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!
Beth, funny story. I have been cooking your recipe for years. When our house flooded we stayed with my in-laws for a month. My sister in law asked if we had any meal requests. Not being able to cook them myself, I sent her the link to your recipe. I just love the simplicity and taste. Thanks
Can a person use pre cooked drozen chicken stripes. Thawed?
You can use 1lb of chicken strips, but you’d still need to cut them into thinner strips, unless you prefer to eat the whole tender. In that case you’d need to cook them a bit longer.
Could you do this in a air fryer?
I’m sure you could, but we haven’t tried it out to give you proper cooking time and temp. You could definitely try it out though and just keep an eye on it, I wouldn’t think it would take long in the air fryer! :)
Ever tried substituting beef for chicken?
You could definitely do a flank steak or maybe a sirloin! The cook time may be a bit different though depending on how you like your steak.
There used to be a beef fajita recipe on the site that I would use. I hope they make it again. I know beef can be expensive but Beth stretched it by using lots of bell pepper and the flavor was great.
Delicious and easy to make..thank you!!
I’ve made this twice; the first time I thought it was an accident that it turned out so well…the amount of work you put in seems small compared to the outcome. It’s really delicious and it is a welcome change for us as we were getting into a bit of a pasta/rice rut.
This is one of my all-time favorite recipes on BB! It’s simple and delicious and easy to stretch with the addition of mushrooms and a zucchini or two. I like to put it under the broiler for a minute or two at the end to crisp up the edges. A winner every time!
Can you cook this in a pan on the grill?
We haven’t tried that ourselves but you could definitely try it!
I gotta actually come and comment on this because I make it biweekly at least. It’s quick, easy, huge portion, and so tasty!! Sometimes we’ll eat it with the tortillas, sometimes we eat it with rice – last time we ate it with coleslaw. So good!
So easy, so tasty – even for my spice-averse diners (without the cayenne pepper). This is a weekday winner that even the tween/teen in your house could prepare (if you trust them with a chopping knife)! We ate with salsa, sour cream, and shredded cheese, but these are extra luxuries not required- the spice mix gives great flavour on its own
Have you made these as steak fajitas? What type of steak would be best to use? And would I do everything else the same? Thanks
I haven’t, mostly because steak tends to become super tough if cooked too long, so it’s better to sear rather than bake in the oven.
This recipe is a huge hit every time I make it!! I keep the chicken separate from the vegetables to accommodate the non-meat eaters, steam up some flour tortillas with cheese melted on to them, serve with a side of black beans & rice, corn chips for the crunch lovers & always shredded cheddar, chopped cilantro & lime. Everyone gets to create exactly what they want … power bowl, nachos, tacos, quesadillas, whatever. Everyone is happy, stuffed, and fighting over who gets the leftovers!! My favorite go-to when someone asks, “What’s for dinner?” Thanks for this fabulous recipe!!
Every single tome I cook it, it turns out perfect! Spicy, sour, light, full of flavours, and the most important- easy to make!
So easy to make! Quickly became one of my favorite recipes. I live alone so i have enough leftovers for a couple days. I’ve found it keeps really well in the fridge and are just as good reheated in the microwave.
Delicious meal and so easy to throw together.