Simple Chicken Fajita Bowls

This chicken fajita bowl is perfect for an easy weeknight dinner that’s a crowd pleaser. 

I love serving make-your-own bowls for dinner because everyone in my family has such different tastes. Some like avocado, some don’t, Or beans, or tomatoes, or on down the list. Serving all the ingredients buffet-style so everyone can make their own bowl makes it easy on me, and it’s great for larger crowds too. 

While similar to our favorite chicken taco bowls, these fajita bowls go in a different direction with flavor from sautéing the chicken with onions, bells peppers, and mushrooms. The seasonings are so good, you honestly don’t really need extra toppings – those are just a bonus. 

Ingredients for Chicken fajita bowls

• Boneless, skinless chicken breast. In these pictures I’m using boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Boneless, skinless thighs also work really well. They tend to be juicier, and sometimes more tender. 
• Oil. I use light olive oil, or ghee in mine. Whatever you prefer for sautéing should work. 
• Salt, paprika, cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and oregano for seasoning the chicken. 
• Bell peppers. I like to use a mix of red and green. Red is sweeter, and green is more pungent. Together, they’re delicious, and pretty. 
• Onion. Essential to complete the fajita flavor. I use either red onion or yellow. Basically, whatever is most available at the time. 
• Mushrooms. My favorite is shiitake, but they’re not always available, so button mushrooms also work well. 
• Rice. This is the carb you build your fajita bowl on. I like brown rice, my kids like white. You can use Mexican rice, jasmine, or basmati rice – whatever you prefer!
• Sour cream or greek yogurt, cilantro, and lime juice for topping. 

For serving, you’ll want a variety of toppings such as black beans, corn, cheese, tomatoes, fresh cilantro, avocado, pico de gallo, chopped lettuce, homemade salsa verde – whatever sounds good.  You could also serve it with warm tortillas.

Changes and substitution ideas

I’m not going to go too deep into substitutions, because these ingredients are pretty intuitive to tailor to your liking. Any seasoning you like, don’t like want more of, less of, or sounds good to add, go for it. 

I use smoked paprika sometimes, and not others. Sometimes I go ahead and mince garlic instead of using garlic powder, etc. etc. 

Often, I make a pot of rice, and a pot of quinoa for the base and let people choose what they prefer. 

The whole idea with dinner bowl as meals is that each person can put theirs together in the way that they like it. 

How to make chicken fajita bowls

1. Butterfly chicken breasts so that they are about 1/2 inch thick. 
2. Drizzle a tablespoon of oil into a skillet, and heat over medium heat until oil shimmers when you swirl it around the pan. 
3. Add chicken, and sauté 7-8 minutes on each side. 
   
4. Remove chicken onto a plate to rest. 
5. Slice onions, and peppers into thin strips (after deseeding peppers). 
6. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and sauté veggies for a few minute, then slice and add mushrooms. 
   
7. Continue to sauté until vegetables are just tender.
8. Slice chicken into strips, and add to the skillet of vegetables.
   
9. Add all seasonings, and stir together. 
   
10. Remove from heat.
11. Make lime crema by combining yogurt, fresh lime juice, minced cilantro, and garlic powder in a bowl, and stir together well. 
12. Serve with fluffy rice, black beans, cheese, tomatoes, avocado, etc, and top with the lime crema for extra flavor.

This is a fantastic recipe for a crowd, especially if you don’t know what everybody likes. This way they can make their own rice bowls and everybody wins. 

More recipes for you

• Slow cooker chicken tacos
• 5 minute black bean tacos
• Easy grilled pork tacos
• How to can chicken chili
• Coconut lime chicken

Print