Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
These easy sheet pan chicken fajitas are packed with smoky, zesty flavors and are so, so simple to make! A perfect weeknight (or any night) meal!
The September craziness has begun, and I’m already wondering: when will I ever sleep again? And also, what’s for dinner?
If you’re feeling those same vibes, let’s hold virtual hands in solidarity of not giving up. No, no. We’ve got this. As promised in this post from last week, I have many quick and easy weeknight meals coming your way this fall, and these easy sheet pan chicken fajitas are first in the lineup.
Wow, they’re good. And so easy. And so, so fast.
Fast vs make-aheadable
There is a debate going on in my head at all times (yes, I need to get a life) about whether dinner should be super quick…or super make-aheadable. There is a time and a place for each, I think. These easy sheet pan chicken fajitas are definitely in the fast category.
On those days when there’s no way to make it work to get dinner prepped/made ahead but there is 30-35 minutes available closer to eating time, these sheet pan fajitas are your friend. Of course, you could make the whole recipe ahead of time and reheat as needed. Which I guess means just about any recipe could actually be make-aheadable? And why am I even still belaboring the fast vs make-headable point?? You guys are smart enough to figure things like that out.
Moving on.
These sheet pan fajitas are as simple as cutting chicken and veggies into strips, seasoning with a delightful mix of smoky, zesty flavors, and tossing on sheet pans to cook for a quick minute.
chicken breasts vs chicken thighs and other things
You’ll see from the recipe that:
a) I prefer using chicken breast meat vs chicken thigh meat for this recipe. I use chicken thighs occasionally (like, for this amazing grilled Hawaiian chicken recipe). But mostly I use chicken breasts because I always have them on hand, and also, chicken thighs gross me out a little bit. Sorry. I feel as though I’m confessing a hidden, tragic flaw since “experts” around the globe praise chicken thighs as the only chicken meat to even consider. But listen, we’re all friends, and it is what it is. I end up trimming so much off the chicken thighs when I use them that it isn’t really cost effective for me to use them. Also, gag reflex. Clearly I have issues that need addressed.
b) Because chicken breast meat cooks a lot faster, I separate the chicken and veggies on two separate sheet pans. Unless you cut the chicken breasts into super thick pieces (which doesn’t make super great sense for a fajita recipe), the veggies are going to need more time than the chicken. However, if you do love and abide by the Use Chicken Thighs Only Rule, you could probably get away with combining the chicken and veggies on the same sheet pan. Just don’t overcrowd.
Ok, now that I’ve way overtalked a should-be easy sheet pan chicken fajitas recipe, all you need to do is add it to your weekly menu plan! You won’t be sorry! That chicken is to-die for delicious.
One Year Ago: Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Orzo Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
Two Years Ago: Double Chocolate Zucchini Brownies
Three Years Ago: Tri-Color Pasta Salad {My Favorite Pasta Salad}
Four Years Ago: Amish-Style Apple and Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
Five Years Ago: Peanut Butter Granola
Six Years Ago: Big Fat Greek Tacos
Seven Years Ago: Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins
Eight Years Ago: Over-the-Top Andes Mint Cupcakes
Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (see note for using chicken thighs)
- 1 large yellow, white, or red onion
- 2 bell peppers, any color
- 2 tablespoons oil, divided (you’ll use half for the chicken, half for the veggies)
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, can sub apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, I use low-sodium
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke, optional but so very delicious
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt, I use coarse, kosher salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- Squeeze of fresh lime juice
- Tortillas
- Optional toppings: sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, tomatoes, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place oven racks in upper and lower positions (you'll use both racks). If you have convection setting, preheat to 375 degrees F.
- Cut chicken into 1/4-inch strips and place in medium bowl. Cut onion in half, peel off the skin, and cut each half into 1/4-inch half moon strips. Place onion in a separate bowl. Cut the bell peppers into 1/4-inch strips and add to the bowl with the onions.
- Place the baking sheets in the oven, one on each rack, to preheat for 5-6 minutes.
- While the baking sheets preheat, add the following to the bowl with the chicken: 1 tablespoon oil, 2-3 cloves minced garlic, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon liquid smoke, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper. Toss to combine.
