The calendar may say it’s a few more weeks till summer, but Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer and will have many of us firing up our grills. My EASY Chicken Fajitas are so easy they practically cook themselves - so get grilling for some yummy Tex-Mex this holiday weekend!
My EASY Chicken Fajitas are so easy they practically cook themselves – okay, so the veggies and chicken are not actually going to cut themselves up, you still have a little prep work, but my point is there’s nothing complicated going on here and there’s a lot of handsfree time. Minimal effort, maximum yum; a beginning cook can master these EASY Chicken Fajitas the first time around. Basically, all you have to do is cut your chicken and veggies, marinate them in a quick and easy marinade for a couple hours, wrap them in foil packets, throw the foil packets on the grill for 15 minutes (no babysitting required), unwrap and eat. Easy peasy. Traditional fajitas tend to be made up of a protein with peppers, and onions in a spice mix spiked with lime juice; I make mine a little more veg-forward, throwing in additional vegetables because they are yummy, fresh, and nutritious. Here I include mushrooms. Later in the summer when zucchini takes over the farmers markets, I add a couple zucchini cut into ½ inch half-moons to the mix. You can easily take these all the way vegetarian by leaving out the chicken and using more mushrooms. As a quick cheat you’ve seen me reach for before, I use a store-bought taco seasoning packet as the base of my marinade, ensuring these EASY Chicken Fajitas are easy to shop for and prepare.
Tip: Taco seasoning packet sizes may vary by brand, you want a packet intended for 1 pound of meat. I use Siete's mild taco seasoning packet for a grain free option that's also free of refined sugars.
EASY Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients
For the fajitas:
1 ½ pounds chicken breast, cut in ¼ inch thick strips
3 evenly sized bell peppers (I use yellow, orange, and red for a mix of color), seeds and ribs removed, cut into ½ inch wide strips
1 large Vidalia onion, cut ¼ inch wide slices
16 oz cremini mushrooms (baby/mini bellas), quartered
1.3 oz packet taco seasoning
¼ extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
12 tortillas (I use Siete Almond Flour Tortillas for a grain free option)
For assembly:
4 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil, each about 20 inches long
Suggested toppings:
Shredded lettuce
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sliced avocado
Plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
Salsa
Lime wedges
How to make EASY Chicken Fajitas
In a large bowl, at least 4 quarts or larger, add the taco seasoning packet and olive oil, stir well to combine. Whisk in lime juice until fully incorporated, you’ll have a more of a paste than a sauce. Add the chicken and stir until all the chicken strips are well coated with the marinade. Add the sliced onions and peppers and continue to stir, gently, until all the vegetables are coated with the marinade as well. Finally, add the mushrooms (zucchini too if you’re going that route), and gently fold in until the mushrooms are mixed throughout and coated with marinade as well. Cover bowl tightly with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Prepare grill for direct heat cooking at medium-high heat (about 375 degrees). Remove marinaded chicken and veggies from the refrigerator and divide evenly on to the center of all 4 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil (trust me you want heavy-duty foil here because there will be a good amount of weight in each packet, the last thing you want is for your packets to giveaway as you’re putting them on or taking them off the grill). Fold the foil into a packet shape by bringing the two short ends up to meet each other and folding over each other several times until almost touching the chicken and veggies. Then seal the two remaining sides closed by folding each edge in and over itself a second time.
Place all 4 foil packets on the grill, seam side up, and close the lid. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Carefully unwrap one foil packet around the 13-minute mark to check on the progress and adjust time as needed.
Once cooked, remove foil packets from grill and empty contents onto a large platter – your chicken will over cook if you leave them sealed in the packets. I recommend serving with tortillas and your favorite toppings.
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