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Seasoned chicken pan-seared with bell peppers and onions, and served up fajita-style with a quick creamy jalapeño verde sauce and warm tortillas. Everything is cooked in a piping hot skillet and comes together easily. A fun, any night of the week dinner!
When my younger brother Malachi asked if we could do a fajita night recently, I was all for it. Any kind of themed dinner is always fun for me to plan out and create. They take the average weeknight dinner from boring to exciting.
I love to do up Mexican night with all the sides, sauces, lots of avocado, toppings, and of course, a fun drink too. Usually I’ll serve tacos for Mexican night, but I often forget about using fajitas. I don’t know why, because fajitas are so delicious and colorful!
Kai’s two requests were that the fajitas have a killer sauce and plenty of rice on the side. His food requests are pretty simple these days. So I was able to really have fun with this and get creative with this recipe.
Here are the details
Fajitas are great for a lot of reasons, but everyone’s favorite reason is how quick and simple they are. You really just need a skillet.
Start with the chicken. My little trick is to use some Tajin in the spice mix in place of chili powder. It keeps the flavor delicious, but the spice level just right. I’ve been using Tajin so much lately.
I like to season the chicken directly in the skillet with olive oil, then start cooking. You want to use a pretty high heat to cook the chicken so that you get that nice light char around the edges of the meat that feels so classic for a fajita. If you have one, a cast-iron skillet is best.
When the chicken is cooked, I like to pull it out of the skillet and then add the onions. Give the onions a cook quick, and add in all of the peppers.
The peppers and onions are really KEY here. They make these fajitas. I use a mix of sweet onions, bell peppers, and smoky poblano peppers so that there’s plenty of flavor.
The chicken is added back to the peppers to warm back up. Could not be simpler.
The sauce
No surprise here, but the sauce might just be the reason to make these fajitas. There are just 3 ingredients, but don’t let that fool you, it’s so delicious.
A mix of cream cheese, green salsa verde, and pickled jalapeños. It’s very creamy with just the right amount of heat.
Serve the chicken and peppers right out of the skillet with warmed flour tortillas and plenty of sauce. I do lots of cilantro and cotija cheese on top, then guacamole and rice on the side.
And that’s it, dinner is ready. It feels fresh and colorful and it tastes even better. It’s that sauce, it’s very different but so delicious. I really cannot think of a better way to spend my Thursday night, you know? Fajitas and a fun cocktail (currently loving this margarita). I don’t believe anything is ever really perfect, but this all sounds pretty close. And if family is involved…even more fun!
FAQ:
Can I use pre-cooked chicken?
Yes—slice and warm it briefly with the onions/peppers so it doesn’t dry out; you’ll lose some sear but the sauce makes up for it.
How do I get that restaurant-style char without drying the chicken?
Cook over medium-high heat, don’t overcrowd, and let the chicken sit undisturbed for a minute or two per side before tossing.
What’s the best way to make this milder?
Use chili powder instead of Tajín, skip chili flakes, and reduce or omit the pickled jalapeños in the sauce.
Can I make the sauce ahead?
Yes—make and chill up to a couple of days. Re-warm gently over low heat, whisking and loosening with a splash of water until creamy again.
Looking for other quick Mexican recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Crispy Jalapeño Cream Cheese Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
Sheet Pan Chipotle Salmon Tacos with Pineapple Jalapeño Salsa
Crockpot Crispy Chicken Tinga Tacos with Avocado Jalapeño Crema
Lastly, if you make these Skillet Chicken Fajitas with Creamy Jalapeño Verde Sauce, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Skillet Chicken Fajitas with Creamy Jalapeño Verde Sauce.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 656 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons chili powder or tajin
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- chili flakes
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 2 bell peppers, sliced
- 1 poblano pepper, sliced
- 8-10 tortillas, warmed
- cotija cheese, limes, and cilantro, for serving
Creamy Jalapeño Verde Sauce
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup salsa verde
- 1-3 tablespoons pickled jalapeños, chopped
Instructions
- 1. In a large skillet, combine the olive oil, chicken, paprika, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper, toss to coat. Set the skillet over high heat. Cook until seared all over and cooked through, 8-10 minutes. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the butter, garlic, and chili flakes. Cook 1 minute, then remove everything from the skillet.2. In the same skillet, add the onions and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Toss in the bell peppers and poblano peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the peppers are tender, another 5 minutes. 3. Add the chicken to the peppers and toss to combine. 4. To make the sauce, melt together the cream cheese and salsa verde in a small skillet over low-low heat, whisking constantly until creamy. Remove from the heat and stir in the jalapeños. 5. Stuff the chicken, peppers, and onions into the warmed tortillas, and top with the verde sauce, cilantro, and cheese. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on March 30, 2022
This may be my favorite recipe to date!