- To the bowl with the onions/peppers, add 1 tablespoon oil (more or less) and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
- Remove the baking sheets from the oven and quickly (but carefully) dump the chicken on one sheet pan and the veggies on the other pan. Spread both chicken and veggies into a single layer. Return the pans to the oven. If using a standard oven (non-convection), put the pan with the chicken on the bottom rack and the veggies on the top rack.
- Cook the chicken for 6-7 minutes until tender and cooked through. Remove from the oven and continue cooking the veggies 5-6 minutes longer until crisp-tender (add time if you want the veggies even softer).
- I like to dump the pan of hot, cooked veggies onto the sheet pan with the chicken and toss to combine. Squeeze the juice of a lime across the top; toss lightly. Serve the chicken and veggies in tortillas (or on a salad!) piled high with toppings of your choice.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (used this favorite fajita recipe as inspiration)
92 Comments on “Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas”
This recipe is the absolute best – quick, easy and delicious! We’ve made this several times and each time it has pleased the voraciously-starving-cavernous-pits-with-hollow-legs known as teenagers and their parents too. Clean up is also pretty quick and easy which is a bonus as this isn’t a huge mess maker in the dishes used department. A keeper for sure!
This is one of our absolute favorite meals, and so quick to make! I always add the same spices/sauce to my vegetables (that you put the chicken in) and add 8 oz of mushrooms with the veggies. The mushrooms soak up the sauce and makes the meal incredible.
We loved these!! I had guacamole that we needed to make something to go with. So fun to make (that sizzling pan noise is great!), fast, and tasty! Thanks for another great weeknight option!!
I’ve made these twice in the last two weeks! Everyone loves them and I love how fast they are, while still seeming “fancy.” Thanks again Mel!
I love this recipe! So fast and easy. I usually use at least 3 peppers, and double the chicken (and the seasonings added to it). The liquid smoke gives it amazing flavor.
Super delish! The chicken is so flavorful. Usually I like steak fajitas better but these were equally as delicious. My 2 year old ate the chicken and even the onions and my husband loved it!
I’ve made these at least 3 times, and it’s always devoured by my entire family (though a few kids won’t eat more bell peppers than what is “required” of them ).
I never liked any of the sheet pan dinners I tried — always ended up too dry, or kinda just meh — until you started posting them. Your recipes rarely fail me (if ever??? I can’t think of any “fails” in all the years I’ve been following your blog)! Thanks for helping us all be successful in the kitchen!
P.S. I don’t like when I have to remove the meat from the bones of chicken thighs, but if I can just roast them whole, or if they are boneless I am a big fan of the flavor. 🙂
Thank you so much, Arlene!
I am so glad you mentioned your feelings on chicken thighs. I feel the same – kind of have a gag reaction to the thighs – even though I am fine with chicken breasts (and use them 99% of the time in chicken recipes as well!) So glad you posted the recipe – I love this flavor combination!
I made this recipe for dinner on Friday night. Wow, so delicious and so easy! I doubled the marinade and split it between the chicken and the veggies. I was worried that everything would stick, but clean up was a breeze. Thanks for another flavorful and quick meal!
My family loved this. Added some mushrooms to the veggies. Will definitely make again.
We loved this recipe!! Didn’t have liquid smoke, but added smoked paprika like you mentioned. Also followed your tip to double the seasonings in order to season the veggies like the chicken… delicious!! Also, I loved the sizzling baking sheets, haha. I think it’s so cool! Thanks for another great recipe, Mel!!
Awesome recipe! Heating up the sheet pans is key. Another winner thanks Mel.
Thanks, Reenie!
A perfect recipe. Quick, easy and delicious.
Finally made these for dinner. They were great! Quick and easy and great flavor. I put put the spices on both the veggies and the chicken as you suggested. Everyone liked this!
This recipe has been added to my regular rotation of dinners. The kids LOVE it and I was surprised that they even ate the veggies. If there’s any leftovers I make quesadillas with the leftover filling for an after school snack or even dinner depending on how much is left. (I usually add more meat and veggies to make sure there’s leftovers).
Thanks, Rebecca!
Yum!! This is another “approved for company” dish and was pretty simple and quick. Lots of dishes were dirtied but that is ok. We had leftovers tonight which were just as tasty! I was surprised how moist and flavorful the chicken was. I doubled the spices as suggested and split them between the peppers and chicken. My chicken was done after about seven minutes and we cooked the peppers about 3-4 min longer.
