These Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas have been a Budget Bytes staple recipe since I first posted them eight years ago! I love fajitas, but they require a super hot griddle to get that nice smoky flavor, which also means a lot of smoky smell in my house and standing over a super hot stove. Not my favorite way to spend my evening. So I make baked fajitas instead. Is it exactly the same? No, BUT it’s almost completely hands-off (yay) and you get some nice caramelization on the edges of the peppers and onions, which gives you a similar char effect. I’ll save the real deal fajitas for when I’m at a restaurant and not doing the cooking. 😄
What Kind of Sheet Pan to Use
You definitely want the largest sheet pan (or baking dish) you can find for this recipe. It’s imperative that the chicken and vegetables are not too crowded on the baking sheet otherwise the steam will get trapped as they bake and you won’t get that nice caramelization that only happens in a dry heat environment. I’m using a 13×16 inch baking sheet here and in the original version of this recipe I used a 13×15 inch glass baking dish.
Make it Fit in your Budget
Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are usually significantly more expensive than green bell peppers, but you can use any mix that fits your budget. Despite using a couple of more expensive colored peppers, I used more vegetables than meat to keep costs low. The meat to veggie ratio ended up being perfect once everything had been cooked down. If you want to make these Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas vegetarian, try this Chipotle Portobello Oven Fajita recipe.
Make Your Own Fajita Seasoning or Buy Pre-Made
The ingredient list below might look long, but most of that is the fajita seasoning mix. So if you’re looking for a short cut or your kitchen spice cabinet is not well-stocked, you can simply use a packet of store-bought fajita seasoning.
Toppings for Chicken Fajitas
I like to keep my chicken fajitas really simple with just a squeeze of lime, maybe some fresh cilantro, and a small dollop of sour cream, but there are so many other things you could use to top your chicken fajitas. Try these toppings
- Shredded cheese
- Cotija cheese
- Green onions
- Salsa
- Guacamole or sliced avocado
- Pickled red onion
- Pico de Gallo
Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Servings 4 (2 fajitas each)Ingredients
FAJITA SEASONING
- 1 Tbsp chili powder ($0.30)
- 1/2 Tbsp paprika ($0.15)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp cumin ($0.03)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 1 tsp sugar ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
FAJITAS
- 2 small yellow onions (or one large) ($0.57)
- 3 bell peppers, any color ($3.69)
- 1 lb. chicken breast ($6.24)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 1 lime ($0.30)
- 8 6-inch tortillas ($1.28)
- 1/2 cup sour cream (optional) ($0.90)
- 1/4 bunch cilantro (optional) ($0.22)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Mix all of the spices for the fajita seasoning in a small bowl and set aside (chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, sugar, and salt).
- Cut the onion and bell peppers into 1/4-inch wide strips. Slice the chicken breast into thin strips. Add the chicken and vegetables to a large baking sheet or casserole dish.
- Drizzle the cooking oil over the chicken and vegetables, then sprinkle the fajita seasoning mix over top. Use your hands to toss the ingredients until everything is well coated in oil and seasoning. Spread the chicken and vegetables out over the baking sheet evenly.
- Bake the chicken and vegetables in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Squeeze the juice from half of the lime over top of the meat and vegetables after they come out of the oven.
- To serve, scoop a small amount of meat and vegetables into the center of each tortilla. Top with a few sprigs of cilantro, a dollop of sour cream, and an extra squeeze of lime if desired.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Nutrition
Video
What to serve with oven baked fajitas
Need a side dish to go with your Oven Fajitas? Try one of these awesome sides
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas – Step By Step Photos:
Begin by preheating the oven to 400ºF. In a small bowl, stir together 1 Tbsp chili powder (this is a mild blend, not hot red chiles), 1/2 Tbsp paprika, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp sugar. The sugar helps the vegetables caramelize and gives the dish a very subtle sweetness.
Slice three bell peppers and two small onions (or one large onion) into thin, 1/4-inch wide strips. Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are usually more expensive than green, so use a mix of peppers that fits your budget.
Slice 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast into thin strips as well. Place the sliced bell peppers, onion, and chicken on a large sheet pan (13×16-inch). You want to avoid piling the ingredients in so deep that they begin to stew in their juices in the oven, instead of browning, so you’ll need the largest dish available. You can also use an extra large casserole dish, if you don’t have a large sheet pan.
Drizzle 2 Tbsp cooking oil over the meat and vegetables, followed by the fajita spice mix, then toss the ingredients until everything is well coated in oil and spices.
Now that everything is coated in oil and spices, it’s ready to go into the oven.
Roast the chicken and vegetables for 35-40 minutes at 400ºF, stirring once halfway through, or until the fajita veggies have softened slightly and are a bit brown on the edges.
Squeeze the fresh lime juice over the chicken and fajita veggies.
Serve hot with tortillas, extra lime wedges, sour cream, cilantro, or whatever other fajita toppings you like!
I’ve been struggling with motivation to cook and I spotted this recipe the other day, and holy heck, even when I lost the will to cook last night, I pushed through and this took… like, 7 minutes to prep? Super easy, super delicious, I’m really happy!
So glad it got you through your slump!!
Just made this for dinner. This is definitely a keeper! Thank you so much!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Made as written and is muy bien. Versatile, tasty and easy to put together on a busy day.
How long does it need to cook if you double the recipe? Thanks!
Awesome recipe! I’ve made this several times. I cook the chicken and peppers on separate baking sheets though. I like the peppers well done. Thank you!
I’m making this today as part of my slow introduction to meal prep so my s/o and I have quick meals to prepare before we go to our overnight job. Will this recipe be fine if I add more chicken to make it stretch? Will I have to adjust the cooking time? I have a surplus of chicken right now. Either way, thank you for this awesome looking recipe!!
You can add more chicken, but the only thing you need to watch out for is over crowding your baking dish. If there is too much in the dish the moisture won’t be able to evaporate and everything will get kind of soupy instead of browning on the edges. If needed, divide everything between two dishes. You shouldn’t need to increase the cooking time as long as everything is still cut into the same sized pieces.
Would the cooking time be the same for beef?
I’m not sure, I’d need to test it first, and it probably depends on which cut of beef you’re using.
We recently used skirt steak and just followed the recipe as is
My question is how do I cook the fajita meat in the oven by itself seasoned with no veges added and still whole not sliced.
We love this recipe! I would love to know how much corn starch to add as I’ve looked several times and can’t find that. Absolutely love this though!
Sorry for the confusion. In the notes for the recipe I mention that the original version of this fajita recipe I had included 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch in the spice mix, but have since found it to be unnecessary. :)
How many WW points!
Made this last night and it was really good! Definitely a keeper. Being chronically I’ll, I’m looking for more easy recipes. I chopped veggies & chicken earlier in the day and put in the fridge til time to put it in the oven, then added the oil and seasoning. I did double the chicken. We had quite a bit leftover with our family of 3.
I just experimented with putting some leftovers in a bowl, adding some fresh spinach and eggs, and cooking it in the microwave. Wasn’t half bad but needed a little something more. Maybe extra seasoning for the eggs, or some salsa.
Make these all the time, they are so good!
So gooooood and easy to make.
This recipe is in my regular meal rotation. My family loves it. I usually add a few jalapeños to the veggies for a little kick. Thanks for a great recipe.
First time trying this and I love it!! There is so much more flavor than the recipie I normally use.
I’ve passed by this recipe many times before I actually made it. I encourage everyone to try it because it’s super delicious and easy. This is a great meal to make when you don’t really feel like cooking. The prep time is pretty quick and your oven does all the work.