Chicken fajitas made with zesty marinated chicken, bell peppers, poblano peppers, and onions, all made in a cast iron skillet. These cast iron chicken poblano fajitas have the perfect char and a one skillet fajita recipe the whole family will enjoy.
Why this recipe works
- One skillet fajita recipe for easy clean up.
- Making chicken fajitas in a cast iron skillet gives the chicken and peppers the perfect char for maximum flavor.
- A quick chicken marinade leaves you with deliciously spiced chicken once cooked.
- You can serve these chicken fajitas in tortillas, over rice, as a salad, great for meal prep too.
Cutting chicken for fajitas
For this chicken fajita recipe, I use boneless chicken breasts. I slice the chicken into long strips, so they fit into tortillas nicely. Once you start getting to the top of the breast, it will become thicker and you can cut those pieces in half.
Chicken fajita marinade
- Chicken fajita marinade: Dark chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, granulated garlic, kosher salt, ground black pepper, fresh oregano leaves, avocado oil, and lime juice.
- If you do not have fresh oregano, you can substitute dried oregano, but the fresh leaves give it an additional layer of flavor.
- Mix chicken with marinade to fully coat. Allow the chicken to marinate while you prep the vegetables or for a few hours in the refrigerator for max flavor.
Fajita vegetables
When making fajitas I used to only use bell peppers and onion, but adding poblano peppers gives it even more flavor and subtle heat. Poblano peppers are mild in heat, measuring at 1,000-2,000 on the Scoville Heat Unit. For comparison, a jalapeño measures at about 8,000 SHU.
Prepping fajita vegetables
- Cut stem off yellow onion and place on flat part. Cut onion and half and peel off outer skin. Place onion on flat half that was cut and proceed to cut into half moons about ½ inch thick.
- Cut poblano in half and remove seeds, stem and white membrane. Slice into long slices.
- Remove seeds from bell pepper and shave off white membranes. Slice into long slices.
- Add peppers and onions into a bowl and toss with oil, kosher salt, and black pepper.
Cooking fajitas
In a cast iron skillet, add the marinated chicken. Cook the chicken fully through to 165F internal temperature. There will be juices released in the beginning, but then it will dissipate allowing the chicken to crisp up. Remove and set aside.
Next add in oil and the bell pepper, poblanos, and onion. Sauté until they begin to soften and brown, about 8 minutes.
Chicken poblano fajitas
Return chicken to skillet and top with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Serve on warmed tortillas, over rice, as a salad, and even great for meal prepping. Serve with additional lime wedges to squeeze on top.
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Chicken Poblano Fajitas
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast cut into ½ inch wide strips
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves roughly chopped (or can sub 1 tsp dried oregano)
- 1 teaspoon dark chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Fajitas
- 1 large yellow onion peeled and cut into half moons
- 1 poblano pepper sliced down the middle, seeds removed, sliced into long ½ inch strips
- 2 bell peppers color of choice, seeds and membranes removed, sliced into long ½ inch strips
- 2 tablespoons Avocado oil
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Additional:
- Flour or corn tortillas warmed
- Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- In a small bowl add the marinade spices: fresh oregano leaves, dark chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, granulated garlic, kosher salt, ground black pepper. Stir to mix spices together.
- In a medium bowl add sliced chicken, 3 tbsp avocado oil, juice of one lime, and spices. Mix until chicken is fully coated. You can do a quick marinade while you chop the veggies or marinate the chicken covered in the refrigerator for a few hours for more flavor.
- In another medium bowl add sliced onions, poblano peppers, and bell peppers. Toss in 2 tbsp avocado oil, ¼ tsp of kosher salt, and ¼ tsp of black pepper. Set aside.
- In a cast iron skillet over medium/high heat, add in the marinated chicken breast. Cook chicken fully through (165F), about 6-8 minutes. Once fully cooked, remove and set aside.
- Add peppers and onions into the skillet and sauté until softened and slightly charred, about 8 minutes. You can add additional oil if needed.
- Once the peppers are finished, push to one side and add the chicken back in. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve on warm tortillas with fresh lime wedges to squeeze over the chicken prior to eating. Enjoy!
Notes
Chicken
- I slice the chicken into long strips, so they fit into tortillas nicely. Once you start getting to the top of the breast, it will become thicker and you can cut those pieces in half.
Poblano Peppers
- Poblano peppers are mild in heat, measuring at 1,000-2,000 on the Scoville Heat Unit. For comparison, a jalapeño measures at about 8,000 SHU.
Serve with
- Serve on warmed tortillas, over rice, as a salad, and even great for meal prepping.
La La
Yum, love the poblano added for sweetness and very mild heat. Excellent recipe. Chicken is amazingly tasty and holds the flavor as anticipated. I will make this dish often!!
Connie
Sure appreciate the photos & the clear directions in your recipe. However, in the marinade you ask for “avocado leaves”. Is that a typo, never used them or did you mean cilantro leaves?
Stephanie
Whoops, thanks for catching that! I meant oregano leaves!