Thanks for letting me know, Alison!
This recipe was so good! I think it was just about the best tasting thing I have made myself. Will be making this often. We ate them with cilantro lime rice in fresh flour tortillas.
Love that you paired them with cilantro lime rice. YUM!
What a wonderful recipe especially for company where the stress of last minute frying or timing with fajitas was replaced with easy serving and easy cleanup. I used chicken breasts and, as per a reviewer, brined them for 30 minutes using the Cooks Illustrated method. The meat was definitely moist and tender. I served this with your refried beans. Thanks, Mel.
Thanks, Sarah!
Thanks for the review, Sarah!
These were really good. My husband loves fajitas, but I never make them because I always thought they were kind of time consuming. But these are easy! And tasty! Thank you.
Thanks, Trish!
Yummy and tasty! So simple to make too! Best part – my kids loved the chicken! This one is moving from my general main dish pins to my main dish keepers pins 🙂
Yesss! So happy to read that, Ann!
I just made these and they were delicious. Instead of the spices listed I used 2 tsp of Trader Joes Taco Seasoning. Served on Tortillas with melted cheese and topped with homemade salsa, guacamole and sour cream. Thanks Mel another delicious recipe.
These were fantastic – esp with your tortillas – thank you!
Thanks, Rachel!!
This was so good! And so easy! Wonderful flavor. My husband invited people for dinner an hour beforehand and it was no sweat to just add another chicken breast and another pepper. Wonderful addition to the rotation.
Also, just want to add my voice in support of the lowly chicken thigh. They are so flavorful, so perfect for the crockpot, and I’m so glad I discovered them years ago.
Wow, Emily, way to go for not panicking at last minute dinner guests! And I think it’s great that there are others who love using chicken thighs! I actually used them last night in the Hawaiian chicken recipe and thought “eh, I need to get over this, they aren’t that bad” 🙂
This looks so yummy! And I am with you all the way on the chicken thighs. Just ew! Thanks for another great recipe!
Thank you, this was so good and so easy! The liquid smoke really made it interesting for me. And I’m totally in the chicken breasts over chicken thighs camp too. Mostly I think that raw meat is gross, and handling raw chicken breasts is a little bit less gross than handling chicken thighs. I’m almost ready to go vegetarian (minus maybe the cafe rio sweet pork recipe you just posted!) but my kids and husband saw no way!!!
Yeah, my family would probably revolt, too!
Ok this was delicious! We had a crazy night and I prepped it this afternoon but ended up making the kids grilled cheese in the 15 minutes we were home and baking this tonight at 8:30pm. As I’m putting the kids to bed my 9 year old says “how can I sleep when it smells so good??!” I wasn’t nice enough to let her stay up to enjoy the deliciousness but I’m sure the leftovers will be just as tasty. Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
Haha, your 9-year old’s comment made me smile. She’ll dream of leftovers! Yum!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was a big hit—especially with my 1 year old who has never successfully eaten chicken. She ate 5 pieces tonight!! Well done Mel, well done!
I love to hear things like that! Yay!
Chicken thighs have an smell that I can only detect while raw. They make me gag too. Since I cook for other people, I have to triple check smell them every single time….just to make sure. I am with ya. However….they do cook way better in the crock pot than breasts and I love it on that Hawaiian Chicken too.
I have to comment about this one, it’s so tasty and soooo easy! In fact it was so easy and tasty that I was pretty upset the other night when I made it for my boyfriend and me and he only had one small serving! How disappointing, I thought, because I had wanted it to be something I could do regularly. Well, it turned out that it wasn’t the food…he was just nervous because thirty minutes later he proposed! He ate several helpings the next day for lunch Fabulous recipe Mel!
That is adorable. Congratulations!!!!
Oh my goodness, Larissa, first of all, CONGRATULATIONS on your engagements! This is seriously the cutest story!
Definitely trying this one, looks delish. I totally relate to jumping into fall schedules and the ever present question of what’s for dinner. Also , I’m amazed at how fast you added the ‘other recipes like this’ section after I said I missed it, you’re amazing and thank you!
Oh, I’m glad you noticed that! It looks a little different but hopefully it helps.
I love it. It’s funny how sometimes between similar recipes one will seem easier to me so I like comparing them.
