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!
Seriously so simple and so delicious! My boys said it was the best chicken they’ve EVER had! Thank you! =)
I don’t know about you, but I have never seen a package of chicken that costs $1.99?? A pk with about 3 breast cost $5 +
I usually mention this in my chicken recipes, but forgot this time… I only buy chicken breasts when they’re on sale for 1.99/lb. and then I freeze it for later use. I know not everyone will be able to get this price, but my prices are just for example purposes. You can usually get a better price if you buy a larger family or value pack, then divide it up and freeze it.
I’m not sure where you live but Harris Teeter almost always has chicken breasts for $1.99 … Just a heads up :)
This was delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and it came out so flavorful. Thank you for posting budget friendly recipes that taste great. I will be trying the chicken tortilla soup recipe next!
Wow, these were amazing! I followed the recipe exactly, except used red onion instead of yellow. Definitely a keeper. This is a wonderful blog, as a grad student with limited time and budget I appreciate your wallet friendly, no fuss recipes. Thank you.
This has become a staple in our house! We are newlyweds and grad students, and so easy meals that leave leftovers are ideal! It gets an A++ from both my husband and I for flavor too!
I am allergic to corn what can i use in place of the corn starch. I can’t do the tortillas either but these look so good.
Actually, you can just leave the cornstarch out and it will still work quite well. :)
thank you.
Would it be alright to use xanthan gum in place of cornstarch?
Hmm. I don’t know. I’ve never cooked with xantan gum before. :P
Could I use shrimp instead of shrimp? Same amount if oven time?
Ooops….I meant shrimp instead of chicken! Lol!
Yes, although I would add them closer to the end because shrimp can easily overcook (although I don’t know how close without experimenting a bit).
This recipe is wonderful! My husband was very skeptical as he thinks that only the sodium laden spice packets give you flavor. However, he loved these and would be happy eating them on a weekly basis. Such an easy delicious meal that I know we will make for years to come. Thank you for a great recipe!
I was skeptical, but this method worked beautifully and the meal was just as good or better than stovetop fajitas. And so much easier than standing at the stove over a hot frying pan with a baby and a toddler underfoot. Your recipes have been saving my dinnertime sanity, so glad I stumbled on your site!
Cheers from Scotland!!! I LOOOOVVVEEEE your website, and was going to try this recipe, but was wondering if red onion will be fine?
I think red onions will be great. I tend to use them in fresh dishes, but mostly because they turn a strange grey color when cooked. :P
This has become one of my frequent go-to meals. It has just the right seasonings and is super easy to make!
Just tried this recipe for the first time and it’s AMAZING!!! I love fajitas and this is the easiest and tastiest recipe I have found for them :-)
I made this last night for my husband, adding mushrooms and subbing Gardein meatless chik’n strips, and it was a HUGE HIT! Thanks for sharing!
I make these at least once a month. But I use 8 oz of mushrooms instead of the chicken. Delicious!
I made them with portabello musrhooms (sliced) once, and it was *awesome*.