Easy Sheet Pan Fajita Recipe (2024)

Here at Our Best bites we specialize in practical, delicious ideas to help you get dinner on the table for your families. We share a LOT of different types of recipes and content around here, but we know you especially love family friendly dinners so I have a REALLY good one for you today. These Sheet Pan Fajitas are ridiculously easy to make. With just a few minutes prep time, you can pop them in the oven and have just enough time to set the table and gather all the fixings, and then they’re ready! Dinner in under 30 minutes. Thousands of you have made these and loved these and ranked them as our top recipe of the year!

Looking for more fantastic meal ideas? Sign up for our weekly newsletter!

Easy Sheet Pan Fajita Recipe (1)

Types of Fajita Recipes

We’ve got a couple other fajita recipes here on Our Best Bites, and they all have their place. For the grill, you cannot beat our Classic Fajita recipe. It requires a long marinade and its tangy, smoky flavor profile is beloved by readers around the world as one of our all-time most popular recipes! For those times where you need to just dump everything in a slow cooker, we have my easySlow Cooker Steak Fajitas. Super tender steak and so easy and delicious. Set it and forget it.

These days the recipe I tend to make the most are these Sheet Pan Fajitas. You cannot beat the convenience of a one-pan meal and a simple yet flavorful dry rub gives these fajitas out0-of-this-world flavor without drowning everything on a pan like a marinade would.

Making the Dry Rub

I’m using seasonings that most of you probably have in your pantries already: Kosher salt, black pepper, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, garlic powder, and if you have any- True Lime. I buy this crystallized fresh lime in a large shaker bottle on Amazon and use it on evvvverything. If you don’t have it, no worries. We’ll give these a squeeze of fresh lime.

As I mentioned before, we’re using all dry seasonings because there’s plenty of moisture in the chicken and vegetables and we want these to caramelize and roast (not simmer!)

Easy Sheet Pan Fajita Recipe (2)

Chicken Choice

You can certainly try this recipe with boneless skinless chicken breast, but I prefer thighs for some very specific reasons. Aside from the fact that chicken thighs are so much more flavorful in a recipe like this, they are also much easier to cook. Chicken breasts need to be cooked to a certain temperature and as soon as they pass that, they’re suddenly dry and chewy. It’s hard to mess up chicken thighs. You can overcook them and they’re still juicy and tender. On a sheet pan meal, you’re cooking several different things on the same pan and it’s really nice to have some flexibility in case everything isn’t done at the exact same time. Did I mention they taste so much better in this recipe? Buy boneless skinless ones and then use a sharp pair of clean scissors or kitchen shears to trim excess fat if you like.

Add the Seasoning Mix

I slice up my chicken and vegetables and then use plastic gloves so I can just toss everything together with my hands! Drizzle with a few tablespoons oil (our Lime Olive Oil is my personal favorite, here) and that seasoning mix. I use an extra large sheet pan (I get them here, they’re fantastic and so useful. I pretty much use this size for everything!) and this just gets tossed in the oven.

Easy Sheet Pan Fajita Recipe (3)

Cook the Sheet Pan Fajitas

If your oven has a convection setting, use it. Convection will circulate hot air and help get everything kind of toasty brown like a grill would. If not, you can always broil quickly at the end if you like.

Easy Sheet Pan Fajita Recipe (4)

I toss on a handful of chopped cilantro at the end and a big squeeze of fresh lime juice. These are DIVINE.

Easy Sheet Pan Fajita Recipe (5)

Now you can obviously serve these traditionally in tortillas with all the fixings.

Easy Sheet Pan Fajita Recipe (6)

But some other ways we love eating these, depending on nutrition preferences, are:

-Over shredded iceberg or mixed greens
-Over a bed of cauliflower rice
-In a bowl of rice and beans (use the quick steam rice bags and canned beans for a fast meal!)
-Simply in a bowl with avocado and sour cream

Any way you do it, I think you’ll love this one! Let me know what you think!

Print

Easy Sheet Pan Fajita Recipe (7)

Sheet Pan Fajitas

★★★★★5 from 27 reviews

  • Author: Sara Wells
Print Recipe

Description

Quick and easy sheet pan dinner featuring juicy flavorful chicken with roasted bell peppers and onions. Perfect week night meal! Served my family of 6 just perfectly.

Ingredients

1.52 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and sliced (see note)
1 large onion, sliced
2 large bell peppers (or 3 small/med ones), sliced
34 tablespoons olive oil (or other oil of your choice) I prefer ourLime Olive Oil
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
23 teaspoons True Lime, optional
handful of cilantro

1 lime
optional for serving: sour cream, guacamole/avocado, tortillas, rice and beans, etc.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Have a large sheet pan ready (cover with foil or parchment for easy clean-up).

