Do you guys want an easy, 20-minute Shortcut Chicken Fajitas recipe? One that starts with cooked chicken so you can have it on the table fast, fast, fast? A recipe that lets you use chicken cooked ahead for meal prep or any leftovers or a rotisserie chicken you have on hand?
Shortcut Chicken Fajitas & Cilantro Lime Rice
good to know about shortcut chicken fajitas
This is it, my friends. Being somewhat of an aficionado (ok, snob, but aficionado sounds better) of all food Mexican, Southwestern & beyond, I doubted that Fajitas could be made, and be so good, with cooked chicken and just a few spices, done indoors. No grill, no long marinating. But I was wrong.
Shortcut Chicken Fajitas make a decent, solid fajita! They might lack the cache of sizzling, smoking fajitas served on cast iron in a restaurant (careful, they’re hot, the waitperson always says, lol!) but I really enjoyed these. I really enjoyed minutes to make and only one skillet to clean, too.
These Fajitas are a part of my Meal Prep Plan – I keep sayin’ that, in my past few posts, I know. See, I didn’t think it would be right to publish the plan w/o the recipes in place. I’m furiously working to get it all together for you. 🙂 In the meantime, you don’t have to have these as a part any plan…just enjoy as is. Update: My Meal Prep Chicken post is done!
Shortcut Chicken Fajitas
save time on shortcut chicken fajitas
This recipe serves 2, very generously, but if you’re making it for a family of big eaters, just double it, but don’t quite double the spices.
It’s easy enough to toss just a few more ingredients in if you have littles, and it’s not very spicy as is, just flavorful. My home-made Fajita Seasoning would be great in this. Add salsa when serving so those that want to can up the heat level. Serve these with Cilantro Lime Rice, if you’d like.
I haven’t tried this exact recipe with leftover steak but have tried a similar method and it’s just as delicious. Just make sure not to overcook the steak as you heat it through. It will only need to sit in the sauce for a minute or two as you toss it and coat it in the spices.
save money on shortcut chicken fajitas
Your best pricing will almost always be buying the fresh ingredients but these fajitas can easily be sped along by buying the frozen stir fry or fajita veggies. If you do buy them, watch the prices and use coupons. Frozen vegetables are usually at their best pricing from fall through winter, but specials will pop up throughout the year.
I always check the pricing of my bell peppers closely, especially in the winter. Bring this in at a bargain by using sale priced green bells instead of the colored varieties.
As far as citrus, unless there are brown spots or the limes seem dry, I don’t worry about color. Yellowish or green, it doesn’t matter. Pick up several limes and weigh them in your hand. The heaviest will be the juiciest.
Shortcut Chicken Fajitas
Shortcut Chicken Fajitas
This easy Shortcut Chicken Fajita recipe is super easy and fast!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 bell pepper, sliced, any color, a mix is nice
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons of fajita seasoning or 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups cooked & sliced chicken breast
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 lime, divided in half, one half cut in quarters for serving, the other to squeeze over vegetables
- garnishes, optional: salsa, cheese, tomato, green onion, cilantro, sour cream, avocado
- tortillas, optional
- 1 cup cilantro rice, for serving
Instructions
Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat to medium-high heat. Add the peppers & onion and cook until they have just started to soften. Sprinkle with seasonings, about two teaspoons of fajita seasoning or the herbs and spices. Toss and turn the heat up until vegetables are just very slightly charred in places.
Immediately, add the quarter cup of water and the chicken and toss together until the chicken and vegetables are all coated and the liquid has evaporated, about a minute.
Remove from heat and squeeze the half lime over the mixture.
Serve with the rest of the lime, Cilantro Lime Rice and Tortillas along with any garnishes of choice.
Notes
Recipe may easily be doubled, but don’t double the spices; just add a little bit more of each.
This recipe is a part of my Meal Prep series and relies on cooked chicken. If you’d like to cook your chicken with this meal, use about 4 ounces per person. Slice the chicken and cook in oil before the vegetables are added. Cook the vegetables and then continue on with the recipe, adding cooked chicken in towards the end, as stated.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 recipe w/o tortilla or garnishes
- Calories: 245
- Sugar: 5.4g
- Sodium: 57.4mg
- Fat: 10.3g
- Saturated Fat: 1.7g
- Carbohydrates: 11.8g
- Fiber: 3.2g
- Protein: 26.9g
- Cholesterol: 82.7 mg
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I’m sharing this recipe at Fiesta Friday #213 this week. It’s a fun round up of recipes shared by bloggers all over the world. Stop by and take a peek!
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