This 5-Star Chicken Recipe Is My New Favorite Dinner (2024)

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There is no shortage of chicken recipes on the internet, and that includes right here on Simply Recipes. So you’d think that when I pick up chicken at the grocery store to cook for dinner without a solid plan, I would revel in the sheer number of options available. Instead, I find myself thoroughly overwhelmed—I don't know what to make!

That’s why I am always happy to hear what other home cooks are loving. Of all the wonderful chicken recipes on Simply Recipes, our chicken fajitas recipe is one of the most popular. I had never made it myself—until recently. With a pack of chicken in the fridge and my usual question of what to do with it, I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

How To Make Chicken Fajitas

Simply Recipes' founder Elise published this recipe a dozen years ago and there have been hundreds of five-star reviews and comments from all of you since. Even though I am an avid cook (for work and pleasure), I’ve never prepared chicken fajitas before. I’ve always thought of the sizzling dish of sliced chicken, bell peppers, and onions as a restaurant treat. But this recipe proved just how easy it is to make at home.

Everything takes place right on the stovetop and comes together quickly. You simply marinate chicken breasts in a savory combination of garlic, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, olive oil, and spices, then sear them in a hot pan before sautèing sliced peppers and onions in the same pan. Once everything is cooked, the chicken is sliced into strips and served with the vegetables in warm flour tortillas with all your favorite fajitas fixings.

Reader Misti commented, “These are hands down the best fajitas I have ever had, including any restaurant.” This was one of the tastiest iterations I’ve had of the classic dish, too, with super juicy, flavorful chicken and perfectly charred vegetables. It made me wonder why it took me so long to bring the restaurant favorite into my kitchen.

My Tips for Making Chicken Fajitas

• The larger the pan the better. Use at least a 12-inch skillet for cooking the chicken and vegetables so that the chicken breasts have enough space to sear rather than steam and the peppers and onions can blister.
• Use high heat. Elise calls for cooking everything at high heat. My stovetop runs quite hot so I’ve learned over the years that high heat is just way too hot for my pans and results in my kitchen smoking up. I’ve successfully cooked these fajitas on medium-high heat and still gotten plenty of color on the chicken, so adjust according to your stovetop. I find the easiest way to check to see if the chicken is done is to use an instant-read thermometer. It’s cooked when it hits 165°F.
• Season the vegetables: Sprinkle the peppers and onions with salt and pepper once they’re in the pan to ensure they’re as flavorful as possible.
• Marinate for up to eight hours: Speaking of flavor, if you have time to start marinating the chicken in the morning, you’ll be rewarded. While a quick 30 minutes in the marinade is sufficient, four to eight hours is even better. Just be sure to not go over eight hours because the lime juice in the marinade can cause the chicken to become mushy and stringy if marinated for too long.
• Smart shortcut: Reader Penni took a shortcut by using shredded leftover chicken instead. “[I] added [the] marinade ingredients to shredded chicken and let it soak while [the] peppers and onion got a nice char, then added [the] chicken with marinade to the pan with peppers and heated [it] through. Yummy and quick.”

How To Serve Chicken Fajitas

Beyond the usual spread with tortillas, cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream, you can also serve the fajitas as taco filling. Catsy commented that she makes these fajitas quesadilla-style: “[I] throw the tortilla on a griddle or in a pan and sprinkle Mexican cheese on top, let it melt and remove to a plate, pile in meat and veggies and fold in half.”

My preference is to turn the fajitas into bowls. Serve the chicken and vegetables over cilantro lime rice or Mexican rice (or even cauliflower rice for a low-carb option) and pile on the fajitas toppings. My go-to's are salsa, sour cream, and diced avocado.