The Homemade Chicken Fajitas Bowl We Want Every Week! (Inspired by Chipotle!)
I’ve had the same Chipotle order for years—it’s practically seared in my brain at this point: chicken burrito bowl with brown rice, black beans, extra fajita veggies, + mild, medium, and corn salsas. *chef kiss!*
It’s absolute perfection and I love it so much, but figuring out how to make Homemade Chicken Fajita Bowls with all of the same flavors and textures as takeout has been great for our budget. And let me tell you—they’re just as good as Chipotle, if not better!
This chicken fajita rice bowl starts with my tried-and-true 20-Minute Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas—a recipe I tested over and over until it was just right. The secret? Roasting at high heat, then finishing under the broiler for that restaurant-worthy fajita sizzle. The chicken and veggies are juicy, tender, and perfectly caramelized with crispy edges. So good!
While the chicken and veggies are in the oven, you’ll have the perfect window of time to prep any chicken fajita bowl fixings you love. I always whip up a batch of creamy, dreamy Avocado Crema and char up some sweet corn over a gas burner flame, but rice, beans, pico de gallo, salsa, and guacamole are all fair game here, too.
From there, simply build your chicken fajitas bowls and dig in. Dinner’s ready in 30 minutes, which is faster than driving to Chipotle and back—you really can’t beat that!
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This recipe uses my favorite hands-off prep method for fajitas, my 20-Minute Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas. It’s the best way to get charred, crispy edges on the chicken and veggies any night of the week. If you prefer to use the stovetop, you can also try my Sizzlin’ Skillet Chicken Fajitas.
Season the veggies and chicken. Toss thinly sliced bell peppers and onions with garlic powder, oregano, and salt. Then do the same for the sliced chicken thighs, quickly tossing them through a quick chili lime fajita seasoning for a big punch of flavor. Why? ⇢ Seasoning every layer is key to restaurant-worthy flavor.
Roast the sheet pan chicken fajitas. Spread the seasoned chicken and veggies in an even layer on the sheet pan. Roast in a 450-degree F oven for 10-12 minutes. Tip! ⇢ Use two sheet pans if necessary to make sure the chicken and veggies have plenty of space to breathe. This helps allow the moisture to escape so the chicken fajitas are charred and crispy—the key to a crave worthy fajita sizzle in the oven!
Finish under the broiler. Turn on the broiler for the last 3-4 minutes for a last minute char, turning the sheet pan halfway through. The hot broiler flame kisses the chicken and veggies, leaving them with the crispy charred edges we’re after.
Meal Prep Tips!
These sheet pan chicken fajitas cook very quickly in the oven, but a little meal prep makes dinner come together even faster during the week. Get all the chopping out of the way ahead of time and all you have to do at dinnertime is preheat the oven—easy! See the recipe card, below, for full instructions.
5-Minute Avocado Crema Sauce
The secret to creating an epic dinner bowl is bringing all of the components together with a stunning sauce. For a chicken fajita bowl, I love a Creamy-Dreamy Avocado Crema. It’s cooling and creamy with just a little kick of heat, plus its bright green color is absolutely stunning! Learn More! ⇢ 5-Minute Avocado Crema.
Prefer a dairy-free crema? ⇢ Easily substitute sour cream for your favorite non-dairy yogurt. Or, for a similar creamy green sauce, try our naturally dairy-free Cilantro Lime Cashew Crema instead!
Chicken Fajita Bowl Assembly and Topping Ideas
Once all of the components are ready, it’s time to assemble a chicken fajita bowl! The beauty of a loaded bowl-style dinner is piling on whatever you happen to be craving. Feel free to make it your own by loading on whatever fajita-inspired toppings you love most.
Some extra ideas to get you started…
- Charred sweet corn. You can easily char an ear of corn right over a gas flame on your stovetop! Simply rest each ear over the flame, rotating frequently until each side is nicely charred—easy!
- Rice. It’s easy to make cilantro lime rice at home—simply stir a handful of finely chopped cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice into cooked white rice or brown rice. Feel free to use another grain, too—quinoa and cauliflower rice are both great options!
- Beans. Black beans or pinto beans, whatever you love! Canned beans work great here.
- Salsa. Use your favorite jarred salsa or whip up a fresh pico de gallo.
- Greens. Finely shredded romaine lettuce or cabbage provide great crunchy texture.
- Garnishes. Finish with finely chopped cilantro and a spritz of fresh lime juice.
I can’t wait for you to try this Chicken Fajita Bowl with Avocado Crema! If you do, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
Print
30-Minute Chicken Fajita Bowls with Avocado Crema
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Entrée Salads & Bowls Recipes, Main Dishes
- Method: Oven, Baked & Broiled
- Cuisine: Mexican & Tex-Mex, American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
I’ve had the same Chipotle order for years—it’s practically seared in my brain at this point: chicken burrito bowl with brown rice, black beans, extra fajita veggies, + mild, medium, and corn salsas. It’s absolute perfection, but figuring out how to make Homemade Chicken Fajita Bowls with all of the same flavors and textures as takeout has been great for our budget!
The colorful and feel-good bowls center around my tried and true 20-Minute Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas, which come together really quickly and use many staple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Simply slice up chicken, toss it through a quick homemade fajita seasoning, and roast on a sheet pan alongside fajita veggies. A simple bake-then-broil method guarantees restaurant-worthy fajita sizzle with as little effort as possible.
While the chicken fajitas roast, you’ll have the perfect amount of time to prep whatever fajita bowl fixings you love, like a colorful and creamy avocado crema sauce, cilantro lime rice, beans, salsa, lettuce, and more. These bowls are just as fun to build as they are to eat, so check the Blog Post, above, for plenty more serving ideas to get you started.