Place sliced chicken, onions, and peppers in an extra large mixing bowl. Drizzle on oil and all seasonings. Toss to coat. (Tip: I keep Nitrile gloves in my kitchen and use them for things like this- tossing with your hands is much easier!)

Spread chicken and pepper mixture out evenly on baking sheet and place in oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes (closer to 20 with convection) until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender. If desired, place under broiler for a quick minute to brown.

Remove from oven and if desired, sprinkle cilantro over everything and give it a big squeeze of fresh lime juice (you might not need fresh lime if you used True Lime, but I say never enough lime.)

Serve with tortillas and traditional fixings, or over a bed of salad or veggies or rice and beans, etc.

Notes

I like using extra large sheet pans for most of my cooking, and they’re the perfect size for this recipe. If you are using a standard sheet pan, you will have to let me know if it all fits- if you’re worried there’s too much, just split between 2 pans and pop both in the oven!

*I use a full 2lbs and it’s generously seasoned.

Easy Sheet Pan Fajita Recipe (2024)

FAQs

When cooking fajitas do you cook meat or veggies first? ›

This recipe promises to be a one-pan dinner, but to ensure that the chicken's juices don't steam the vegetables — making them soggy — cook the vegetables first. Transfer them to a plate or cutting board, then cook the chicken in the same pan before bringing things together.

What kind of onion is best for fajitas? ›

Step 1: Choose the Right Onion

Red onions are known for their milder flavor and vibrant color, while yellow onions offer a natural sweetness that can pair well with spicier peppers. White onions have a more pungent flavor that can add intensity to your fajitas.

What is the best meat for fajitas? ›

Skirt steak is the traditional cut used for fajitas. It used to be inexpensive, but now it's not so cheap; oftentimes flank steak costs less. Either will be a good choice.

How many pounds of fajita meat do you need for 10 people? ›

Fajitas start with the meat: You'll need 1/4 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast, chicken cutlets or skirt steak for each person.

How do you cook fajita meat so it's tender? ›

Tricks to Tender Fajita Meat
  1. Cut the Beef Against the Grain. Slicing meat against the grain helps tenderize it. By looking closely at the steak, you'll be able to see the direction the grain is running. ...
  2. Marinade with an Acid. Acids like citrus juice or vinegar tenderize meat by breaking down its fibers.
Feb 2, 2024

Can I substitute taco seasoning for fajita seasoning? ›

Fajita seasoning and taco seasoning are very similar, but they are not the same. Taco seasoning typically has more oregano and chili powder than fajita seasoning. With that being said, however, you can use fajita seasoning and taco seasoning interchangeably in recipes, it may just warrant a slightly different flavor.

What cut of meat do Mexican restaurants use for fajitas? ›

Traditionally, skirt steak is what is used to make fajitas. However, other popular cuts of beef for fajitas are flank steak and sirloin steak.

Do you put cheese on fajitas? ›

Spoon about 1/4 cup beef mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top with the salsa, Cheddar cheese, avocado, hot pepper sauce, sour cream and lettuce, if desired. Wrap the tortillas around the filling. Serve with the lime wedges, if desired.

What is fajita marinade made of? ›

1In a dish, mix together the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, garlic, cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and sugar until combined. Pour half of the marinade into a separate dish. In one dish, place the flank steak, turning it over to coat.

How many people does 1 lb of fajitas feed? ›

I like to always say it's about one pound per three people...but let's be honest, I can almost eat a whole pound by myself lol.

Can you make fajitas without peppers? ›

You can't have fajitas without bell peppers.

I use a combination of red, green and yellow because I usually have all 3 on hand. Onions: Most restaurant fajitas use yellow onion. I prefer red onions because I like the color.

How many pounds of fajita do I need for 3 people? ›

Just to be safe I alway go with the 1/2lb per person.

Do you cook peppers or meat first? ›

I always cook a small bit of the meat before stuffing the peppers, just to check on the seasoning. The peppers simmer in tomato sauce or stock for about 40 minutes, so everything inside is thoroughly cooked.

What order do you cook meat and vegetables? ›

Get the pan nice and hot over high heat before adding the oil. Canola or peanut oil are best. 4. Meat first, then vegetables – If you want meat or seafood in your stir fry, cook it first then scoop it out onto a separate plate before cooking the vegetables.

Do you cook meat before or after onions? ›

Why, after the onion! Onion is the first to go in the pan because it needs time to become translucent, meaning it's cooked, which takes about 10 minutes.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Dr. Pierre Goyette

Last Updated:

Views: 6347

Rating: 5 / 5 (70 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Dr. Pierre Goyette

Birthday: 1998-01-29

Address: Apt. 611 3357 Yong Plain, West Audra, IL 70053

Phone: +5819954278378

Job: Construction Director

Hobby: Embroidery, Creative writing, Shopping, Driving, Stand-up comedy, Coffee roasting, Scrapbooking

Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.