These juicy Chicken fajitas are a full sensory experience, from the sizzling veggies to the aromatic spices caramelizing on the griddle. Dive into this classic Tex-Mex dish with flour tortillas, slices of lime, sour cream, and of course an ice-cold cerveza.

Juicy chicken fajitas are grilled with marinated vegetables.

This easy recipe for chicken fajitas is very different from most that you’ll find. There are a few very specific steps added in here to make sure the chicken is NOT dry, and extremely juicy. Also, no more bland vegetables, they finally get some love to enhance their flavor.

Try serving this with Smoked Pickled Jalapenos, Hatch Chile Salsa Verde, or Fire Roasted Santa Maria Salsa!

These healthy chicken fajita tacos have avocado, a little sour cream, peppers, onions, and grilled chicken breast.

Why This Recipe Works

No more dry chicken. Marinating a whole chicken breast instead of sliced up pieces ensures the chicken stays juicy from grilling, while still injecting it with flavors. Slice at the end and you’ll taste the difference.
Vibrant vegetables. These peppers and onions are also marinated with simple flavors designed to enhance their natural sweetness and spice. It’s a quick extra step, but the difference in flavor is huge.
Easy weeknight meal. Prep the marinades in the morning and grill the healthy chicken fajitas when you get home. This recipe allows you to have everything ready to go, even if you plan to travel.

These are the ingredients for the chicken marinade using chicken breasts.

Chicken Fajita Marinade

This bold marinade comes right out of my Chiles and Smoke Cookbook, so you know I’m committed to the flavors. It’s designed in mind to bring a balance of zest, smoke, and of course a little spice.

Chili powder
Kosher salt
Chipotle powder
Ground turmeric
Ground ginger
Fresh lime juice
Olive oil

These are the ingredients for the vegetable marinade.

Fajita Vegetable Marinade

Giving the peppers and onions a bath in this tangy, simple vegetable marinade makes a WORLD of difference. The red wine vinegar is the secret, just adding enough zing to really boost the natural sweetness.

Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Marinate the chicken and vegetables separately for at least 2 hours.

How to Make Chicken Fajitas

Marinate the chicken and vegetables.
Prepare both the chicken and vegetable marinades and place the ingredients in separate bags. You may use a resealable zipped plastic bag, or even a vacuum sealer (shown above). Give the food at least a few hours to marinade, up to overnight.
Start to grill the chicken first. The chicken breasts will take longer to cook, so start with those. Wipe off the excess marinade and get them onto a medium-heat grill, cast iron skillet, or griddle.

Cooking chicken fajitas on a griddle makes the most sense, as it provides the largest surface area for cooking the vegetables as well. However, if you only have a charcoal grill you can use a vegetable grill basket or cast iron skillet for cooking the vegetables.

Sear the marinated chicken breasts for about 5-6 minutes before flipping. If you have a lid for the griddle or grill, this helps speed up the process as well.

Sear the chicken on the griddle over medium heat.

Sauté the peppers and onions. Once the chicken has seared and been flipped for the first time, go ahead and add the peppers and onions.

The marinade has a little oil, which helps to sauté the vegetables. Pour out the contents of the bag onto the warm griddle surface and spread them out. This will help the peppers and onions to cook properly without getting soggy.

Sauté the marinated peppers and onions alongside the chicken.

Finish cooking the chicken. Make sure the chicken has a nice sear on both sides, and the temperature in the middle is rising adequately. Flip, or use the grill lid as needed to make sure it has a chance to fully cook.

The target temperature for this chicken breast is about 158-160°F in the thickest part.

Once the chicken breasts reach this temperature, remove them and allow them to rest tented under aluminum foil. The carry-over cooking will bring the internal temperature past 165°F which is the safe zone for chicken.

Finish cooking the chicken and vegetables for the chicken fajitas.

Serving the Chicken Fajitas

Once the chicken has rested for a few minutes, go ahead and slice and serve! It’s best to mix the chicken in with the peppers and onions to maximize all of the flavors coming together.

At this point the chicken will be the juiciest, having been cooked whole and sliced to serve.

Traditionally chicken fajitas are served on flour tortillas with a dollop of sour cream. Feel free to mix and match the toppings with different pickled vegetables, hot sauce, or salsas.

These can even be served as chicken fajita rice bowls, or as a salad (which you’ll find the recipe for in the Chiles and Smoke Cookbook)

The marinated chicken breasts are so juicy when served with the chicken fajitas.

Chicken fajita tacos with sour cream and cilantro.

Important Tips

Flatten the chicken breasts. If they are extremely thick, feel free to flatten them ahead of time by smacking them with a cast iron skillet or baking sheet first. You can place the chicken breasts in a large resealable bag or plastic wrap and give them a smack or two to flatten them to an even thickness, not a pancake. This helps to ensure they cook evenly.
Don’t marinate for days. The acid in the marinade will make the texture of the chicken funny, and soften the vegetables too much if you marinate them for too long. Overnight is really the max, roughly 8-10 hours.
Use whole chicken breasts, not strips. Trust me on this, even if it takes a little longer to cook. Grilled whole chicken breasts will be much juicier, and you won’t lose out on flavor. Plus it’s less prep for you!