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An overhead shot of an assembled fajita bowl on a light pink plate atop a striped cloth on a light grey surface: avocado crema, fajitas, lettuce, corn, pico de gallo, rice and black beans, topped with cilantro.

30-Minute Chicken Fajita Bowls with Avocado Crema

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  • Author: Jess Larson
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: serves 4
  • Category: Entrée Salads & Bowls Recipes, Main Dishes
  • Method: Oven, Baked & Broiled
  • Cuisine: Mexican & Tex-Mex, American
  • Diet: Gluten Free

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, & corn salsas. It’s absolute perfection, but figuring out how to make Homemade Chicken Fajita Bowls with all of the same flavors & textures as takeout has been great for our budget!

The colorful & feel-good bowls center around my tried & true 20-Minute Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas, which come together really quickly & use many staple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Simply slice up chicken, toss it through a quick homemade fajita seasoning, & 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 & creamy avocado crema sauce, cilantro lime rice, beans, salsa, lettuce, & 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! ♡ Happy cooking!


Ingredients

Scale

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 & 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 & ground black pepper, to season

for the avocado crema:

  • 1 large avocado, pitted & peeled
  • 1 large jalapeño, deseeded as desired
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 limes, juiced (approx. scant ¼ cup juice)
  • ⅓ cup packed cilantro leaves & tender stems
  • ⅓ cup sour cream or full-fat yogurt
  • 23 tablespoons water
  • kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season

for chicken fajita bowl assembly, as desired:

  • 2 ears sweet corn, charred
  • one 14-ounce can black beans, drained & rinsed
  • 2 cups cooked rice (white, brown, cauliflower rice, other grain of choice, etc.)
  • finely chopped cilantro
  • sliced cherry tomatoes &/or salsa of choice
  • shredded cheese of choice
  • shredded lettuce
  • lime wedges

Instructions

  1. 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 & 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 & 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.An overhead shot of prepared ingredients on a sheet pan atop a light grey surface: seasoned chicken, sliced bell peppers and onions.
  2. 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 & the veggies should be crisp & 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 & broil, carefully rotating the pan halfway through, until the chicken fajitas are browned & slightly crisp. Remove from the oven & set aside for serving.An overhead shot of cooked sheet pan fajitas on a sheet pan atop a light grey surface: seasoned chicken, sliced bell peppers and onions.
  3. 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 & 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 & ground black pepper as desired. Pulse to break up the avocado & cilantro, then blend until smooth & 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 & 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.)An overhead shot of recipe components displayed in bowls and trays atop a light grey surface: sheet pan chicken fajitas, avocado crema, rice, pico de gallo, charred corn, shredded lettuce, black beans, cheese and chopped cilantro.
  4. Assemble chicken fajitas bowls with avocado crema & 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, & sheet pan chicken fajitas. Finish with other toppings, as desired, like fresh tomatoes &/or salsa, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, lots of fresh cilantro, & a good squeeze of lime juice. Serve immediately. Enjoy!An overhead shot of an assembled fajita bowl on a light pink plate atop a striped cloth on a light grey surface: avocado crema, fajitas, lettuce, corn, pico de gallo, rice and black beans, topped with cilantro.

Notes

  • Jess’ Notes & Tips:
    • Chicken thighs vs chicken breasts: I prefer using chicken thighs in this recipe since they’re flavorful & stay really nice & 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 & 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 & has wonderful flavor – I keep it stocked in my spice rack at all times, as it’s great for adding extra flavor & 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 & spices like oregano, cumin, & 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 & all you have to do at dinnertime is preheat the oven – easy!
      • Thinly slice 2 bell peppers & 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 & Reheating: Store leftover chicken fajitas, avocado crema, & 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.