mexican seasoning / marinade which I no longer use – original recipe here. It’s unusual for me to republish a recipe so soon after the original publish date, but the marinade in this new recipe is so much better. It’s based on either a Rick Bayless or Bobby Flay recipe, I cannot recall. Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
You can hear the wheels turning in his head as he assesses the distance between him, the Fajitas and the door, versus me behind the camera.
Calculated risk assessment result: No go. Better chance of getting a treat for good behaviour.
Wow, delicious. We are doing a world food tour and this was amazing. Made the flatbreads instead of buying tortillas. Thank you.
Hello Nagi
I’ve made this meal so many times and the family love it . I.want to make a large portion for a dinner party and I wondered if I baked chicken in the oven would it still retain its lovely flavour. Thank you so much
I would also like to know the answer to this, and/or can the peppers be roasted instead so we don’t have to cook them in batches?
Living in Texas, chicken fajitas are my absolute fav thing and I’ve looked for years for the perfect marinade and this is it! I made these last night and the fam ate them all up. (I was hoping for some leftovers for my lunch, but oh well)
Nagi, the marinade was juicy and tasty. My family, except me loves chicken. I tried your recipe. They ate every bite and cleaned out. Very tasty and easy recipe.
Every so often I go looking elsewhere for recipes… I found a recipe for fajitas… which I have zero experience with, but I decided to come back and check here, and I will stay here!
Also, I like how you don’t choose cringe-worthy music for your videos!!
The kids loved the chicken. For our adult Indian palates, unfortunately it lacked flavour. But the peppers were amazing!! Will always cook it like this!!
Another 5 star recipe Nagi. Thumbs up from all the family tonight.
Loved this recipe! We had leftover cooked chicken and I just simply marinated that for most of the day then sautéed my veggies. When the veggies were done I tossed in the marinated chicken for a few mins to warm through. authentic flavours and so yummy!
I am currently on a low-carb diet for health reasons and this is the first low-carb meal I’ve had that brought me joy. I had to make some alterations (serve without tortillas, omit OJ, carefully measure the veggies) but the flavor was AMAZING. Thank you!
Not sure what went wrong with mine. The chicken, I think because of the liquid marinate, was expelling a lot of water and did not fry, leading to a soggy mess and waste of chicken. Any idea on why? There was a lot of liquid in the marinade is my assumption.
It sounds like the chicken was in the marinade too long. Fresh chicken should only be in the marinade for 15 to 20 minutes.
I made the basic version and loved it! All of your recipes are fabulous, Nagi. I never doubt I will have a good meal! Thanks!,
I LOVE Nagi’s recipes. This was another winner. Just wondering if anyone has subbed chicken for some vegan/vegetarian protein.
Hi Nagi, if I wanted to add a little spice to this could I sprinkle the chicken with some chilli powder before cooking or would it be better to add something to the marinade?
Either way would work Jodie! N x
Delicious! My fussy husband enjoyed this immensely. Greta flavor combination and super easy.
Woo hoo!! I’m happy he liked them! N x
Turned out amazing! Really appreciate the option to change serving and ingredient quantities.
I am always scalig things up or down so I am glad that you find it useful as well!! N x
This was a nice zippy but not overpowering fajita marinade and charing the veg in a cast iron pan really makes all the difference in the flavour imo. Also made some Pico de Gallo and lime crema and added shredded cheese and lettuce to make the kiddos happy.
Thanks Nagi!
Sounds like you nailed it Holly!! N x
Soooo TASTY!!! I made this extra saucy, extra fruit juice and added bone broth, and served over whole grains topped with salsa, greek yogurt & avocado. I’ve eaten it for the past three days, it’s simple, healthy and DEEEEELICIOUS!!! Thank you for sharing!
So easy and so good. Have made numerous times now, got the family stamp of approval. I’m not keen on cumin so I substitute smoky paprika in the marinade.
Good tip! N x
This is a really great, fresh family dinner. We all loved it for a mid week meal.
I am glad you enjoyed it, Anita! N x
Absolutely love reading your comments! Your recommendations for substitutions are excellent (and comforting). Thank you!