With tender chicken breasts, Mexican spices and juicy vegetables, this chicken fajita traybake recipe is perfect for feeding a crowd! Just slice, mix and bake, then fill up your tortilla with the delicious spicy mixture, add your favourite toppings and you're good to go!
This oven-baked chicken fajita dish is also great for serving to the family for a Tex-Mex-themed Friday fiesta!
I love how easy it is to make this chicken faijta traybake. Other than cutting up the chicken and vegetables, there's no work involved. The ingredients bake away in the oven while you prepare a few toppings, and that it - job done!
There's no standing over a stove, stirring food in a frying pan - this is a true mix / dump / bake recipe. And once the chicken fajitas have cooked, you simply take the traybake out of the oven and serve!
And what you get is deliciously tender chicken strips with juicy capsicums and onions all coated in my tasty homemade fajita spice blend. If you want to make this recipe even easier, you could use store-bought fajita spices instead!
I like to wrap the chicken in store-bought tortilla wraps (or flour tortillas) but if you want to make your own wraps you could try this recipe for homemade tortillas by Kay from A Ranch Mom website.
If you enjoy Tex-Mex flavours you might like to try this Tex-Mex beef pie.
Another great thing about this recipe is that any leftovers can be chopped up and used as an alternative filling in these oven-baked chicken empanadas.
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Ingredients
This recipe will make sufficient chicken fajita filling to feed 4 hungry people, and it's easy enough to double up the ingredients to feed a crowd.
- Chicken breasts - I used skinless chicken breast fillets which I cut into slices. You will need one large breast for every 2 people.
- Capsicum (or bell peppers) - use a mixture of colours - I'm not a lover of green peppers so I just used red and yellow.
- Red onions - these are sweeter than white onions, and in addition to the milder taste I think the red onions provide a nicer colour contrast to the dish.
- Lime - you will need the juice of half a lime to add to the marinade to provide a slight citrus flavour.
- Olive oil - you don't need too much, just sufficient to coat the chicken.
- Spices - as I mentioned earlier you can use your favourite fajita spice blend, or mix your own. These are the spices I used:
- ground cumin
- smoked paprika
- dried oregano
- ground coriander
- dried chilli flakes - substitute with cayenne pepper.
- garlic powder
- salt
**You can find the exact ingredient measurements on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Instructions
This won't take very long...
Step 1: Slice the chicken into strips and slice the onions and capsicums into roughly equally sized pieces.
Step 2: Place the chicken and vegetables into a mixing bowl and add the lime juice, olive oil and spices. Mix well to combine. Cover the dish and leave to stand for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Spread the meat and vegetables into a shallow baking tray.
Step 4: Cover the dish with tin foil and bake in a preheated oven (180C / 360F) for 25 minutes.
Step 5: Remove the tinfoil and return the uncovered tray to the oven for a further 10 minutes until the meat is starting to brown. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a serving dish.
Top tips for a successful result
Here are my top tips to ensure your chicken fajita traybake cooks perfectly:
- Don't add too much olive oil to the marinade - 2 tablespoons will be more than sufficient. You just want enough oil to coat the meat and vegetables.
- Stir the vegetables before adding them to the baking tray so that any spice mix that has drained to the bottom of the bowl coats the chicken.
- When adding the meat and vegetables to the baking tray, don't simply tip them into the tray. Use your hand (or a pair of tongs) to transfer them to a tray. This way you will ensure you don't add any oil that may have pooled in the bottom of the dish.
- Spread the chicken and vegetables into a shallow layer in the dish so that all the ingredients can develop a nice 'char' in the oven.
- When removing the tin foil lid from the baking tray be careful not to burn yourself on the hot steam that will be released.
- Keep your eye on the chicken when you put it back into the oven without the tinfoil coating. Don't allow it to burn.
- Once the chicken and vegetables have cooked there may be an excess of liquid in the bottom of the baking dish. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a serving dish.
Serving suggestions
Serve the chicken with flour tortillas or wraps and top with sour cream and guacamole or slices of avocado.
