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Best Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Best Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients

Scale

Marinade:

  • zest of 2  limes
  • 1/3 cup juice from 2 to 3 limes
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke (mesquite preferred)

Fajitas:

  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about to 2 pounds), pounded to 1/2 inch thickness and sliced into 1/2″ strips or chicken tenders, tendon removed cut to be even in size (see note)
  • 1 large red onion or 2 white, cut pole to pole in 1/2″ strips
  • 3 bell peppers, any color, cut into 1/2” strips 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 8 to 12 (6-inch or fajita size) flour tortillas
  • Garnishes: Choice of minced fresh cilantro, lime wedges, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, pickled jalapenos, cheese of choice: Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, queso fresco, or feta

Instructions

When ready to cook, if using oven, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the top rack three to four inches from broiler and the bottom rack about 4 to 5 inches below, if oven allows.

Whisk together all marinade ingredients. Set aside and reserve about 1/4 cup. Place the chicken and the remaining marinade in Ziploc set aside for 1/2 hour; may marinade for up to four hours but if doing so refrigerate.

Drain chicken and spread across one sheet tray. Add the vegetables to another sheet tray and toss with oil, salt, and pepper.

Place the sheet tray with the chicken on the top rack of the preheated oven and the sheet tray with the vegetables on the bottom rack. Roast for 12 minutes, stirring once until chicken is almost done and with no to very little pink when several strips are tested. The chicken will not be browned at this point.

Remove the chicken, drain of any excess juices, then add the vegetables from the second tray, toss together, and spread out across the sheet pan. Turn on broiler (to high if that option is available) and broil until the chicken has picked up some color and vegetables are lightly charred in spots, stirring once if necessary. Remove from oven and while still piping hot, drizzle with the reserved marinade and toss.

In the meantime, heat a burner to medium-high. Place each tortilla on burner for several seconds, turning as soon as the first side has picked up a little color. Remove tortillas as each is done, stacking on a clean kitchen towel; fold half the towel back over the tortillas as each is added.

Serve fajitas on tortillas with desired garnishes.

Notes:

  • On chicken; if the breasts are the super thick monsters so often found these days, they may be cut in 1/2 horizontally before pounding.
  • On heat level; the heat level is very mild. Up the heat level by increasing the cayenne and adding minced jalapeno (include ribs for a little additional spice) to the marinade ingredients.

Keywords: Bargain Meal of the Week, Bell Peppers, Chicken, Chicken Breast, Fajitas, Lime, liquid smoke, Red onion, tortillas

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