These Easy Homemade Chicken Fajitas are tastier and healthier than a meal kit and almost as easy! A delicious, family friendly meal that’s ready in just 15 minutes.
Aren’t fajitas great? They take about 5 minutes to prep and less than 10 minutes to cook and yet somehow feel quite decadent! It’s the sort of meal we make for a midweek treat and we love to make them when we go on holiday. But, even though I make almost all of my meals from scratch, until relatively recently I used to use a ready-made fajita kit from the supermarket.
Now, the fajita meal kits you can get from the supermarket are a lovely quick convenience meal, but I got to thinking one day – surely I could make my own? I mean, how hard can it be? So I read the ingredients on some of my favourite meal kits and got tinkering away in the kitchen. I wanted to create a blend which tasted even more delicious than a meal kit, but which was really easy to put together and didn’t use every spice in my cupboard… and in the end I cracked it!
My spice blend is a very simple one, featuring easy to get hold of herbs and spices (cumin, cayenne pepper and oregano), plus some garlic and the juice of a lime, which adds a delicious freshness and zing to the chicken and works so well with the fresh coriander I sprinkle on at the end. I only use 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, which is just enough to give a gentle hum of heat – perfect for my kids, but feel free to add in extra cayenne pepper, or even some fresh chillies if you like things hot!
The chicken is marinated in the spice blend while the peppers and onions are gently softening. I then throw the chicken and all of the marinade into the pan and turn the heat up high to brown the chicken and char the veg.
I serve the pan sizzling on the table with lots of warm tortilla wraps, my homemade 5 minute guacamole, sour cream, my quick and easy homemade salsa and some grated cheddar for everyone to make up their own fajitas. My kids absolutely love doing this and think it’s great fun. (Though obviously do be careful with hot pans around little ones!)
If you are going to make your own guacamole and/or salsa, my top tip would be to make these up first and pop them in the fridge, then get on with the fajitas – otherwise you end up juggling too many things at once. Either that or employ a sous chef – get your husband/wife/partner/older kids to whip up the extras whilst you focus in the main event!
Wine wise, I find fajitas a bit of a conundrum – I would normally go with a white for chicken, but because of all those spicy charred flavours, actually a rosé or even a red works surprisingly well. Go for either a Chilean or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, which I think works really well with the zingy zesty lime and fresh coriander flavours, or try a French or Spanish Grenache-based rosé or red, which goes well with those smoky, spicy, charred flavours and the sweet peppers.
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Homemade Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients
- 12 flour or corn tortilla wraps (I use Old El Paso)
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you like things hot!)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 cloves garlic grated or crushed
- 2 large chicken breasts sliced into thin strips
- 2 large onions sliced
- 3 peppers (I like to use a mix of colours), sliced into strips
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander chopped finely
- Your choice of guacamole / sour cream / salsa / grated cheese / extra limes & coriander / tortilla chips to serve - any or all of them!
Instructions
- If you are making your own guacamole or salsa, make these first and refrigerate until needed – or ask someone else to make these for you while you get on with the fajitas.
- Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas mark 7 / 425F.
- Remove the tortilla wraps from the packet and wrap in foil.
- Mix together the cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, lime juice and crushed garlic in a large bowl.
- Slice the chicken into thin strips and place in the marinade. Toss the chicken to thoroughly coat in the marinade and set aside for 5 minutes (or cover and put in the fridge to marinate for longer if you prefer).
- Use the time while the chicken is marinating to slice the onions and peppers.
- When the oven has heated up, put the tortilla wraps in the oven for 8 minutes until warmed through. After 8 minutes remove from the oven but keep wrapped in foil until needed.
- Meanwhile, fry the onions and peppers in a little olive oil on a low heat for 5 minutes until softened but not brown. Turn up the heat and add the chicken and marinade and fry for about 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and browned and the veg is slightly charred.
- To check if the chicken is cooked all the way through, choose the thickest piece of chicken and cut it in half – if it is completely white with no pink, it is cooked. And if the thickest piece is cooked, so should all the thinners ones!
- Sprinkle the chicken with the chopped coriander and serve in the pan on the table, together with the warm tortilla wraps and whatever extras you have chosen for people to make up their own fajitas. Enjoy!
Notes
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Linkies
I am linking this up to Cook Blog Share.
Sarah, Maison Cupcake says
I love Mexican food and my 8 year old is pretty tolerant of mildly spicy stuff so I’m wondering why we’ve never eaten these for dinner. Must try!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Sarah 🙂 Do try them – they are delicious and so easy! 🙂 Eb x
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
Ooh these sound great Eb, it really is such a social meal where you dive in and roll your own fajita. This would make a great vegetarian meal with the meat substituted for some quorn strips. Mmmm yum,
Angela x
Eb Gargano says
I do love a meal where everything is on the table for people to help themselves – as you say it just makes the whole thing more sociable! And the kids love that they are in charge of what they eat (well mostly – sometimes we have tortilla chips – AKA triangle crisps – on the table. They get rationed or they’d just eat crisps for dinner). I do make a veggie version of this with Quorn chicken pieces and extra veg – usually mushrooms, carrot batons and baby sweetcorn. Must share that one day… Eb x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
Oh yes please!!! I love fajitas, in fact I love Mexican food full stop! These look and sound so good! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Kirsty! 🙂 Eb x
Beth Sachs says
My kid’s absolute favourite meal! Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare Eb.
Eb Gargano says
It’s definitely a hugely popular one with my kids too! 😀
Rebecca - Glutarama says
I’ve been having fun this week with a bundle of GF Fajita kits I bought…of course Beth didn’t like the flavour! I’m starting to think I need to make my own and sod the ‘easy option’ of getting kits. I shall start with this recipe and cross fingers and toes that she likes it. hahaha
Eb Gargano says
Oh now! Sounds like you definitely need my easy peasy homemade version. Let me know how you get on! Eb 🙂