A Chicken Fajita Bowl featuring peppers, onions, seasoned beans, and corn, topped with your favorite additions, makes a satisfying and tasty dinner. It’s simple to prepare with this easy recipe. This dish also serves as a protein-rich lunch option when served over rice, and is ideal for meal prep.
Mexican marinated chicken breast, seared in a cast iron pan, will smell just like the sizzling fajitas they bring to your table at your favorite Mexican restaurant.
Pile this delicious chicken on a bowl of seasoned rice, with crisp-tender peppers and onions, cumin-seasoned black beans, and charred sweet corn kernels, and you have one tasty rice bowl that is so, so satisfying.
This easy fajita bowl recipe makes enough to feed your family for dinner, or leftovers that will make tasty lunches for most of the week.
If you’re looking for more delicious rice bowl meals, try my Teriyaki Chicken Bowls or Instant Pot Burrito Bowls recipes next! Add Baked Salsa Chicken to rice and beans too.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Hearty Fajita bowls – I much prefer loading all of my favorite fajita ingredients into a big bowl over trying to roll everything up in a tortilla. These bowls are easy to serve and eat and can be made into any portion size that works for you.
- Big Flavors – A packet of fajita seasoning does most of the work here, giving the seared chicken, peppers, and onions an irresistible taste. My secret ingredient, a cheesy seasoning blend from Trader Joe’s really makes every bite amazing.
- Easy Stovetop Recipe – While you could use your grill to make the chicken, I think cooking everything on the stovetop is easier. Plus that means you can make chicken fajita bowls all year long!
- Substitutions Welcomed– Please feel free to adjust the ingredients, toppings, and seasonings in this chicken fajita bowl recipe as much as you’d like. The way I’m making chicken fajita bowls here works well, but the recipe is very forgiving and will not be ruined if you make changes.
Key Ingredients for Chicken Fajita Bowls
Here’s what you need to make easy fajita bowls with chicken:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Chicken: We’ll pan-sear chicken breasts, seasoned with fajita seasoning and garlic so that the meat is super flavorful and tender. Look for fajita seasoning at the store in a jar or a packet near the taco seasoning, or make up a batch of my homemade fajita seasoning for this recipe.
- Fajita Vegetables: Thinly sliced bell peppers and onions are sauteed with more fajita seasoning. They’ll be tender with a bit of bite left to them.
- Black Beans and Corn: To make this recipe simple, we’re using canned corn and canned beans, and seasoning them with cumin and my new favorite, Trader Joe’s Everything but the Elote seasoning.
- Rice: Before you start cooking the chicken, you should have some prepared rice, either cilantro lime rice (a Chipotle copycat recipe!) or Mexican rice. Or you can skip the rice, and start with a bed of chopped romaine lettuce that makes a great base for chicken fajitas.
- Garnishes: These are optional, but I think you’ll enjoy some or all of them as a flavorful addition to your fajita chicken bowls. Try Sour cream, sliced avocado with lime juice, guacamole, cheese, Pico de gallo, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges.
How To Make Easy Chicken Fajita Bowls
Cook all of the toppings for your Mexican rice bowl in one cast iron skillet, then assemble everything together!
- Marinate chicken: In a bowl, combine chicken with olive oil, fajita seasoning, and garlic. Cover with plastic wrap, and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. You can also use a Ziploc bag if you prefer.
- Cook Fajita Veggies: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Then add green bell pepper, red bell pepper, onion, and fajita seasoning. Quickly saute for 2-3 minutes, allowing the veggies to char a little but keeping the peppers crunchy. Remove the veggies from the pan and set aside while you cook the rest of the ingredients.
- Warm and Season Beans and Corn: Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the same skillet, and add black beans to one side and corn to the other. Season the black beans with ground cumin and the corn with everything but the elote seasoning (or the other spices listed). Cook for 1-2 minutes to warm them up. Remove the black beans, then cook the corn kernels for 1 more minute, allowing them to char a little. Remove to bowls.
- Cook Chicken: To the same skillet, add 2 tablespoons oil and the marinated chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Remove from the skillet onto a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Assemble Fajita Bowls: Build servings in small bowls. Fill each bowl with Mexican rice, peppers and onions, black beans, corn, and slices of chicken. Top with your favorite garnishes, like sour cream, guacamole, and salsa.
Tip!
Don’t be afraid of a bit of char in the pan! It adds authentic flavor to the veggies and chicken. You can wipe out the pan between items if you like, but it’s not necessary.
Recipe Tips
- If you don’t have fajita seasoning, you can use taco seasoning instead. The two are similar, but fajita seasoning is usually a bit spicier. Make homemade fajita seasoning or homemade taco seasoning, and you can adjust the spices to make them exactly how you like them.
- Marinating the Chicken is Key: You need to give the chicken at least a half hour to marinate with the garlic and seasonings, but you can let it marinate for up to 24 hours if you need to.
