I love how flavorful these chicken fajitas turn out! Thanks to a quick citrusy marinade, the chicken becomes incredibly tasty and so juicy. Get your favorite fajita toppings ready because these are good!
Is there anything better than a big skillet of sizzling chicken fajitas? Well, these chicken fajitas are some of the best I’ve made, thanks to our garlic citrus marinade. If you are in a hurry, just 30 minutes in this marinade is a game-changer, but you can always go longer!
These garlic citrus chicken fajitas are my family’s favorite (though we also love our ultimate fajitas with beef, chicken, and shrimp!). They are easy, delicious, and are perfect tucked into homemade tortillas and topped with all our favorite fajita toppings (hello, pico de gallo and guacamole!).
Key Ingredients
- Chicken: We developed this recipe for chicken breast, but you can definitely substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you’d prefer them. They will turn out even more tender and juicy. Pork chops would also be pretty excellent.
- The Marinade: Here’s the star of the show. To make our marinade, you’ll combine freshly squeezed orange and lime juice with minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. I marinate my chicken for at least 30 minutes, but you can go for up to 6 hours if you want to.
- Fajita Veggies: I love the chicken in this recipe, but when it comes to fajitas, my favorite part is ALWAYS the veggies. I keep it classic and use sliced onion and sliced bell peppers. You’ll save a little marinade from the chicken and toss it with the veggies to get some crispy garlic flavor throughout. To add more veggies, try mushrooms, zucchini, and yellow squash.
- Tortillas: Use your favorite store-bought tortillas or try homemade! I love these soft flour tortillas for fajitas, but you can also use corn. Here’s our corn tortillas recipe.
Our Favorite Chicken Fajitas
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
The fresh, bright citrus marinade makes these chicken fajitas so good. Since we use lean chicken breasts, we love adding flavor with a marinade made with orange juice, lime juice, spices, and garlic. It’s easy to throw together and makes such a difference in the flavor and juiciness of these chicken fajitas! Marinate for at least 30 minutes or go up to 6 hours (longer might be okay, but the acid in the marinade can change the texture of the chicken).
You Will Need
1 ½ pounds (680g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup (80ml) fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup (60ml) fresh squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons chili powder, try homemade chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons avocado oil
2 onions, halved and sliced
3 bell peppers, seeded and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 jalapeño, minced
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
12 flour or corn tortillas, warmed, try homemade flour tortillas
Fajita toppings like pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, crumbled or shredded cheese, and shredded lettuce
Directions
1Make the marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk 1/3 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup lime juice, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 1/4 cup chopped cilantro. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper, then reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade and pour the rest into a resealable bag ready for marinating the chicken.
2Marinate the chicken: Place the chicken into the bag with marinade. Move the chicken around to coat it well. Place the bag in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 6 hours). Flip the bag over from time to time to move around the marinade.
3Prepare veggies: Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. When the oil is hot, add onions and cook, stirring, until they soften and begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the bell peppers and jalapeño and cook, stirring, until peppers soften, 3 to 4 minutes.
4Season with salt and pepper, then pour in the reserved 2 tablespoons of marinade. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan up and into the vegetables. Remove vegetables from the pan and keep warm, covered in foil, while you cook the chicken.
5Cook chicken: Heat the skillet used for vegetables over medium-high heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it in the pan. Cook until well browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip and continue to cook, flipping over occasionally until browned on both sides, and an internal thermometer reaches 165 degrees F; 10 to 15 minutes. If your chicken is thick, cover the skillet with a lid for a few minutes to help cook the middle.
6Transfer chicken to a cutting board and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes, then cut into 1/2-inch thick strips.
7To serve: Place the vegetables back into the skillet and, if necessary, reheat. Nestle the chicken on top, and then serve with warm tortillas and your favorite fajita toppings.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- To warm tortillas: wrap them in foil and warm in a low oven, or wrap in a towel and warm in the microwave.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We did not include tortillas or toppings in the calculations.
hands down the best marinade/recipe out there! thank you! on our weekly rotation! 🙂
This turned out fantastic! I added the zests of the orange and lime and also put some honey in the marinade. I made fresh guacamole and salsa… so yummy! Thanks for a great recipe. I’ll be making it again soon.
WOW just what I was searching for. Came here by searching for chicken fajitas recipe
Made this last night and it was delicious! Thank you sharing your recipes. I am always looking for good recipes and I am so glad I found your site. Now I have something new to brag to my husband when he gets home. Thank you again.
If some one wishes expert view about blogging afterward i advise him/her to pay a quick visit this blog, Keep up the pleasant work.
We’ve made this a few times now, comes out great every time. Really easy, and tastes so much better than any store bought marinade. Thanks for this one!
I never review stuff, but just had to write a comment here. Delicious! Made exactly as written, minus Cilantro which no one in my family cares for. Used a cast iron skillet for chicken and then veggies. One thing people must know with mexican – get yourself a tortilla warmer (terra cotta) and wrap tortillas in a wet cloth napkin, put in 350 degree oven for 15-20 mins – it will make even so-so tortillas so much better! Always seek out better quality tortillas; you won’t be disappointed. Nice job on this recipe.
Thanks Andy, we’re glad you liked the fajitas and love your tips on tortillas.
Can I use lemon instead of lime ?
Yes, lemon will be slightly different, but should still taste good.
This is the first Internet recipe I have ever been compelled to review. I feel that I must provide a review if only to convey my gratitude for this delicious meal. The marinade is excellent, and the steps for cooking were helpful. Thanks for posting a better-than-restaurant quality fajita recipe!
Thanks Tom. So glad you enjoyed the recipe enough to come back and share. All the best!
Hi,
Going to try this recipe, I am very excited! Just wondering if there is something else I could use other then cilantro or if I could just skip it completely?
Thanks!
Skip it completely or you could try arugula or parsley.
I just spent the last twenty minutes trying to find this site. I used your marinade a few weeks back to make lobster fajitas and they were out of this world. I’m looking forward to tasting how good they are tonight using chicken and shrimp. Fabulous recipe!
I saved the recipe to my recipe file and printed a hard copy so this doesn’t happen again.
So glad you found us again 🙂
This was fantastic! The marinade really makes the dish. I forgot the garlic when usually I double or triple it but it was very tasty.
So glad you liked it 🙂
Looks Fantastic!
*But, I don’t get the new measurement of “cup tablespoons ” as in the lime juice.
Found you thru Pinterest, you’re site is so user friendly, great instructions, pics/videos and most importantly…you guys respond to questions! Thank you!
Thank you so much and great catch! It was definitely supposed to be cups. I just fixed it.
I like to marinate meat with kiwi, but I’m going to try using orange juice this time. Like you, I go heavy on veggies, guac, and of course cheese ;). I’m not a huge fan of sour cream. Fajitas are always a crowd-pleaser and so fun to eat. Thank you for sharing. I just found your blog, and it is so lovely! I’m incredibly inspired…
Wow, we would never have thought to use kiwi – so cool!
I bet the Orange juice in this makes it really sweet and good. Ive never thought about putting orange juice in my fajita marinade before. I can’t wait to test it out now. I’m glad I found a new healthy recipe I can add to my collection of new meals to try.
Hi Tanya – The OJ works well with the tart lime. We really like how it “sweetens” it up a little.