A tasty Chicken Fajita Bowl complete with spice-rubbed chicken, gorgeously caramelized peppers & onions, and citrusy cilantro-lime rice. Add your favorite fajita toppings and dig in!
Try some of our other fajita-inspired meals like this Chicken Fajita Marinade (great for grilling), Steak Fajitas, or these sheet-pan Shrimp Fajitas.
Chicken Fajita Bowl
Quick chicken fajitas whipped up in a skillet are a favorite at my home, so why not take the concept and create a whole bowl-focused meal? It’s no secret we love dinner in a bowl — some of our favorites have been yours as well. Like these Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burrito Bowls, Taco Bowls, or Banh Mi Bowls to name a few!
The chicken is well seasoned with a killer spice blend, a touch of acidity (lemon juice & zest), and some olive oil. While it’s marinating for a little, the rice gets cooked and peppers are sautéed. The bowls come together quite nicely and efficiently! And then, it’s all about the toppings.
We love a fully-loaded Chicken Fajita Bowl, but the toppings can be as involved or as simple as you’d like. Even just a couple of toppings elevate all the flavors.
Our favorite toppings for a Chicken Fajita Bowl
- Guacamole or sliced avocado
- Sour Cream (we use fat-free to keep these lighter)
- Lots of fresh lime
- Fresh cilantro
- Black beans
- If you like sauces, the jalapeno sauce from these Jamaican jerk tacos or this cilantro–lime sauce from these shrimp tacos would be amazing! Sour cream is also a great sauce.
- Grilled corn on the cob (or Elote)
- Freshly grated cheese
- Pico de gallo
More chicken dinners
- Mango Chicken Curry with a sweet curry sauce
- BBQ Chicken Tacos with coleslaw
- Applebee’s Chicken Salad with the best creamy dressing
- Rotisserie Chicken Tacos ready in 20-minutes!
- Chicken Caesar Wrap only 4 ingredients!
Chicken Fajita Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs), thinly sliced into chicken strips
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, separated
- 1 large lemon (1/2 teaspoon zest, 2 tablespoons juice)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons EACH: dried leaf oregano (not ground oregano), seasoned salt, ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH: ground chili powder, paprika, crushed red pepper
- 2 large peppers (I use 1 red, 1 green), very thinly sliced
- 1 yellow onion, very thinly sliced
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup white or brown rice
- 1 large lime (2 tablespoons juice and 1 teaspoon zest)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional toppings: pre-made guacamole, low fat or fat free sour cream, 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed), fresh lime, fresh cilantro (or green onions)
Instructions
Chicken and Veggies
- CHICKEN: Thinly slice chicken strips. In a plastic zip-top bag, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and the seasonings (1 and 1/2 teaspoons each: oregano, seasoned salt (or fine sea salt), and ground cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon each: chili powder, paprika, and red pepper flakes.) Add chicken strips on top and knead the mixture into the chicken until well coated. Place in the fridge just while preparing the other components of the bowl.
- RICE: Next work on the rice. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the butter and rice and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the rice is cooked through and tender. Remove from heat, keeping rice covered and allow to steam/rest for 10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, and salt + pepper to taste.
- PEPPERS & ONIONS: Grab a large nonstick 12-inch skillet and add remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Heat over medium-high heat until shimmering and then add the sliced bell peppers and onions. Season to taste, I add 1/4 tsp salt and pepper. Stir occasionally until beginning to char and soft and tender, about 10-12 minutes. Remove to a plate.
- COOK CHICKEN: Use tongs to pull chicken from the bag shaking off any remaining marinade (if chicken is overly wet, it will steam instead of char and we'll miss out on flavor!) To the same pan used for peppers, still over medium-high heat, add 1/2 the chicken in a single layer (you'll need to cook the chicken in 2 batches to not overcrowd pan). Let chicken stand (char) without stirring for about 3-4 minutes and then flip pieces and cook another 1-2 minutes or until cooked through (juices run clear). This is about 5-7 minutes total (time will vary depending on thickness/size of chicken and actual heat of skillet). Add the peppers and onions back in and toss to warm. (Thighs will cook for a bit longer)
- ASSEMBLY: Divide the prepared cilantro-lime rice evenly among 4-6 bowls. Add the cooked chicken and bell pepper mixture evenly to the bowls. Add your favorite toppings such as guacamole, sour cream, cilantro and/or green onions, lime juice, and/or warmed black beans. Enjoy immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Any chance you could repost or send me your Fajita Bowl recipe? My family loved it but it looks like you took it down!
https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/the-best-ever-chicken-fajita-bowls/ Is this the recipe you’re referring to? Let me know if I can help find a different one!
The title of this recipe is totally befitting. this recipe is really the best ever chicken fajita recipe.
Awe yay!! Thank you so much 🙂
I clicked to this page to look at a recipe, not to read 5,000 words of babbling nonsense about a car and grocery bags.
There is a “jump to recipe” button right at the top 🙂
I tried the fajita chicken and lemon/cilantro rice recipes for cinco de mayo and they turned out perfectly! My husband loved the chicken flavor in particular. I ended up cooking my onion and green pepper in the skillet after I removed the chicken. The flavor was delicious on the veggies. I created a fajita bowl with black beans and avocado as the other toppings. I will certainly be adding these to my rotation ????
– RH
I’m so happy this will be making it on the regular dinner rotation and so glad you guys loved these Chicken Fajita Bowls! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
Everyone’s tastes are so different but with sausage and these spices, I would use more of a steak sauce or a worchestchire sauce or something along those lines. Glad you love the recipe!
These fajita bowls look so yummy! I’ll be adding extra guacamole to mine. 😉
Looks so delicious and healthy!
I made this the other night. I didn’t change a thing! Everyone loved this recipe! This will be my to go to chicken fajita bowl! No need to look for anything better. Very easy also.
So happy to hear that! Thank you for the comment 🙂
This was amazing! My favorite summer dish is grilled chicken & zucchini from our garden!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this dish! 🙂
My favorite summer dish is probably grilled vegetables or shrimp salad