These marinated sheet pan chicken fajitas are full of delicious flavor and are so easy to make! I love sheet pan meals because I can just put all of the ingredients on one pan and not worry about different pans, cooking times, and temperatures. I'll always take the simpler route if I don't have to sacrifice on quality--which is definitely the case with this recipe!
Growing up, chicken fajitas were a staple in our house. My dad has perfected the marinade for grilled chicken! Not having a grill has been a major hardship since leaving home. While no fajitas can compete with my dad's, this is about as close as you can get using an oven.
Marinate the Chicken
Putting together the marinade may feel like a lot of work, but it only adds a few minutes and then just sits in the fridge for a few hours. Plus, the marinade helps to both tenderize the chicken and add a lot of flavor! Both of these are necessary when cooking chicken in the oven, especially such small strips.
Two parts of the marinade that should take special attention are the orange juice and salsa. The orange juice shouldn't be store-bought in a bottle--instead, buy some oranges and squeeze them yourself just like you would a lemon or lime in a given recipe. This will help contribute to a fresher flavor. With the salsa, just make sure to pick one that you love! That will go a long way in adding a flavor that you like.
Recipes to Pair with Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
These recipes would be great additions to these fajitas:
If you make these sheet pan chicken fajitas, I’d LOVE to hear about it. You can leave a comment below the recipe, or if you post a picture on Instagram, be sure to tag me! Getting any feedback on my recipes is both rewarding AND helpful as I write and edit recipes in the future.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lbs boneless chicken breast
Chicken Marinade
- ½ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup fresh mandarin orange juice*
- ⅓ cup red salsa (your favorite kind)
- 1 ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
Other Ingredients
- 3 bell peppers (yellow, orange, red)
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1-2 limes
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
- 16 corn tortillas
Additional Toppings (optional)
- avocado (or guacamole)
- shredded cheese
- salsa
- hot sauce
- jalapeños
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into thin strips, cutting against the grain (this will make the chicken more tender). Add all of the marinade ingredients to a large bowl and whisk together. Add the chicken strips to the bowl and mix around so that all of the chicken is covered in marinade. Cover and refrigerate for about 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425° F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Cut onion and bell peppers into strips (and then in half if you like them smaller for small tacos). Spread over the baking sheet evenly.
- Remove chicken from fridge and evenly lay out the chicken strips over the top of the bell peppers. If you spread a tiny bit of marinade over the top as well this will add some good flavor! Make sure that there aren't any strips of chicken on top of each other--you'll want them to be spread out in a thin layer.
- Bake for about 25 minutes--maybe a few more minutes, maybe a little less. Keep an eye on it! Because the chicken is so thin, it is easy to overcook--and there's nothing worse than overcooked chicken! But don't worry, the marinade will help to keep the chicken moist. When pulling it out of the oven, carefully drain a little bit of the excess fluid into the sink. You don't need to get rid of all of it, and you don't want to dump your meal into the sink--this will just allow the lime juice to add flavor, rather than be diluted by all of the juices left from cooking.
- Squeeze lime juice (1-2 limes, depending on your preference and the size of the limes) over the top. Spread cilantro over the top and toss around so that everything is evenly coated.
- Heat up some corn (or flour) tortillas to put together the tacos, and top with your favorite ingredients. Add some rice and beans on the side if you'd like! These chicken and veggies also go great in quesadillas. Enjoy!
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