Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas are an easy weeknight meal that is sure to please the whole family. This make ahead, incredibly flavorful meal only dirties one pan and takes less than an hour to cook. You'll be sure to put it on the menu every week!

These Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas save my butt on the regular.

The more recent time being last week when winter decided to come back for an encore...even though no one asked for it.

I woke up last Tuesday at 3 am to the kiddo crying.  Figuring she just had a bad dream, or dropped her stuffy, I assumed she'd go back to sleep relatively quickly on her own. 

But then I noticed the baby monitor had no signal.

And then I noticed the power light on the tv was off.

Awwww shoot. The power was out.

Who knows what caused it. Maybe the snow was too heavy on some power lines or maybe a plow knicked a pole or something on the drive by.  Whatever the reason, it produced a cranky toddler and tired mama.

After settling D and getting back to bed, it was about 4am.  I went back to bed to get at least a couple more hours in, so at least I'd be a functioning human being for the day.

Thankfully, the power came back on around 7:30 that morning--but by then the day was already rolling. D was now awake, breakfast needed to be made...etc.

Any shot at an elaborate dinner (or a decent shower) was gone at this point. So I needed an effortless, but still very tasty dinner for tonight. Mama's gotta get this train back on the track!

Que the Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas.

They are so easy to prep and they only require one sheet pan for cooking.  

You can even make these puppies ahead!

I'll typically prep everything and season the chicken and veggies in the morning, stick the whole sheet pan in the fridge and then bake it off for dinner. Easy. Done.

Presto magnifico!

Or you know...whatever magic words you prefer.

I can't tell you what a great feeling it is to go through my whole day knowing (then forgetting and then remembering) that dinner is all set and ready to go in the fridge for the evening. It's so nice to have one less thing to think about!!

How to make Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

*Updated 10/27/2020

Adapted from Our Best Bites, "Easy Sheet Pan Fajitas Recipe"

Ingredients

• 2 large or 3 small chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
• 3 large bell peppers (any color you'd like), cut into thick strips
• 1 large red onion, cut into thick slices, roughly the same size as the peppers
• Fajita Seasoning (see below)
• Olive Oil

Chicken Fajita Seasoning:

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 3 teaspoons cumin
• 3 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried, ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon cayenne (optional)

Combine all the above spices and store in an airtight container until ready to use. 

**This seasoning also makes a great gift at Christmas time!!! Make a bulk batch and put it in cute jars!

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°.

Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray.

Spread the vegetables in one layer on the sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of fajita seasoning over the top of the vegetables. 

Place sliced chicken into a bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the remaining fajita seasoning. Toss with tongs or a rubber spatula until the chicken is well coated.

Arrange chicken strips on top of vegetables in one layer.  Ensure that no pieces of chicken are stuck together.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Toss and turn the chicken and veggies so that they are getting an even coating of spices and juices. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove pan from oven and move rack to the third from the top level of the oven. Set the broiler to high and broil chicken and vegetables until chicken starts to get a little crisp on the edges and veggies start to get a little char on them.  

Remove from oven and serve with refried beans and LOTS of sour cream.

Variations

• Pork or thinly sliced steak would be delish in place of chicken
• Sweet potatoes are a great vegetarian option
• Zucchini, pineapple, or sweet corn would be great additions to the roasted veggies!

Ways To Enjoy Your Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

• Serve with tortillas and scrumptious toppings
• Serve over a bed of rice to make a fajita bowl
• Dice up chicken and vegetables and sprinkle over tortilla chips. Melt some cheese over the top for fajita nachos
• Chop up the left overs and use as a quesadilla filling
• Give baked potatoes a little Mexican spin! Serve fajita filling over potato and top with sour cream and cheese

What are good Toppings for chicken fajitas?

You can let your creativity run wild here, but these are my favorites:

• Sour cream, shredded cheese and diced avocado
• Sour cream and Sweet and Spicy Pineapple Pepper Jam
• Fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice
• Your favorite black bean and/or corn salsa

Make These Ahead

Another reason to love these fajitas is that they can be made ahead!

Prepare recipe up until baking and then put it in the fridge.  When you're ready for dinner, bake per the recipe instructions.

OR

Prepare chicken and vegetables.  Bake until chicken is cooked through and let cool. Store in the fridge.  About 30 min before dinner, remove from fridge to get the chill out.  Set broiler to high and broil the fajitas until chicken has some crispy edges and a little char on the veggies.

Tips

• It's important that all the ingredients cook at the same time.  I recommend cutting the chicken strips very thin and the vegetables thick.  This will ensure everything will be done at the same time and cooked thoroughly.
• Avoid making this more than a day ahead. The salt in the seasoning is going to pull all the moisture out of the chicken and dry it out.

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