Chicken Fajitas

You didn’t even realize that you were still in the midst of Monica’s Mexican Food Week, but here you are. For my final installment, I introduce to you my healthy chicken fajitas.

There are quite a few fajita recipes out there – I just did a quick Google search for “chicken fajita recipe” and 14,000,000 results came back – but the reason I like my recipe is because it’s simple. You don’t need to spend tons of money at the store buying thirty different ingredients that you will use once and throw away. My healthy chicken fajita recipe is streamlined – this recipe requires one pan, 6 key ingredients, and takes under 10 minutes to make. 

The best way to make healthy eating a habit is to keep it simple and keep it delicious. This recipe accomplishes both goals.

Check out my tips below to make this recipe as easy as possible.  Happy Cooking 🙂

How to Properly Char Your Chicken

I think one of my favorite parts of ordering fajitas at a Mexican restaurant is the SIZZLE when my meal arrives. I love that sound, I love the steam, and I especially love the char that I know comes standard with every good fajita.

For a long time, I couldn’t put the pieces together to make a fajita that could compare to one I would order at a restaurant. I found it very difficult to replicate the perfect char at home. Through excessive trial and error, however, I finally figured it out and the char has taken my at-home fajita game to new heights! It’s nothing crazy, but a few small steps made a huge difference for me:

First, I cook the onions and the red peppers in the skillet on high heat until browned. There will be browned bits and residue on the pan after the peppers and onions are removed. DO NOT WIPE PAN CLEAN or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Leave the residue on the skillet – this will be a part of your char.

Also be sure to season the chicken BEFORE adding it into the skillet (in other words, don’t follow the recipe instructions on the back of taco/fajita seasoning). Let the chicken absorb the seasoning while you are cooking the onions and peppers. Then add the chicken to the pan and cook on high heat. The high heat, residue from the onions and peppers, and the seasoning will create that beautiful char and will take your fajitas to the next level.

Meal Prep Recommendations

Chicken fajitas are an excellent choice for meal prep. If you’re eating at home, I recommend waiting to cook the ingredients until the day of in order to maximize freshness. I chop the onions and red peppers, chop and season the chicken (and put in a plastic Ziploc), and divide the correct proportions into Tupperware for each day. This way, when I’m ready to eat, I heat up my skillet, throw in my pre-prepped ingredients, and I’m good to go! 

If you prefer to cook in advance, that’s fine too – it will still taste great. I would recommend bringing individual Greek yogurts each day to top your fajitas, however. Greek yogurt will not hold as well with pre-cooked fajitas, and should instead be added to each meal individually as you are preparing to eat. 

Feel free to get creative with your fajitas! 

My fajita recipe is pretty basic – I like it this way. To me, charred chicken with pepper and onion (and a few toppings) is all I need to get my fajita fix. The nice part about most Mexican recipes, however, (and one of the biggest reasons that I cook so much Mexican) is that there are countless ways to modify the recipe to suit one’s preferences. 

Here are some other ideas! 

·       Choice of Pepper: Instead of red pepper, you can use green or yellow pepper OR a combination of all three. If you like more heat, add in a jalapeño or poblano pepper 

·       Choice of Meat: I prefer chicken to keep this recipe light, but feel free to swap in steak instead!

·       Choice of Toppings: I use Greek yogurt and mashed avocado (keeps it simple – less prep!). Other ideas for toppings include: lime juice, guacamole, sour cream, queso fresco, or black beans.

If you guys missed my other recipes for *Mexican Food Theme Week* and wanted to see more ideas for Mexican food, check out my Paleo Breakfast Taco Recipe, my Turkey Taco Bowls, and my Pepper Tacos!