Description
This homemade Chicken Fajita Bowl is the snappy, sizzly, steamy bowl of your Chipotle dinner dreams!
Sliced chicken thighs roast on a sheet pan in the oven alongside tender-crisp peppers and onions, then a quick broil finishes them with a restaurant-worthy char. While they cook, whip up a creamy-dreamy avocado crema, roast some sweet corn, and grab your favorite beans, salsa, or whatever toppings you love.
In just 30 minutes, your new favorite weeknight dinner is ready!
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
- 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, as needed
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
for chicken fajita bowl assembly:
- 2 cups cooked rice (white, brown, cauliflower rice, other grain of choice, etc.)
- one 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- plus any of your favorite toppings: charred corn, salsa, cherry tomatoes, shredded cheese, lettuce, cilantro, lime wedges, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, ensuring one rack is positioned in the top third of the oven.
- Prepare the sheet pan chicken fajitas: Add all fajita veggie ingredients to a medium bowl. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and a few twists of black pepper, toss well, and spread on the sides (not center) of a large rimmed baking sheet. In the same bowl, toss chicken with all chili lime ingredients, 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, and a few twists of black pepper. Spread on the center of the sheet pan (keep chicken and veggies mostly separate for best texture).
- Roast the sheet pan chicken fajitas: Transfer the sheet pan to the oven. Roast 10-12 minutes, just until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are crisp and colorful. (For a crispy finish, switch on the broiler during the last 3-4 minutes, rotating the pan halfway, until browned and slightly crisp.) Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Meanwhile, prepare the avocado crema and any other chicken fajita bowl toppings: For the avocado crema, add all listed ingredients except the water to a food processor. Season with a heaping ½ teaspoon kosher salt and a few twists of ground black pepper. Pulse to break up the avocado and cilantro, then blend until smooth, streaming in water as needed.
- Assemble the 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 any other toppings you love – charred corn, salsa, cherry tomatoes, shredded cheese, lettuce, cilantro, whatever! Enjoy!
Notes
- Chicken thighs vs chicken breasts: I prefer using chicken thighs since they’re flavorful and stay juicy through roasting and broiling. If you prefer using chicken breasts, go for it – just skip the broiler, as the leaner meat will dry out.
- Ancho chiles are dried poblanos with mild to medium heat and great flavor. Ancho chili powder is simply ground ancho chile peppers. I love Simply Organic Ancho Chili Powder. If you do not keep ancho chile powder on hand, you can use standard “chili powder” for this recipe; just know it’s usually a blend of chiles and spices, not pure ancho. All of these flavors work well in chicken fajitas.
Storage, Reheating, and Meal Prep:
- Storage and Reheating: Store chicken fajitas, avocado crema, and toppings in separate airtight containers. Chicken keeps 3-4 days, crema is best within 2-3 days. Reheat chicken as needed, then assemble your bowls.
- 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:
- Thinly slice 2 bell peppers and 1 onion; store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Thinly slice 1½ pounds chicken (and if desired, toss with marinade); store up to 3 days.