Description
I’ve had the same Chipotle order for years – it’s practically seared in my brain at this point: chicken burrito bowl with brown rice, black beans, extra fajita veggies, + mild, medium, and corn salsas. It’s absolute perfection, but figuring out how to make Homemade Chicken Fajita Bowls with all of the same flavors and textures as takeout has been great for our budget!
The colorful and feel-good bowls center around my tried and true 20-Minute Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas, which come together really quickly and use many staple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Simply slice up chicken, toss it through a quick homemade fajita seasoning, and roast on a sheet pan alongside fajita veggies. A simple bake-then-broil method guarantees restaurant-worthy fajita sizzle with as little effort as possible.
While the chicken fajitas roast, you’ll have the perfect amount of time to prep whatever fajita bowl fixings you love, like a colorful and creamy avocado crema sauce, cilantro lime rice, beans, salsa, lettuce, and more. These bowls are just as fun to build as they are to eat, so check the Blog Post, above, for plenty more serving ideas to get you started.
Just as good as Chipotle, if not better!
Ingredients
for the fajitas veggies:
- 2 large bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 large red or yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- heaping ½ teaspoon garlic powder, divided
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
for the chili lime chicken:
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, thinly sliced into ¼-inch strips (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar (can sub honey or brown sugar)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 ½ teaspoons ancho chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- heaping ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
for the avocado crema:
- 1 large avocado, pitted and peeled
- 1 large jalapeño, deseeded as desired
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 limes, juiced (approx. scant ¼ cup juice)
- ⅓ cup packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
- ⅓ cup sour cream or full-fat yogurt
- 2-3 tablespoons water
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
for chicken fajita bowl assembly, as desired:
- 2 ears sweet corn, charred
- one 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups cooked rice (white, brown, cauliflower rice, other grain of choice, etc.)
- finely chopped cilantro
- sliced cherry tomatoes and/or salsa of choice
- shredded cheese of choice
- shredded lettuce
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, ensuring one rack is positioned in the top third of the oven. To a medium bowl, add all listed fajitas veggies ingredients, seasoning with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Toss to combine well, then transfer to a large, rimmed baking sheet. To the same bowl, add all listed chili lime chicken ingredients, seasoning with 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Toss to combine well, then transfer to the same baking sheet as the fajitas veggies. Do your best to spread everything into an even layer so nothing is especially overcrowded on the pan.

- Roast the sheet pan chicken fajitas: Transfer the sheet pan to the oven. Roast 10-12 minutes, just until the chicken is cooked through—the chicken should be juicy + tender and the veggies should be crisp and colorful. If desired, finish under the broiler for a crispy, browned finish a la sizzling skillet fajitas. In the last 3-4 minutes of roasting, turn the broiler on its highest setting and broil, carefully rotating the pan halfway through, until the chicken fajitas are browned and slightly crisp. Remove from the oven and set aside for serving.

- Chicken fajitas bowls prep: Meanwhile, as the chicken fajitas roast, prepare any bowl fixings you’d like. I always whip up a quick batch of avocado crema and char up some sweet corn.
- For the avocado crema, add all listed ingredients except the water to a food processor. Season with a heaping ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Pulse to break up the avocado and cilantro, then blend until smooth and creamy—if necessary, stream in a couple tablespoons water to smooth out texture.
- For charred sweet corn, place husked ears of corn directly over a gas burner. Light to a medium-high flame and cook about 2 minutes per side or until as charred as desired. (If you do not have a gas stove, you can also char the corn on an outdoor grill, in a grill pan, or under the broiler.)

- Assemble chicken fajitas bowls with avocado crema and fixings of choice: Build your chicken fajitas bowls as desired. I like to swoop the avocado crema directly along the sides of the bowl, then create a base of rice, beans, and sheet pan chicken fajitas. Finish with other toppings, as desired, like fresh tomatoes and/or salsa, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, lots of fresh cilantro, and a good squeeze of lime juice. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Notes
- Jess’ Notes and Tips:
- Chicken thighs vs chicken breasts: I prefer using chicken thighs in this recipe since they’re flavorful and stay really nice and juicy through roasting + broiling, but you can swap them out with breasts if you prefer. If so, skip broiling, as the breast meat will dry out.
- Ancho chiles are dried poblano peppers with nice mild-medium heat and great flavor. Ancho chili/chile powder is just that—a powder of finely ground ancho chile peppers. I love Simply Organic Ancho Chili Powder, which is certified organic and has wonderful flavor—I keep it stocked in my spice rack at all times, as it’s great for adding extra flavor and mild heat to Mexican-inspired dishes. If you do not have ancho chile powder on hand, you can substitute with “chili powder” for this particular recipe. Standard “chili powder” here in the U.S. is most often a blend of ground chiles and spices like oregano, cumin, and garlic—so it’s not a perfect substitute for pure chile powders all the time, but all of these flavors work well in this chicken fajitas recipe.
- 5-10 Minute Meal Prep: These sheet pan chicken fajitas bake very quickly, but a little meal prep makes dinner come together even faster during the week. Get all the chopping out of the way ahead of time and all you have to do at dinnertime is preheat the oven—easy!
- Thinly slice 2 bell peppers and 1 onion. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Thinly slice 1 ½ pounds chicken. If desired, season with the chili lime marinade, too! Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Storage and Reheating: Store leftover chicken fajitas, avocado crema, and other bowl fixings in individual airtight containers in the refrigerator. The avocado crema is best enjoyed within 2-3 days, while the chicken fajitas will last up to 3-4 days. Reheat the chicken in the microwave or stovetop until warmed through, then assemble a chicken fajitas bowl as desired.


