Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
DESCRIPTION
INGREDIENTS
For Vegetables:
- 3 bell peppers (1 green, 1 red, 1 orange), cut into 1/2 inch wide strips
- 1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick rings
- 5 cloves garlic, sliced lengthwise
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp table salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
For Chicken:
- 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless fresh chicken breasts, patted dry with paper towels and cut widthwise into thin 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices
- 1 tbsp
chili powder - 1 tsp
ground cumin - 1 tsp table salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Optional, For Serving:
warmed low carb tortillas (such as Mission or Kroger brands)- lime wedges
- sour cream
- guacamole
INSTRUCTIONS
- Move an oven rack to the lower-middle position of the oven, and preheat to 475 F.
- On an unlined baking sheet (I use an 11×17 inch rimmed baking sheet), spread out bell pepper strips, onion rings, and garlic slices. Evenly sprinkle 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper over them, then drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil on top. Toss everything together directly on the baking sheet until well-seasoned, and spread them out in an even layer.
- Bake the vegetables for 10 minutes. Proceed to the next step while waiting for them to bake.
- In a small bowl, stir together 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper until well-mixed. In a medium bowl, toss the chicken slices with the seasoning mix until well-coated (tongs are useful for this).
- When the vegetables have finished baking, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Use a spatula to scrape along the bottom of the baking sheet to loosen the vegetables and flip them over. Spread them out again. Evenly distribute the seasoned chicken slices over the vegetables, laying them down in a single layer (I use tongs for this as well).
- Return the baking sheet to the oven, baking until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Serve the chicken and vegetables while hot, along with optional serving ingredients listed above (note that the optional serving ingredients aren't included in nutrition estimate below).
- Reheating: Heat leftovers in a pan on the stovetop until warmed through. Avoid the microwave, which may result in mushy bell peppers and rubbery chicken.
NUTRITION
| Makes 3 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving: |
| Calories 340 | |
| Total Fat 8g | 12% |
| Saturated Fat 1g | 7% |
| Cholesterol 132mg | 44% |
| Sodium 1780mg | 74% |
| Net Carb 8.5g | |
| Total Carb 12g | 4% |
| Dietary Fiber 3.5g | 14% |
| Sugars 4.5g | |
| Protein 54g |
Cooking for vegetarians or vegans? Try this recipe for baked fajita-style vegetables. Looking for more simple, oven-baked dinners? Try tuna broccoli casserole, cheesy baked chicken breasts, or greek chicken.
Baking Fajitas: Easy & Delicious
Even though these chicken fajitas aren’t a sizzling spectacle on a flaming hot cast-iron skillet, each bite is packed with delicious flavors and textures. And this dinner only requires minimal effort.
At a high oven temperature of 475 F, the chicken and vegetables are baked hot and quick. The chicken cooks rapidly, with the homemade spice mix giving it a darker, fajita-like appearance. The sliced vegetables are browned in some spots, yet juicy and tender within. Since roasting brings out these veggies’ natural flavors, no other seasoning besides salt and pepper is needed.
To get good heat coverage in the oven, the chicken and vegetables are uniformly spread out on a large sheet pan, which helps them brown instead of steam.
coating chicken with seasonings 
cutting up vegetables 
tossing vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper
Interested in using different vegetables? Bell peppers and onions are traditional fajita vegetables, but you can substitute or add something else that you have on hand, like zucchini or tomatoes. Watch out for any adjustments you might have to make to the cooking time.