I basically think all meat is gross. I gag a little every time I prepare chicken, pork, beef. Sometimes I gag if I just think about it too much. I hated meat of any kind as a child because we had six siblings and not a lot of money so my mom often bought what was cheapest and she was not discriminatory about trimming. I do enjoy eating meat now, but only as a first serving, almost never as leftovers. In fact, the only times I threw up while pregnant were when I ate leftover chicken. I found something about brining chicken makes it more tender and it has worked super well for me. I take 2 c of hot water and 1Tbsp of salt and 1 Tbsp of sugar, stir until dissolved, and soak for a couple hours. It makes chicken breasts as juicy as thighs. Did you secretly know you would bring out all these comments about how gross we all think chicken is? HAHAHA! Love you, Mel.
Ha! I’m loving the comments. And thanks for the brining advice! Do you rinse before cooking it or using it in a recipe?
Rinse! Sorry I didn’t mention that part.
I made this last night for dinner. Nom nom nom! My family loved it!
Yay! Thanks for letting me know, Katie!
These were fast and delicious!! Thank you for another great recipe!!
Thanks, Amber!
I made these tonight together with your homemade tortillas and they were a super hit!! Made us all eat like pigs! I used the mini peppers because that was what I had on hand so it took about 18 of them… also sprinkled some Italian seasoning on the peppers and onions before baking… it all came together quickly and everyone loved the whole meal… topped it with cheese, homemade guacamole and fresh homemade salsa! Yum yum !! Oh and those tortillas worked out so well! I have definitely tried making homemade flour tortillas before and they never turned out! I kinda wonder if it’s not that tip of refrigerating them for a bit before pressing them (I have a heated flour tortilla press and wouldn’t do it without that item!!) as I had never heard of doing that before… anyway I will certainly be making them again!!
Homemade tortillas! Swoon! That sounds crazy delicious. Thanks for detailing everything…loved reading every word and wishing I had been at your house for dinner!
I made these and they were so fast and delicious. I still can’t believe the chicken and veggies didn’t stick to the preheated pans. The next time I make them I will keep the veggies in the oven a little less time but use the broiler to give them a little char. My kids and grandkids loved them!
Using the broiler is a fantastic idea at the end, Cindy! Thanks for the comment!
Yum! We are fans of this! This might be my favorite way to do fajita veggies…I loved the texture! I’ll definitely make this again and again! Thanks for another winner 🙂
You’re the best – thanks, Becky!
#teamchickenthighs (I’m feelin’ kinda lonely!)
…actually, I have a freezer loaded with chicken breasts and cook with them constantly. However, sometimes (IMO), replacing thighs with breasts would ruin a recipe and I’d choose to not make it at all if out of the thighs. (As you stated above, overcooking breasts is so easy to do…thighs give you more leeway.) Great sounding recipe, by the way, cant wait to try with thigh strips…lol!
Haha, everyone is welcome here no matter their chicken preference. It wouldn’t be the same without you chiming in, Sandra! Always love hearing from you.
I’m on team chicken thighs, too. I truly don’t like cutting up chicken period and with little practice I usually don’t have that much luck cooking white meat. I usually just bake or poach the thighs, so don’t have any cutting to do. (grin)
However this does look good, and much less work than breading the strips and baking them which I have done successfully, I just usually don’t want to spend the time to do it.
Delicious! Made these last night.. husband approved! I added cayenne pepper to my chicken seasonings and some extra seasonings to my pepper/onion bowl as well. I had to cook my chicken for 10+ minutes and still did my veggies for an additional five after that. Perfect!
High five for a little cayenne! Bet that was delicious!
Made these for dinner last night! Amazing! thanks for the recipe.
Thanks, Cathy!
This made me laugh right out loud! I’ve always thought, “why do I think thighs are such a weird texture and everyone else in the world thinks they are perfectly tender and moist”. I’m so glad we can relate on this one!
I detest chicken thighs too! They are too fatty and make me sick but I also just get totally grossed out by them. I can barely handle chicken breasts that aren’t extremely trimmed. I have issues too. Thanks for the confession. Now I don’t feel so alone in this.