See variations below for other topping alternatives.
Variations
There are lots of ways to vary this recipe to make it your own!
- Add more vegetables - try adding different vegetables to the fajita traybake. Sugar snaps, julienned carrots, diced butternut, sliced courgettes would all work well.
- Vary the toppings - different toppings add a whole new taste to this dish.
- Try serving with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes or grated cheese.
- Spread refried beans on the tortilla before adding the chicken.
- Drizzle with your favourite hot sauce for an extra kick of heat.
- Serve over rice - instead of serving with tortillas, spoon the chicken onto a bowl of fluffy white rice.
- Make with steak - instead of chicken, why not use strips of tender beef to make this dish. Thinly sliced rump steak, sirloin, flank or even topside would be suitable.
Equipment
As far as equipment goes, you will need an oven tray large enough to allow you to spread all the ingredients in a shallow layer.
For cutting up the chicken and vegetables you will need a sharp knife and a chopping board.
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave on the hob.
Technically you can freeze this dish for up to three months. However, certain vegetables such as courgettes or butternut may become soggy on defrosting, so bear this in mind when deciding whether to freeze or not.
FAQ
A fajita is made with strips of meat, normally chicken or beef, and grilled in a mixture of spices with sliced onions and peppers. It is normally served in a flour or corn tortilla. Various toppings such as guacamole, sour cream or salsa are normally served alongside.
Many people mistakenly believe that fajitas originated in Mexico. In fact, they actually originated in Texas! Fajitas are part of Tex-Mex cuisine which is a fusion of Mexican and American cooking.
Save for later
If you would like to make these oven-baked chicken fajitas why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Related recipes
Visit my chicken and poultry recipes page for other delicious chicken recipes. Here are a few you might like to try:
📋The recipe
Chicken fajita traybake
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Large flat oven dish or sheetpan
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping Board
Ingredients
- 1 pound / 450 grams skinless chicken breasts
- 3 medium capsicums / bell peppers a mixture of colours (sliced)
- 2 medium red onions peeled and sliced
- ½ small lime juice only
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Spices
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes adjust according to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder adjust according to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt adjust according to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/360°F
- Slice the chicken into strips and slice the onions and capsicums into roughly equally sized pieces.1 pound / 450 grams skinless chicken breasts, 3 medium capsicums / bell peppers, 2 medium red onions
- Place the sliced chicken and vegetables into a mixing bowl and add the lime juice, olive oil and spices. Mix well to combine. Cover the dish and leave to stand for 5 minutes.½ small lime, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Spread the meat and vegetables into a shallow baking tray.
- Cover the dish with tin foil and bake in a preheated oven (180C / 360F) for 25 minutes.
- Remove the tinfoil and return the uncovered tray to the oven for a further 10 minutes until the meat is starting to brown. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a serving dish.
- Serve hot with flour tortillas and your choice of toppings.
Notes
- Don't add too much olive oil to the marinade - 2 tablespoons will be more than sufficient. You just want enough oil to coat the meat and vegetables.
- Stir the vegetables before adding them to the baking tray so that any spice mix that has drained to the bottom of the bowl coats the chicken.
- When adding the meat and vegetables to the baking tray, don't simply tip them into the tray. Use your hand (or a pair of tongs) to transfer them to a tray. This way you will ensure you don't add any oil that may have pooled in the bottom of the dish.
- Spread the chicken and vegetables into a shallow layer in the dish so that all the ingredients can develop a nice 'char' in the oven.
- When removing the tin foil lid from the baking tray be careful not to burn yourself on the hot steam that will be released.
- Keep your eye on the chicken when you put it back into the oven without the tinfoil coating. Don't allow it to burn.
- Once the chicken and vegetables have cooked there may be an excess of liquid in the bottom of the baking dish. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a serving dish.
- Sour cream
- Guacamole or sliced avocado
- Sliced tomatoes
- Shredded lettuce
- Grated cheese
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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VJ
This tray bake is great for a quick and easy no-fuss meal!