The BEST Chicken Fajitas
This easy Chicken Fajita Marinade is the perfect Tex-Mex recipe for dinner tonight! The marinade makes enough for about two pounds of chicken, but if you are making a large batch, you can double or triple the recipe as needed.
Servings 6 servings
Calories 248kcal
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder or more, depending on your heat tolerance
- 2 pounds chicken breast
- 2 small white onions
- 2 bell peppers (any color)
Instructions
- Prep – Thinly slice the onions and peppers into strips and set aside. If baking, place your chicken in a single layer in as many baking pans as needed. If grilling, you can place the chicken in a large bowl instead.
- Combine – In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients and mix very well.
- Cover – Add the onions and peppers over the chicken before pouring the marinade over everything as evenly as possible.
- Rest – Top the pans/bowls with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours (overnight).
- Cook – If you are baking, preheat the oven to 350°F and bake for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is 165°F at the thickest part. If you are grilling, remove the chicken and grill it while you pan-fry the onions and peppers in a little olive oil.
- Sear (optional) – If you baked your chicken, you can pan-sear your finished chicken breasts in a little olive oil to sear the outside. Note, this is not necessary but adds a nice finishing touch!
- Slice and Serve – Once your chicken, onions, and peppers are cooked, remove the chicken from the pan/grill and slice right before serving! Enjoy with homemade tortillas, guacamole, homemade refried beans, and a side of Mexican street corn!
Notes
Ingredients
This recipe is so simple, and you likely have everything you need to make it right now!- Olive Oil – While you can use any oil you prefer, we have found that olive oil provides the best base for this marinade.
- Lime Juice – A must-have! Don’t replace with lemon juice if you can avoid it, as lime juice gives this Tex-Mex dish a very distinct taste.
- Sugar – Any type of sugar will work. I’ve even used maple syrup on many occasions! Don’t skip it though, because the sugar helps with caramelization and balances the acid from the lime.
- Salt & Pepper – Use what you have, but we like to use sea salt for a better quality taste.
- Spices – Cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and chili powder round out the rest of this blend! You can adjust to your tastes, but these measurements will give you a solid flavor profile without being over-the-top spicy!
- Chicken – You can use breasts or thighs, depending on your preference. I like to use chicken breasts and leave them whole until after baking or grilling. It makes them easier to work with and you can slice them afterwards!
- Onions – We like to use white or yellow onions, as red onions have a drastically different flavor. But you can use whatever you prefer!
- Peppers – Use bell peppers in any color, or step it up with whatever type of pepper your heat tolerance will allow!
Nutrition
Serving: 1/6th of recipe | Calories: 248kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 697mg | Potassium: 762mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2135IU | Vitamin C: 58mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg