This chicken fajita casserole is an healthy, one pan dinner recipe. The chicken is cut into strips, seasoned and cooked to perfection to create a juicy, tender chicken. The juices from the onions also add an excellent flavor. This is one of my favorite dinner recipes and hope you love it just as much!
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My husband and I have two Mexican restaurants that we love to frequent. I get the chicken or steak fajitas every single time. No matter what, it's my go to meal. So, obviously I created this chicken fajita casserole because of my love for fajitas. What I love most about this casserole is that it only requires one pan! I don't own the hot plates to make fajitas, and this casserole is way easier to make.
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken Breast: use boneless, skinless chicken breast. Trim fat and slice into strips that are about 1.5 inches wide by 3-4 inches long.
- Fajita Seasoning Mix: use a packaged fajita seasoning. I used the Mccormick's brand Fajita Seasoning. Any brand will work perfectly.
- Chili Powder: adds extra spice.
- Olive Oil: alternative options are canola oil or vegetable oil.
- Bell Peppers: choose any color. I like lots of colors and chose red, orange and green peppers.
- Yellow Onion: the onion adds extra juice and flavor to the casserole.
- Mozzarella Cheese: any type of cheese will work.
How To Cut The Chicken
This recipe works best with chicken that is cut into strips about 1.5 inches wide by 1.5 inches thick and 3-4 inches long. The chicken strips should have some thickness to them, to prevent them from drying out when cooking.
Determine if your chicken breast needs to be pounded. If it is thicker than an inch and a half, I would recommending pounding it. The easiest way to do this is to place the chicken in a large zip lock bag, seal shut and pound with a meat pounder.
Once the chicken is at the ideal thickness, place it on a cutting board. Trim all fat. Slice into strips using a fork to hold the chicken in place, and a sharp knife to cut through the chicken. Place the chicken strips in a large zip lock bag once sliced.
Step By Step Instructions
Slice the chicken into strips that are about 1.5 inches wide by 3-4 inches long. It doesn't have to be exact. Place the strips into a gallon zip lock bag, add the fajita seasoning, chili powder and olive oil. Seal the bag shut and and mix until the chicken is evenly coated with the seasoning.
Layer the chicken in the bottom of a greased casserole pan. The chicken should be layered so that the pieces are touching, but not stacked on top of each other.
Slice the onions and peppers into ½ inch wide strips. Mix together and then layer over the chicken strips.
Continue to layer the peppers and onions evenly over the chicken until the chicken is entirely covered.
Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, top with cheese and then bake another 5 minutes. Chicken should reach 165F when fully done.
Nutrition Information
I love this chicken fajita casserole because it is a healthy dinner option that tastes great! It's an easy way to get a serving of vegetables in from the peppers and onions. This is a low carb, high protein casserole.
One serving is ⅙th of a casserole. Listed below are the nutrition facts, however they may vary slightly based on the brand of ingredient used.
- 265 calories
- 35 grams of protein
- 7.5 grams of carbohydrate
- 9 grams of fat
Bell Pepper Nutrition
Bell peppers are a great source of vitamins and minerals. The nutrition content of pepper varies based on the color of pepper.
Bell peppers are an excellent source of Vitamin C. A medium sized red bell pepper contains 253% of your Vitamin C's daily value. (Source) Vitamin C is important in the body's ability to heal.
Red bell peppers also are a great source of Vitamin A. They contain folate and Vitamin B6. They are considered a nutrient dense food because they are low in calories and high in nutrients.
What Other Types of Meat Can I Use?
Any type of meat can be used, however the cooking times will vary based on the cut of meat.
- Chicken thighs: use boneless and skinless thighs. Slice into small strips
- Steak: flank steak (leaner cut) or skirt steak (more tender cut)
- Shrimp: use pre-peeled, raw shrimp
- Shredded Pre-Cooked Chicken: follow the instructions in the recipe. The cooking time will vary as the chicken is already cooked.
Recommended Toppings
- Salsa
- Pico De Gallo
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt
- Refried Beans
- Extra Cheese
- Shredded Lettuce
Serving Suggestions
- Tortillas: I love to serve this on warm corn tortillas. Simply place a small amount of the fajita skillet in the middle of a tortilla. Add any desired toppings, fold in half and enjoy! This can also be served on flour tortillas and made into a burrito or quesadilla.
- Rice: This can be made into a chicken fajita bowl by serving it over cooked brown or white rice. The casserole has a lot of extra juice in the bottom that you can spoon out and pour on top of the rice.
- Lettuce: Place a serving of the casserole over a bed of lettuce. Add some extra salsa and guacamole as a dressing.
Can I Meal Prep This Recipe?
Absolutely! This recipe can easily be made the night before. Simply prepare the recipe as instructed, and then cover with foil and place in the refrigerator over night. When you are ready to cook the dish, let it sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes prior to cooking.
Tips and Tricks
- Color of pepper to use: Any color of bell pepper can be used. Green peppers are usually a more bitter tasting pepper, however you can't really tell when they are combined in a casserole dish. The yellow peppers are a sweet pepper. Red peppers are also sweet and typically the most juicy of all peppers. I used a combination of green, orange and red peppers.
- Color of onion to use: The recommended color of onion is a yellow onion. This type of onion holds up well when cooked. It becomes very flavorful when heated.
- Leftovers: This casserole dish holds reheats great! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat for a couple minutes and serve warm.
- Add In's: add in canned corn or rotel for some extra flavors!
More Mexican Recipes
Chicken Fajita Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breast, boneless & skinless about 4 medium chicken breasts
- 3 large bell peppers (red, green, orange or yellow)
- ½ yellow onion
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 package (1.12 oz) fajita seasoning mix (I used the McCormick brand fajita seasoning mix)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a large casserole dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Cut the chicken breasts into strips that are about 1.5 inches wide by 3-4 inches long.
- Place the chicken strips in a gallon sized zip lock bag, add the olive oil, fajita seasoning mix and chili powder. Seal the bag shut.
- Mix the chicken and seasoning until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Remove the chicken from the bag, and place evenly into the bottom of your casserole dish. The chicken strips should be touching, but not stacked on top of each other.
- Wash and remove the stems from the bell peppers. Slice into ½ inch wide slices. Set aside.
- Peel the onion and slice into ½ inch wide slices.
- Layer the onion slices and pepper slices evenly over the chicken.
- Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Add cheese evenly over the top and bake for an additional five minutes. Chicken is done when it reaches a temperature of 165F. (Cooking time may vary slightly depending on the thickness of the chicken strips).
Nira says
Can this be made and frozen?
Ashlee Welter says
Yes! Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months!
Alan says
Turned out good. the chicken was tender and my whole family liked it. Thanks!
Maggie says
Excellent dinner idea. I love it! Thank you!