I desperately needed a dinner idea tonight. This did not disappoint. All my kids loved it, which is a high five kinda win at our house. They were fast, easy and tasty. We don’t like our peppers too cooked at our house, so we put the veggies and chicken strips (bought chicken breast strips at the store today) all on one sheet. I cooked it for 4 minutes on one side and flipped half way through. Cooked for another 3 minutes and they were perfect. Will definitely make it again. Thanks so much!
PS can’t stand chicken thighs ewww
Thanks so much, Katie!
I came here to read your post just because you mentioned the thighs on Instagram and I had to see what was going on. I’m SO GLAD you shared your secret because girrrlll, I too dislike thighs! I think I’ve cooked with them max twice in my life. I just can’t. I completely agree that it’s a waste to me because I cut off so much fat. I’m happy to see there’s so many others that agree! CHICKEN BREASTS FOR LIFE!
Oh and I love sheet pan fajitas for quick dinners. I’ll have to try it with liquid smoke next time! Sounds extra yummy!
Question – You say if you have a standard oven to put chicken on bottom rack and veggies on top. Are you supposed to do something different if you use a convection oven?
Hi Amy – if you have convection it shouldn’t matter which rack the veggies or chicken go on.
Thank you! I made them last night. My very picky eaters went back for seconds!
What about chicken tenderloins? Could I skip all cutting of raw chicken AND combine with veggies on 1 pan with good results? Thank you so much for normalizing my hatred of thighs. 🙂
I definitely think it’s worth a try! It obviously depends on the exact thickness of the tenderloins, but definitely worth experimenting. Let me know how it goes if you do. 🙂
Tried it with pre-cut tenderloins on the same pan with the veggies and it’s a success!!
Thank you for not forcing us to use chicken thighs. I’ve tried and I just can’t. And I always feel judged when recipes tell me they’re the only part of the chicken I should be using. I’m happy with my drier, more boring chicken breasts, thank you very much.
I’ve tried using thighs but there is just so. much. fat. Now I just sub chicken breasts and move on with my life.
These look amaze-balls — perfect for dinner tonight!
This recipe looks like a lifesaver for those busy nights but I am hesitant to try it. I always struggle to get the chicken in any recipe I make to have the right texture and flavor. I want to like chicken – really! – but my chicken making skills do not produce very yummy results. I am hopeful that it might be something simple like purchasing better quality chicken. Can I ask what type of chicken (ie. fresh, frozen, straight from the farm) you use and where you purchase it? Thanks!!
Hey Shelli – you probably aren’t the only one who feels this way! I think it could be a couple things (at least from my own experience feeing the same thing): 1) brand/quality of chicken and 2) method and time of cooking. Over cooking chicken is the most common mistake…and it’s so easy to do because we’re all paranoid about undercooking, right? Which undercooked chicken is just super gross, so it’s a valid fear. There’s a sweet spot for cooking time with chicken breasts in particular, and my advice is to pull it out of the oven (or off the grill or whatever) a couple minutes before you normally would and check it for doneness (an instant read thermometer is the best investment and super inexpensive). It’s really just a trial and error thing but chicken breasts cook faster than we often realize, especially if cut in small pieces. As far as brand, I wish I had a super stellar recommendation. I usually use the Foster Farms brand of frozen chicken (thin cutlets) from Costco. But I don’t think it’s AMAZING. Mostly just *pretty* good and budget-friendly. I’d be interested if anyone else has good recommendations! I’ve bought organic chicken from a local farm before and it was super tender and flavorful…but just not practical budget-wise for our large family.
I love the gold’n’plump frozen chicken breasts! They are very flavorful, don’t have gristle on them, and have a nice texture. They are a much better deal than fresh, and worth spending a little extra over the generic brand.
I have a hard time with a lot of chicken but I right now I am loving the frozen breast from Trader Joe’s.
I’m with you on the chicken thighs! Bleh. This looks delicious! Definitely will try.
Glad to hear I am not the only one in chicken breast preference camp. I only use thighs in slow cooker recipes and still usually use breast along side them. This sounds amazing and will definitely be giving this a try sooner rather than later.
Your fajitas are a family FAVORITE!! Can’t wait to try this version!
Oh, Mel…I’m so glad to hear I am not the only one grossed out a bit by chicken thighs!!!!! 😉
Looking forward to trying this recipe very soon.
Yes! Chicken thighs are so skeevey!
I agree, in the crockpot I can usually deal with it but otherwise 🙁