Why wait in line when you can whip up our Easy Chicken Fajita Bowl at home? Tender, seasoned chicken breast is paired with fluffy rice, fresh veggies, grilled corn, and all your favorite toppings for a healthy, hearty, and family-friendly meal that’s way better than takeout!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Chicken Fajita Bowl Recipe
- Are Chicken Fajita Bowls Healthy?
- What’s the Difference Between a Burrito Bowl and a Fajita Bowl?
- What’s In It?
- How to Make the Best Chicken Fajita Bowl Recipe
- Variations, Substitutions, and Topping Ideas
- How to Make Ahead and Store
- More Fajita-Inspired Recipes
- Easy Chicken Fajita Bowls Recipe Recipe
Who doesn’t love a good dinner bowl recipe? They’re the best way to fit a whole lot of ingredients into one flavorful meal! Whether you’re serving Homemade Chipotle Bowls or Asian Chicken Bowls, they always hit the spot.
Even better, dinner bowl recipes are always super versatile, easy to make, and great for
Loaded with colorful veggies, warm fajita flavor, and juicy chicken, they’re elevated even further with grilled corn and all the best toppings. Honestly, dinner doesn’t get better than this!
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Fajita Bowl Recipe
- It comes together all at once in about 30 minutes.
- You get high-quality protein, vitamins, nutrients, fiber, and tons of flavor in one bowl.
- Leftovers make for great
meal prep . - You can mix and match all your favorite ingredients and toppings to make it your own.
Are Chicken Fajita Bowls Healthy?
You bet they are! Full of protein, carbs, healthy fats, vitamins, nutrients, and fiber, this chicken fajita bowl recipe makes for a healthy, well-rounded meal you can feel good about. Plus, you can swap out, modify, or omit any of the ingredients to suit your specific dietary needs and preferences.
What’s the Difference Between a Burrito Bowl and a Fajita Bowl?
The main differences between the two are the seasonings and ingredients used. For example, traditional fajitas (or fajita bowls) are made with grilled meat and veggies. Meanwhile, burritos (or burrito bowls) contain meat, beans, and a variety of other fillings. In addition, burritos are usually made or served with extra large tortillas whereas fajitas are paired with small tortillas. Both are delicious!
What’s In It?
This healthy Chicken Fajita Bowl recipe uses simple ingredients you would expect to find in classic, restaurant-style fajitas. However, we also added a bit of a twist with extra toppings! Here are the key ingredients you need:
Chicken Fajita Filling
- Oil – We prefer to use extra virgin olive oil to cook the chicken and veggies. However, any neutral-tasting oil like avocado oil can be used.
- Chicken – We use boneless skinless chicken breasts to keep this recipe a little lower in fat and to help the fajita seasonings shine. However, boneless skinless chicken thighs work well, too!
- Spices – Chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and black pepper combine to create a warm flavor with just a hint of spice.
- Tomato Paste – Combined with water, this enhances the rich flavor of the spices and creates more of a sauce-like texture, helping them cling to the chicken and veggies.
- Veggies – Red onion, green bell peppers, and red bell peppers add lots of color, nutrients, and fiber. Then, we add in fresh garlic for extra pungent flavor!
Cilantro Lime Rice
- Rice – Any cooked white rice can be used. However, we have found that Jasmine rice or Basmati rice yields the fluffiest texture.
- Limes – Use the juice and the zest for a vibrant, citrusy flavor.
- Cilantro – Include as little or as much as you’d like for a bright, slightly peppery kick.
Chicken Fajita Bowls
- Corn – Grilled corn adds a pop of texture and a unique sweet smokey taste you won’t find in any restaurant chicken fajita bowl. Here’s how to make it with ease!
- Toppings – Go crazy with all your favorite toppings! We love to include lettuce, mashed avocado slices, sour cream, sliced jalapeños, and extra cilantro. And don’t forget the tortillas! Serve corn tortillas on the side or crumbled on top.
How to Make the Best Chicken Fajita Bowl Recipe
This Chicken Fajita Bowl recipe is easy to make. However, there are lots of moving parts, and everything moves fairly quickly. So, to make things easy, go ahead and gather and prepare all your ingredients before you begin cooking. Dinner will be served in about 30 minutes!
- Cook the Chicken. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. In the meantime, add the chicken to a large bowl, and season with the chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper. Add it to the skillet until it is browned and cooked all the way through.
