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. 😄
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
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
- Enamelware Sheet Pan
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!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!
These are hands-down my favorite at-home fajita recipe—I don’t think I’ve tried another one since I discovered this recipe 5+ years ago. The fact that they are baked makes it SO easy—like the recipe says, no babysitting required! I was single when I first made these fajitas… now I have two small children, and I appreciate the ease of it even more. We top with sour cream, cheese, avocado, and cilantro—and we’ve also made fajita salads with the leftovers. No matter how you eat them, they’re great! This was the first meal I ever cooked for my husband while we were still dating, and I guess he thought they were worth sticking around for! :)
This website literally taught me how to cook and this was one of the first recipes I made 10 years ago in college! So good, so easy, good leftovers, thank you!!
Wonderful! Family gobbled them down! Not a pice of pepper left!
Yum! Included the cornstarch with the spices. Thanks for another amazing recipe. Simple and delicious.
Can you prep this ahead of time and freeze it?
I don’t suggest freezing this one ahead of time because when you freeze vegetables they get very soft and watery upon thawing, so your fajitas will end up more soupy instead of nicely caramelized.
This is a fantastic recipe…there’s also another recipe (exactly this one) that uses a sheet pan. Peppers, onions, and chicken are all put in a large bowl (like a mixing bowl) put spices on top and then use your hands and mix, coating everything with the spices. Lightly spray a sheet pan, pour mixture onto pan and spread out, chicken strips (chicken tenderloins work best) on top. Bake as this recipe says-though mine is done in 25 minutes. Easy peasy!!! (Not my recipe or instructions)
Do you happen to have the nutrition facts for this? I’ve been trying to log my intake each day. Tacos are hard with all the stuff in them
Hello, yes. The nutrition information is at the bottom of the recipe card. :)
Easy to make and tasted wonderful!!! Thanks
One of my all time favorite BB recipes! I always have to AT LEAST double this recipe because it’s so popular at my house!
This has become one of my favorite recipes, I’ve made it so many times in the last year, such an easy go-to that my whole family loves and I love that it’s hands off cooking.
I want to try it now with steak instead of chicken. Would it cook for the same amount of time? Should I maybe lower the temperature? I bought flank steak to cut into strips.
Flank steak can definitely get a bit tough if over cooked and it’s usually suggested to cook it only until medium. I’d probably just cook the steak separately in a skillet to brown the outside while still leaving the inside tender and pink, and then make sure to slice it against the grain to keep it from being too chewy. :)
Hi Beth. I just want to give you a BIG Thank You for this recipe. I have made these so many times and it has always been a big hit…it’s become a family favourite. The flavours are so good and I love how easy it is to prepare. Prep, throw together, in the oven and it’s done. So again, Thank You for a wonderful recipe.
You’re welcome, Lin! I’m glad it’s serving you so well. :)
I’ve never made this recipe. I’m not a big fajita fan. However I do use the seasoning mix (minus the sugar) to season canned pinto beans to use in various Mexican recipes at a rounded teaspoon per 16 oz can. Lightly drain the can, add the seasoning and mash the beans as desired. I make a mean tostada with those beans!
As always, many thanks for all the inspiration and good eating!
Our family loves these! Could you bake this with steak instead?
Has anyone tried this with shrimp? I’m guessing they’d need less cooking time and have to be added after the veggies had cooked a bit?
This is one of the first recipes I fell in love with on your website! ☺️ I’m trying to prep meals for my cousins expecting a baby, and was wondering if you think I could make this recipe in a way that lets them bake directly from frozen?
I’m not sure how well that will work because when you freeze the peppers and onions they will break down a bit and give off a lot more water when they’re in the oven, so it may turn out a lot more soupy. :(
I can attest that it’s not great when prepped and frozen. But when you have a family with young kids it’s tolerable and much better than take out :) We do it alot!