Chicken fajita bowls are a delicious and healthy take on chicken fajitas! To the classic combo of well-spiced, juicy chicken, and sauteed crunchy bell peppers and onions I added super flavorful cilantro lime rice, beans, corn, avocado, and delicious creamy cilantro lime dressing. These bowls are super delicious and quick to make (30 min!).
What are Fajitas?
Fajitas is a popular Tex-Mex dish. The name is referring to a piece of skirt steak that is cut into thin strips – the real fajitas are made from beef. Chicken Fajitas (Fajitas de Pollo) is a popular variation of this dish. It’s most often served with flour tortillas, sauteed/grilled bell peppers and onions, and condiments such as guacamole or pico de gallo.
We are using the chicken fajitas recipe to make delicious and healthy bowls full of goodness!
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make these delicious chicken fajita bowls:
- Chicken breast – you can also use chicken thighs (but I prefer chicken breast), you need to cook them a little bit longer. You can also use leftover chicken/rotisserie chicken for this recipe – spice it with the spice mix and warm up.
- Fajita seasoning – I love my homemade Fajita seasoning, it so much better than store-bought and you only need 6 spices that you probably already have in your pantry to make it. It’s so flavorful, I’m using it all the time. Store-bought seasonings are usually stuffed with salt, corn starch, sugar, and other weird ingredients, instead of just spices. You can also use taco seasoning instead of fajita seasoning, these two seasonings are very similar.
- Lime juice – to finish the chicken – it adds great flavor and freshness to the chicken.
- Vegetabless – Bell peppers (prefarably colorful), onion, avocado, beans, and corn.
- Cilantro lime rice – you can make my easy and so flavorful cilantro lime rice or cook plain rice.
- For the dressing you will need fresh cilantro, lime juice, yogurt, sour cream, avocado (thickens the sauce) and some of the sauteed vegetables (add flavor and thicken the sauce). You could make this cilantro lime vinaigrette.
How to make it vegetarian: swap the chicken for a can of chickpeas! Toss the chickpeas with spices and cook on a pan or roast in the oven until crispy. You could also use sweet potatoes – roast them at 425°F/220°C for about 15 minutes.
This recipe would also work great with steak or shrimp.
How to make it
STEP 1: Prepare the ingredients: Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch (1.5cm) strips. In a large bowl combine 1 tablespoon of oil and Fajita seasoning, add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
Cut bell peppers into 1/4-inch (7mm) strips, cut the onion in half then into 1/4-inch (7mm) slices. Peel and slice the avocado.
STEP 2: Cook the chicken: Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over high heat. When hot add the chicken (in one or two batches, depending on the size of the pan). Cook until browned then turn over and cook until cooked through, transfer to a plate, drizzle with lime juice.
STEP 3: Cook the vegetables: Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the bell peppers and onions, season with salt and pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes or until softened but still a little bit crunchy.
STEP 4: Make the sauce: in a food processor or blender mix the cilantro (only the leaves and tender stems), yogurt, lime juice, sour cream, about 1/2 cup of sauteed bell peppers and onions, and half of an avocado, until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
STEP 5: Assemble: Arrange all the ingredients in two bowls – rice, cooked chicken with bell peppers and onions, drained and rinsed beans and corn, sliced avocado, pour over the sauce.
Enjoy!
TIP: Instead of cooking the chicken and vegetables on the stovetop, you can also bake them in the oven!
Storage
You can store the cooked chicken and veggies for up to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat slightly before serving. Cut avocado just before serving.
The sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 2-3 days but it tastes best freshly made.
This bowl also tastes great cold and it’s great for lunch boxes.
Reheating: you can reheat just the chicken, veggies and rice or you can just stir everything together with the sauce – it’s also very tasty this way.
More Fajita-flavored recipes
- Fajita Seasoning Recipe (with basic chicken fajitas recipe)
- Chicken Fajita Nachos
- Chicken Fajita Pasta
- Chicken Fajita Quesadillas
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Chicken Fajita Soup
- Chicken Fajita Salad
Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!
Chicken Fajita Bowls
Ingredients
for the bowls:
- 2 tablespoons frying oil
- 1 lb (450g) chicken breasts 2 large
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Fajita seasoning
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 bell peppers
- 1 small red onion
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/2 (14-oz/400ml) can corn
- 1/2 (14-oz/400ml) can kidney or black beans
- 1 1/2 cups cooked cilantro lime rice or cooked plain rice
for the sauce:
- small bunch of cilantro
- 1/2 cup sauteed bell peppers and onions from the ingredients above
- 2 tablespoons yogurt
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 avocado
- salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients: Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch (1.5cm) strips. In a large bowl combine 1 tablespoon of oil and Fajita seasoning, add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
- Cut bell peppers into 1/4-inch (7mm) strips, cut the onion in half then into 1/4-inch (7mm) slices. Peel and slice the avocado.
- Cook the chicken: Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over high heat. When hot add the chicken (in one or two batches, depending on the size of the pan). Cook until browned then turn over and cook until cooked through, transfer to a plate, drizzle with lime juice.
- Cook the vegetables: Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the bell peppers and onions, season with salt and pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes or until softened but still a little bit crunchy.
- Make the sauce: in a food processor or blender mix the cilantro (only the leaves and tender stems), yogurt, lime juice, sour cream, about 1/2 cup of sauteed bell peppers and onions, and half of an avocado, until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Assemble: Arrange all the ingredients in two bowls – rice, cooked chicken with bell peppers and onions, drained and rinsed beans and corn, sliced avocado, pour over the sauce.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Fajita seasoning: 2 Tbsp chili powder (this is a spice mix not pure ground chili peppers), 1 Tbsp of EACH: cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika. You will not use all the seasoning, just 1 1/2 tablespoons.
- This recipe tastes great also cold (lunchbox-friendly).
- Calories = 1 serving (1/2 of the recipe) – this is one large serving (dinner-size). This is only an estimate!
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