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. 😄
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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
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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!
What about storing fajitas in a fridge for 3 days, would that work?
I often store the leftovers in the fridge and enjoy them for a few days. :)
A fabulous recipe, highly recommend. My only adjustment was in using a 390 degree oven for about 28 minutes and it was perfectly cooked. Thank you so much!
Budgetbytes NEVER steers me wrong!!!!!!!!! There is one other recipe on here that I make all the time. When I saw how easy this one is, I had to try it. And I need to branch out more because this was so simple and SO DELICIOUS!!!! I’ve used pre-mixed fajita sauces for a while and I’m sick of them not tasting good. This recipe is the remedy. The lime at the end is a perfect finishing touch. One minor adjustment I made was adding mushrooms about 10 minutes into the cook time. I highly suggest it.
I just made this for dinner tonight. The chicken was in the oven for 35 minutes at 400 and it was so overcooked and dry, we had to throw it away.😭
I would suggest either using boneless chicken thighs instead OR adding the strips of chicken breast to the pan after the veggies roast for 20 minutes.
I love this recipe. We have been using it on rotation about once a week since it was originally published. The chicken is also great in burritos and is so easy, even my fiance can make it (LOL)!
I love these and have made them often. I’m planning to make them agin tomorrow. Has anyone tried these in an air fryer?
I love this recipe because it’s easy and SO flavorful. But since I have to deal with regular and gluten-free tortillas when I make this (which is a bit of a pain), I frequently just put it over brown rice with sour cream on the side, and it is still delicious.
One of my all-time favorite recipes! This is so good and easy.
I remember first making this 3 years ago when my son was about 3. It’s one of our staples around here like many of your other recipes! Swamp soup is up there too! Thanks for all your recipes!
I have been making these for years as the original oven pyrex version and I am sooo excited to try it on a sheet pan – I expect it to be nothing less than game changing. Before everything would get a bit crowded and would steam as you mentioned, bring on the charred bits!!
I came across your recipe years ago and it became a staple in our house. Now when my daughter, a vegetarian, comes home from college we make it exactly as before, but separate the chicken from the onions and peppers for baking. It makes a great meal and all the prep is at the beginning or even the day before. Love that!!!
This recipe is a staple in our household! We probably make it at least twice a month. They’re so easy to toss in the oven on a weeknight after work, and are unreasonably good. We usually melt a bit of cheese on the tortillas when warming them up, and top them with a little sour cream and a squeeze of lime. This time around, I mixed up a batch of Beth’s Cumin Lime Coleslaw to top them with (also SO GOOD!) and it was a delicious addition.
Curious how the chicken breast doesn’t dry out if baked that long and high of temp in such small pieces. Turns out ok huh?
I think because it’s surrounded by all those peppers and onions it doesn’t get quite as much direct heat as if they were baked on their own.
Wondering how many fajitas 1 serving is? I am looking to make this recipe for 20+ people.
Thanks
Two fajitas per serving. :)
Love this recipe. Can you freeze leftovers?
I feel like this one might not be the best candidate for freezing because the peppers and onions will further break down and probably become soggy. But, as with a lot of recipes, the results of freezing and thawing can be highly subjective!