Hi Liz,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xxT
These were so so good! Perfect amount of spice and directions were spot on. Delicious and easy!
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xxT
Made these tonight for dinner and they are so simple to make and very delicious !! All I added to your recipe was some sliced avocado. Will definitely make these again and again !!
Hi Missy,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xxT
so delicious! my family loved it – I had to substitute white corn taco shells for the tortillas, cause I was out. I will be making this on rotation. Sue
Hi Sue,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xxT
Absolutely delicious!!!! My son and daughter-in-law said they never want another type of taco again!
Hi Jody,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xxT
Delicious! I didn’t do the sauce as I had leftover homemade jalapeño cilantro crema in the fridge already which was perfect with it! But definitely will be using this fajita recipe again?
Hi Brenda,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xxT
Blown away!
Hi Jamie,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Thanks for sharing your review!? xT
Good recipe. I added all the spices together in a small bowl with the oil and tossed with the chicken in a bowl before putting it in a cold Lodge skillet. Cooked medium high and tossed 2-3 times over 8 minutes and placed chicken on a plate covered with foil. Forgot to add the garlic to the chicken so tossed it into the onions after a few minutes. Added a splash or two of beer to pick up all the goodies in the skillet then added the poblano and 1 red bell pepper. Didn’t bother with the sauce and just used guacamole and green sauce, cilantro and cheese. Big hit
Hey Jo,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Thanks for sharing your review!? xT
The family enjoyed this dinner tonight. I always substitute plain greek yogurt for cream cheese to lower the fat, and that substitution worked in this sauce tonight. I also had one very ripe avocado on hand, so I smashed it into the sauce as well. It all was very tasty — and a very quick weeknight meal. Thanks again!
Hi Renee,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Thanks for sharing your review!? xT
I made this with just the fajita recipe (did not do the sauce) and so so delicious even without it. Perfect combinations of flavors and had all the ingredients already in the house. Great recipe!
Hi Sarah,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Thanks for sharing your review!? xT
I made this without the sauce since I had all the other ingredients on hand and really didn’t want to make dinner at all. This was such an easy, flavorful recipe that my toddler also enjoyed.
Hi Erin,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Thanks for sharing your review!? xT
My husband is cooking up a taco meal for a group of guys. He thinks this looks great. How thick would “thin sliced” be? Gotta be specific for him. Do you think doing it ahead would work? We’re going to do a dry run tonight!
Hi Jan,
You can refer to the photos above for how to slice the meat, I would say about a little more than 1/4 inch thick. Yes, you could prep the meal ahead of time. Let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! How do you char your tortillas? I do not have an gas stove.
Can’t wait to make tomorrow night
Hi Shannon,
I put my tortillas directly over the stove top flame. You could pop them under the broiler to get a nice char. Let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Can’t wait to try this recipe! What kind of rice do you serve this with?
Hi Angie,
I like to do a Mexican rice or a cilantro lime rice. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I want to make this but don’t want the heat of jalapeños. Could you suggest a substitute?
They have mild pickled jalapeños and they are great!! Maybe try those 🙂
Hi Bridget,
For this recipe, I used pickled jalapeños so there really isn’t much heat to them, but you can always just omit them. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Trader Joe’s has a sweet and spicy pickled jalapeño that would be mild and. Awesome!
Trader Joe’s sweet and spicy jalapeño’s are the best! I buy multiple jars!
Thanks for the recommendation Heather!