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!
I made these last week! They were delicious! Great for my diet too!
I made these over the weekend and they were fantastic! I will definitely be making these again and again. :)
I have doubled the recipe for a college crowd for dinner. I used my turkey roasting pan to mix everything together. Do you recommend using 2 shallower pans for the oven? Or just use the roasting pan, and stir a couple of times? Any adjustments to time or temperature? (Also serving your Cilantro Rice and Spicy Black Beans.) Thanks!
I would suggest two shallower pans because they allow for more evaporation of the liquid. If too much liquid gets trapped the ingredients will sort of “stew” together.
Made this last night, WHERE HAVE I BEEN ALL OF MY LIVE?! This was so delicious. I will be making this more often!
Found this on Pinterest, and thought I would pop back on to the page to give credit where it is due. I made this last night, and my husband and I loved it! Delicious! I actually just grabbed a fajita seasoning packet (having a newborn, it was just easier), cut up all the veggies and chicken, mixed it all together and threw it in the oven. It’s nice having something new and yummy:) Thank you!
These are so good! I’ve made them twice. I have followed the spice mixture to a T, minus the sugar. It is a great use of the left over bits of veggies I have in the fridge. Thank you!
Made these last nite~they will forever be my go to jita recipe! Thank you, Thank You!!
Most delicious.
I was going to make these with shrimp instead tomorrow night for a mini dinner I’m hosting. If you are adding the shrimp in towards the last 10-12ish minutes (I’m guessing) would you season them with the fajita seasoning prior to adding them to the veggie mixture or just mix it in with the veggies towards the end?
Hmm, yes, I think I would toss them in some seasoning first, just to make sure there is plenty of flavor in every bite! :)
I have to say, this recipe and baked oatmeal from this website have pretty much changed my life. Love, love love. I’ve also had trouble having too much liquid, but I upped the cornstarch significantly (up to 2 tbs) and didn’t notice a change in taste. I don’t have a terribly keen sense of taste/smell, though, so other testers might notice.
My one question is a suggestion about using beef or pork. What cuts would work best in this application? Would it affect cooking time? My husband vastly prefers beef to chicken fajitas, and I’d like to be able to make some for him and not spend $$$$$ on them at a restaurant!
Thanks again! Adore the site.
You could thinly slice some boneless pork chops. I’m not sure about the beef, though. Flank steak is the usual for fajitas, but it might over cook and get a bit tough with this method.
Just tried this tonight. Followed the recipe exactly, and my wife and I LOVE it!
Going to make this a regular addition to the house menu!
(It’s hard to get Mexican food in North western Germany, where I live).
I have made this recipe twice and I love it! It is so easy! You make it even easier with the step by step pictures for people like me who are slightly challenged in the kitchen! Thanks a million for this super easy and budget friendly dish! I look forward to trying others!
do you have to use corn starch??
Actually, since posting this I have made it without the cornstarch and it still works great. :)
I made these today and WOW. We have a new favorite at our house. I had some leftover pork roast I needed to use up so I used that instead of the chicken. I have to admit I was a little leery about the spices as I am a wimp. But it was the perfect amount and not spicy hot at all. Thanks so much for this great recipe!
Just made these today – fantastic! The charred bits on the edges of the veggies and chicken really give it a great ‘grilled’ flavour without any effort. I’ve cooled it (snacked on it) and put it in the fridge for a quick reheated meal for the family tomorrow. I just discovered this website and LOVE IT! Thanks so much! : )
Saw these on pinterest and had to try them! I love that you throw it all into one pan and the roasting part really gave it great flavor. I was also skeptical about the meat having enough flavor if it was not marinated first, but it turned out delicious. I blogged about making them, with a tribute to your blog and link back to you. Thanks so much, we are adding this to the regular dinner line up. http://www.clevercraftycookinmama.com/2014/03/oven-roasted-fajitas.html#.UxJW9IXvgc1