Limited on time? Make these healthy and easy Chicken Fajitas in only 30 minutes for a quick and delicious Mexican dinner tonight!
Chicken fajitas are a very popular meal in my house. Not only are they juicy, flavorful and healthy, but they’re also ready to eat in only 30 minutes!
Time is a big motivator for me. Too often I think I have to spend hours and hours in the kitchen in order to make a delicious meal. And while that holds true for authentic barbecue, slow cooker recipes and grandma’s famous stew, it doesn’t really reflect the majority of weeknight meals that I make.
So when I’m not in the mood to cook and can’t find the motivation to step into the kitchen, I ask myself, “How much total time am I willing to spend making a meal right now?”
Sometimes the answer is zero to five minutes. And those are the nights I eat leftovers or sandwiches. Sometimes it’s 10 to 20 minutes. That’s when I pan fry some chicken, steam some veggies and call it a day.
But most of the time, the answer is 30 minutes or less. Why? Because I can make myself do anything for 30 minutes. I can exercise for 30 minutes. I can clean for 30 minutes. I can pay attention in a boring meeting for 30 minutes. 30 is the magic number.
Cooking good food in that amount of time is totally possible and it doesn’t have to be complicated. Case in point – this 30 Minute Chicken Fajita recipe.
From start to finish, these fajitas should take you 30 minutes to make. I suggest having all of the tools you’ll need (measuring spoons, knives, cutting boards, bowls, etc…) and the ingredients in front of you ready to go in order to make the most of your time.
A QUICK CHICKEN FAJITA MARINADE
The first thing you’ll want to do is slice the chicken into thin strips. This will help reduce the amount of time needed to thoroughly cook the meat. Then chop a handful of cilantro until you have about 1/4 cups worth. If you have any left over, save it for topping your fajitas at the end.
Add the chicken and cilantro to a large mixing bowl and toss together with the following ingredients:
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon – cooking oil, minced garlic, chili powder
1 teaspoon – ground cumin, dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon – coarse kosher salt, paprika, Ancho chili powder
Cover and set the bowl aside to marinate while you slice prepare the peppers and onions.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN FAJITAS
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in a tablespoon of cooking oil and the chopped peppers and onions. Sprinkle with some salt and cook for about 8 minutes until the veggies are soft.
Remove them from the skillet, place in a large bowl, cover and set aside.
In the same skillet, add another tablespoon of cooking oil and the marinated chicken. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked through.
Add the cooked peppers and onions back to the skillet, mix together with the chicken and voila! Your chicken fajitas are officially done!
Isn’t that the easiest thing ever?
I served these chicken fajitas in some homemade flour tortillas, but you could also eat this with some Mexican Rice, Cilantro Lime Rice, low carb Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice or on top of salad greens.
RECIPE
30 MINUTE CHICKEN FAJITAS
PREP:14minutes
COOK:16minutes
TOTAL :30minutes
Limited on time? Make these healthy and easy Chicken Fajitas in only 30 minutes for a quick and delicious Mexican dinner tonight!
INGREDIENTS
For the meat and quick marinade
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced into thin strips
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice (juice of 1 lime)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
For the peppers and onions
2 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
2 bell peppers, sliced into strips
1 large poblano pepper sliced into strips (or substitute with another bell pepper if you can’t find poblanos)
1/2 large onion, sliced
1 pinch salt
Optional toppings
guacamole, sour cream, chopped cilantro, flour or corn tortillas
INSTRUCTIONS
Add all the ingredients for the quick marinade in a large mixing bowl. Toss together until chicken is evenly coated with spices. Cover and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add the peppers, onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, until the veggies are soft.
Remove from the skillet, place in a large bowl, cover and set aside.
Add the remaining tablespoon of cooking oil to the same skillet. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked.
Add the peppers and onions back to the skillet, toss together with the chicken and remove from heat.
Serve in warm flour or corn tortillas and top with sour cream, guacamole and chopped cilantro.
ISABEL’S TIPS:
Make sure to slice the chicken into thin strips to help reduce the overall cooking time.
If you want to marinate the chicken longer than 2 hours, leave out the lime juice. If you marinate it in lime juice for too long, it can start to affect the texture of the chicken and break down the fibers in a bad way.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
