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!
My whole family LOVES this recipe. I like the budget friendliness, but sometimes when we have more room in ours, I like to dress it up by adding in strips of steak and shrimp along with all the veggies and chicken. I also add a bit of ground oregano to the seasoning mix. I like to mix up the seasoning and put it in a large ziploc with the meat, the oil, and some lime juice to marinade for a couple of hours before throwing it in the oven. Super delicious!
Wow, this was really good. I used 20 oz of chicken because that’s how much comes in the Costco individual packages. I don’t like green pepper so I only used red pepper (1) and yellow onion (1). I served on a small flour tortilla with a squeeze of lime, some sliced avocado and a dollop of sour cream. I think this would also be great over some brown rice, kind of like a Chipotle burrito bowl. Per the amount of chicken above, I entered these amounts into My Fitness Pal. It came out to 5 servings of 4.4 ounces each for 211 calories, 24g of protein and 7g of fat, not including the tortilla, avocado, etc.
These are delish!! A new favorite at our house! Thank you!!!
I made these tonight and they were great! We ate them on flour tortillas with a little sour cream. Quick to get in the oven and on the table in no time! All three of my girls ate them, even the SUPER PICKY 5 year old!! I even had leftovers. I know the recipe says serves 4 but we are a family of five and four of us had two tortillas and we still had leftovers! I also love making my own spice mix and not buying the packet of MSG in the supermarket! Thanks for a great recipe. A definite make again!
I made these tonight for my family and some guests. There was nothing left! We ate every last bite! It was so easy to make and tasted restaurant quality! I plan to cut up double the veggies and chicken and freeze half and cook half the next time. Hoping it works well! Thanks for the amazing recipe!!!
I made this for the first time tonight. I used two each…onions, red, green peppers, and approx 1.5lbs of chicken. I put everything in a large Ziploc bag with the seasoning/oil. There was too much food for a 9×13 pan so I spread onto large foil lined cookie sheet. 40 minutes was perfect and clean-up was easy.
This is my new way of making fajitas!
I’ve made this 5 times now and I really like it. I buy store-bought fajita seasoning in the ethnic section. Thank you!
I just made these tonight… they were perfect! I added mushrooms and zucchini to the other veggies and served it in tortillas with brown rice and black beans. It was delicious!
Your blog is my go-to for new recipe ideas. I have never been disappointed :)
This was amazing!!! Normally I would have put this over rice but since I am eating healthy I couldn’t do it to myself. Instead I placed this over some fresh spinach leaves and about 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing!! I have found my new favorite salad. Thanks so much.
I made these last weekend for lunches through the week, and they were *AMAZING* I loved the spice mix that created a sort of sauce to keep the fajitas / burritos from going dry! I’m already looking forward to the next time I make these!
Made these for dinner tonight, my roomates and I were so satisfied! They are a great option for a fairly quick and easy meal with minimal mess. Delicious.
I am SUPER excited to make these tomorrow night! ( I stumbled on your site too late to make them tonight) I plan to use my cast iron skillet, in the oven. Hopefully I can get some ‘char’. As a new convert to clean eating, this looks like a winner!! (off to explore some more!)
I made these tonight and they are amazing. I served them with tomatoes, cottage cheese (my substitute for sour cream), guacamole, cheese, rice, and black beans. Thanks for a fantastoc recipe that is sure to please for years.
I made these last night and they were amazing. Super easy to make, almost “one-pot-wonder”ish. My husband couldn’t stop telling me how great they were. Used green, yellow, orange, and red peppers. Two onions, and two chicken breasts. Added avocado at the end. Can’t wait to have people over and make these for a party!
I made these for the second time tonight and they are AMAZING! I actually like them better than restaurant fajitas. They are super easy to make and reheat great for weekday lunches.
Found this on Pinterest. I made it tonight and will never make fajitas any other way. Delicious and simple. My family thoroughly enjoyed it. I was worried it might be too spiced but it was PERFECT!
I wouldn’t adjust a thing. Can’t fix perfect!
Thank you for sharing