Just as good as Chipotle, if not better!
Ingredients
for the fajitas veggies:
- 2 large bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 large red or yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- heaping ½ teaspoon garlic powder, divided
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
for the chili lime chicken:
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, thinly sliced into ¼-inch strips (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar (can sub honey or brown sugar)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 ½ teaspoons ancho chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- heaping ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
for the avocado crema:
- 1 large avocado, pitted and peeled
- 1 large jalapeño, deseeded as desired
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 limes, juiced (approx. scant ¼ cup juice)
- ⅓ cup packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
- ⅓ cup sour cream or full-fat yogurt
- 2–3 tablespoons water
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
for chicken fajita bowl assembly, as desired:
- 2 ears sweet corn, charred
- one 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups cooked rice (white, brown, cauliflower rice, other grain of choice, etc.)
- finely chopped cilantro
- sliced cherry tomatoes and/or salsa of choice
- shredded cheese of choice
- shredded lettuce
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, ensuring one rack is positioned in the top third of the oven. To a medium bowl, add all listed fajitas veggies ingredients, seasoning with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Toss to combine well, then transfer to a large, rimmed baking sheet. To the same bowl, add all listed chili lime chicken ingredients, seasoning with 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Toss to combine well, then transfer to the same baking sheet as the fajitas veggies. Do your best to spread everything into an even layer so nothing is especially overcrowded on the pan.
- Roast the sheet pan chicken fajitas: Transfer the sheet pan to the oven. Roast 10-12 minutes, just until the chicken is cooked through—the chicken should be juicy + tender and the veggies should be crisp and colorful. If desired, finish under the broiler for a crispy, browned finish a la sizzling skillet fajitas. In the last 3-4 minutes of roasting, turn the broiler on its highest setting and broil, carefully rotating the pan halfway through, until the chicken fajitas are browned and slightly crisp. Remove from the oven and set aside for serving.
- Chicken fajitas bowls prep: Meanwhile, as the chicken fajitas roast, prepare any bowl fixings you’d like. I always whip up a quick batch of avocado crema and char up some sweet corn.
- For the avocado crema, add all listed ingredients except the water to a food processor. Season with a heaping ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Pulse to break up the avocado and cilantro, then blend until smooth and creamy—if necessary, stream in a couple tablespoons water to smooth out texture.
- For charred sweet corn, place husked ears of corn directly over a gas burner. Light to a medium-high flame and cook about 2 minutes per side or until as charred as desired. (If you do not have a gas stove, you can also char the corn on an outdoor grill, in a grill pan, or under the broiler.)
- Assemble chicken fajitas bowls with avocado crema and fixings of choice: Build your chicken fajitas bowls as desired. I like to swoop the avocado crema directly along the sides of the bowl, then create a base of rice, beans, and sheet pan chicken fajitas. Finish with other toppings, as desired, like fresh tomatoes and/or salsa, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, lots of fresh cilantro, and a good squeeze of lime juice. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Jess’ Notes and Tips:
- Chicken thighs vs chicken breasts: I prefer using chicken thighs in this recipe since they’re flavorful and stay really nice and juicy through roasting + broiling, but you can swap them out with breasts if you prefer. If so, skip broiling, as the breast meat will dry out.
- Ancho chiles are dried poblano peppers with nice mild-medium heat and great flavor. Ancho chili/chile powder is just that—a powder of finely ground ancho chile peppers. I love Simply Organic Ancho Chili Powder, which is certified organic and has wonderful flavor—I keep it stocked in my spice rack at all times, as it’s great for adding extra flavor and mild heat to Mexican-inspired dishes. If you do not have ancho chile powder on hand, you can substitute with “chili powder” for this particular recipe. Standard “chili powder” here in the U.S. is most often a blend of ground chiles and spices like oregano, cumin, and garlic—so it’s not a perfect substitute for pure chile powders all the time, but all of these flavors work well in this chicken fajitas recipe.
- 5-10 Minute Meal Prep: These sheet pan chicken fajitas bake very quickly, but a little meal prep makes dinner come together even faster during the week. Get all the chopping out of the way ahead of time and all you have to do at dinnertime is preheat the oven—easy!
- Thinly slice 2 bell peppers and 1 onion. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Thinly slice 1 ½ pounds chicken. If desired, season with the chili lime marinade, too! Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Storage and Reheating: Store leftover chicken fajitas, avocado crema, and other bowl fixings in individual airtight containers in the refrigerator. The avocado crema is best enjoyed within 2-3 days, while the chicken fajitas will last up to 3-4 days. Reheat the chicken in the microwave or stovetop until warmed through, then assemble a chicken fajitas bowl as desired.
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We really enjoyed this recipe. It came together quickly, was very fresh, and could be assembled differently. My husband made tortillas, I made the bowl as noted, and my 5 year old used it for a quesadilla. The left overs were great too. Thanks for another great recipe, Jess!
The versatility of this recipe is one of the reasons we love it so much! So happy to hear you did too, Danelle! 🙂
Loved this recipe. I used chicken thighs, which are not my favorite, but they didn’t dry out like breasts can. When I make again, I will make the fajita seasoning a bit more spicy. Not sure what size cookie sheet you used, but my veggies and chicken would not fit on one pan without being too crowed. I ended up putting veggies on one and chicken on the other. And, the avocado crema was delicious!!
Thank you.
Hi Michelle, so glad to hear you loved the fajita bowls!! Definitely a good call to use two baking sheets if everything didn’t fit well on one! And we definitely recommend making it spicier next time if that’s your preference! 🙂