- Sauté the Veggies. Remove the chicken from the skillet, and set it aside on a plate. Then, add the garlic, onion, and bell peppers to the same skillet. Cook until softened, stirring occasionally.
- Simmer. Add the chicken back to the skillet along with the tomato sauce. Stir to combine, and let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes to thicken.
- Prepare the Rice. While the fajita mixture cooks, prepare the rice in a pot according to the package instructions. Once cooked, add the chopped cilantro, lime juice, and lime zest. Stir to combine.
- Grill the Corn. Place the corn kernels on an oiled grill. Cook over medium heat, rotating the cobs until all of the sides are lightly charred.
- Serve. Divide the ingredients between 4-6 bowls. Dollop a scoop of the cilantro lime rice into each. Then, add a serving of the chicken fajita filling followed by the grilled corn. To finish, add all your favorite garnishes, and enjoy warm!
Variations, Substitutions, and Topping Ideas
We never get tired of these restaurant-style Chicken Fajita Bowls because there are endless ways to prepare and serve them! Feel free to get creative with all your favorite ingredients and mix-ins. We’ll give you some inspiration to get you started.
Variations and Substitutions
- Different Protein. Feel free to swap out the chicken with any other protein like flank steak, ground beef, shrimp, ground turkey, or even tempeh or tofu!
- Make It Low-Carb. For a low-carb Chicken Fajita Bowl, omit the rice, and serve your fixings over lettuce as a salad or cauliflower rice instead. You could even stuff them in lettuce wraps!
- Swap Out the Rice. We love the contrast of the bright, zesty cilantro lime rice with the warm spices of the fajita mixture. However, any rice you like best can be used! For instance, brown rice, Easy Spanish Style Rice, Vermicelli Rice, and Mexican Rice with Cheese taste incredible, too. Or, use a different grain like bulgur or quinoa instead.
- Use Different Veggies. Go crazy with extra veggies to make this recipe even more nutrient-dense. Some great extra additions include mushrooms, yellow onions, tomatoes, and zucchini.
- Use a Pre-Made Seasoning. We prefer to season the ingredients ourselves so we have complete control over the flavor. However, to save time, pre-made fajita seasoning packets can be used, too.
Extra Topping Options
- Black Beans
- Refried Beans
- Salsa or Pico de Gallo
- Hot Sauce
- Guacamole
- Shredded Cheese or Queso
How to Make Ahead and Store
If you want to make your Chicken Fajita Bowls ahead of time, we recommend storing all of the ingredients in separate airtight containers. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Then, all you have to do is assemble your bowls and pop them in the microwave for 1-2 minutes to warm them back up!
More Fajita-Inspired Recipes
Looking for more ways to savor the flavor of fajitas? Check out more of our favorite fajita-inspired meals!
- Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas
- Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas
- Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas
- Chicken Fajita Sandwiches
- One Pot Fajita Seasoned Rice with Chicken
Easy Chicken Fajita Bowls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- Kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 red onion sliced
- 3 bell peppers sliced
- 2 Tablespoons tomato sauce
- 3-4 cups white rice cooked
- ¼ cup packed cilantro chopped
- ½ lime juiced
- ½ lime zested
- 3 cups grilled corn kernels
- Optional: shredded lettuce mashed avocado, sour cream, jalapeños, cilantro, corn tortillas for serving
Instructions
- Season the chicken with the chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper, coating the pieces evenly.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, and cook 5-7 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 ºF. Transfer to a plate, and set aside.
- Add the garlic, onion, and bell peppers to the same skillet. Cook 5 minutes or until softened.
- Add the chicken back to the skillet along with the tomato sauce. Simmer 5 minutes to thicken, stirring occasionally.
- In the meantime, cook the rice according to the package instructions. Transfer it to a large bowl, and stir in the chopped cilantro, lime juice, and lime zest. Set aside.
- To serve, divide the rice among 4-6 bowls. Add the chicken and vegetables on top followed by the corn and toppings of choice. Serve warm!
- Store the ingredients in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Equipment
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We eat more chicken than any other meat so I’m always looking for variety. The chicken has great flavor due the spices. I used ketchup rather than opening a can of tomato sauce for a small amount. I couldn’t taste the lime in the rice so I will probably add more next time. The fire-roasted corn was a good choice.
Thank you for the feedback, Martha! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe. 😊
Xo,
Alia & Radwa