Easy Chicken Fajitas

Name: Easy Chicken Fajitas
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 1/4 lbs chicken breasts cut in bite size pieces; 1 lime juiced (about 2 tablespoons); 3 tablespoons olive oil; 2 cloves garlic minced; 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper; 1 chopped chipotle pepper (canned in adobo sauce); 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from the can of chipotle peppers); 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 onion chopped; 3 bell peppers cut in thin strips (any color but variety is better); limes for squeezing over cooked fajitas mixture and for garnish; flour tortillas; sour cream; guacamole; fresh chopped cilantro

December 26, 2020 by Beth Pierce 26 Comments

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These Easy Chicken Fajitas are bursting with plenty of flavor from chili powder, garlic, smoked paprika, cumin and smoked chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. This healthy delicious meal comes together quite quickly after the chicken is marinated.

I love to serve this with Doritos Taco Salad, Easy Taco Dip and Raspberry Margaritas. This is a meal that everyone enjoys and it is one of my family’s favorites. You are going to love this easy, delicious and flavorful meal.

How to make Chicken Fajitas

Start by combining the cut chicken, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, chili powder, onion powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, chipotle pepper and adobo sauce in a zipper bag. Then marinate for 30-60 minutes. Next heat a little oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken in batches in a single layer until cooked through and slightly charred. Remove cooked pieces of chicken to a plate and cover loosely to keep warm.

Heat a little more oil over medium heat. Now add the onions and peppers to the skillet cooking until the onion is soft and the peppers are slightly charred. Then add the chicken back to the skillet and stir to combine and warm. Next squeeze a little extra lime juice over the fajita mixture. Serve with warm tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro and fresh lime slices.

Recipe notes and tips

Any colored peppers will work but a variety of colored bell peppers makes for a beautiful presentation.
Marinate the chicken for 30-60 minutes. That is plenty of time for the chicken to absorb the flavors of the marinade and to tenderize. I really find that marinating chicken much longer than that (especially bite size pieces) does nothing positive to enhance the flavors and may indeed toughen the chicken.
Add 1 chopped chipotle pepper and 1 tablespoon adobo sauce to the marinade. You can find canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the Mexican food section of most local grocery stores.
Cut the chicken in uniform pieces. I like to slice it fairly thin in pieces that are about twice as long as they are wide. With a little practice anyone can master it.

What are chipotle peppers and where can I find them?

Chipotle peppers are jalapeno peppers that have been aged, dried and deliciously smoked. They are earthy, robust and smokey yet still incredibly spicy. You can find them canned with adobo sauce in the Mexican food section of most local grocery stores. Adobo sauce is a slightly sweet tangy rich reddish brown sauce made with ground ancho and guajillo chiles.

The combination of the two is an amazing taste sensation. One chopped chipotle pepper with a little bit of the adobo sauce can take your Mexican and southwestern recipes over the top. Store the remaining chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one month.

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