- Get Everything but the Elote seasoning at your local Trader Joe’s! If you can’t get it, season the beans and corn with more fajita seasoning, or a mixture of 1 tsp chili, ½ tsp chipotle powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, and ½ tsp salt.
- I like to warm up the beans and corn at the same time, but if that seems tricky, it’s fine to do the beans first and then the corn.
- Chicken Fajita Bowls are perfect for Meal Prep. This dish is delicious, eaten cold or at room temperature if you can’t easily reheat it at lunchtime.
- Let Everyone Make Their Own. Set out all of the components buffet-style, and then each family member can make their own personalized chicken fajita bowl with their favorite toppings.
- Want to make this recipe more like Chipotle’s version? Check out my copycat recipe for Chipotle chicken thighs and use them instead of the marinated chicken here. You might also like my Cilantro Lime Chicken in this bowl.
Storing Tips
Keep leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days.
If you’re planning to have leftovers or making this recipe as meal prep, I would keep the toppings off and add them just before serving to keep them fresh.
What To Serve With Chicken Fajita Bowls
Once you have your fajita bowls assembled, you’ll have all the major food groups accounted for, and you won’t necessarily need to make any side dishes!
But, if you’re ready to enjoy a Mexican-inspired feast, try making some of these dishes to serve with fajita bowls:
- Tortilla chips with Smoked Queso Dip. Salsa Verde and Salsa Ranchera are also very tasty Mexican dips.
- A big pan of Chicken Nachos or Totchos to share.
- Try Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers as an appetizer!
- For dessert, I suggest Mexican Fruit Salad or Sopapilla Cheesecake squares.
More Taco and Fajita Recipes
All Mexican →
Recipe FAQs
Can I make a chicken fajita bowl with cauliflower rice?
Sure! If you want to reduce the carbs in the dish, cauliflower rice is a great alternative. I’d suggest cooking it per your favorite recipe and then seasoning it with either lime and cilantro or a bit of fajita seasoning.
Are chicken fajita bowls good for meal prep?
Yes, these fajita rice bowls are excellent for meal prep. Simply assemble the rice, beans, corn, veggies, and chicken in airtight containers. They will stay fresh for at least 3 days in the fridge. Include any toppings on the side so that you can warm up the bowl before adding them.
Can I make this recipe with shrimp or steak?
Feel free to use any protein you like in fajita bowls. This method is easy to adapt in so many ways! If you’re cooking shrimp or fish, be sure to marinate it for only 15 minutes or so, as it won’t handle overnight marinating like chicken or steak can.
These tasty Mexican bowls of fajita chicken make the most amazing dinner, and they’re delicious for lunch prep too! Don’t forget to Pin the recipe so you’re ready to make chicken fajita bowls whenever the craving hits.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Chicken Fajita Bowl
Equipment
- 12-inch cast-iron skillet or other large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts boneless and skinless and cut into thin cutlets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fajita seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for cooking
For the fajita bowls:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil divided
- 3 bell peppers red and green, thinly sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon fajita seasoning
- 1 15- ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 15- ounce can whole corn kernels drained
- 1 tablespoon Trader Joe's Everything But the Elote seasoning or 1 tsp chili, ½ tsp chipotle powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups cooked mexican rice or cilantro lime rice
Optional Garnishes
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Pico de gallo
- Lime wedges
- Cilantro
- Cheese shredded cheddar, or crumbled cotija
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine chicken with olive oil, fajita seasoning, and garlic. Cover with plastic wrap, and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. You can also use a ziploc bag if you prefer. Similar recipe: https://littlesunnykitchen.com/mexican-chicken-marinade/
- In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil, add bell peppers, onion, and fajita seasoning. Quickly saute and allow to char a little but keep the peppers crunchy (2-3 minutes). Remove to a bowl.
- To the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon of oil, and add black beans to one side and corn to the other side. Season the black beans with ground cumin, and the corn with everything but the elote seasoning (or the other spices listed). Cook for 1-2 minutes to warm them up, remove the black beans then cook the corn kernels for 1 more minute allowing them to char a little. Remove onto bowls.
- To the same skillet, add 2 tablespoons oil and the marinated chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F/74°C. Remove from the skillet onto a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
- Build 4 fajita bowls. Add one-fourth of the rice, peppers with onion, black beans, corn, and chicken to each bowl. Then top with your favorite garnishes.
Notes:
- If you don’t have fajita seasoning, you can use taco seasoning instead. The two are similar, but fajita seasoning is usually a bit spicier.
- Marinating the Chicken is Key: You need to give the chicken at least a half hour to marinate with the garlic and seasonings, but you can let it marinate for up to 24 hours if you need to.
- Get Everything but the Elote seasoning at your local Trader Joe’s! If you can’t get it, season the beans and corn with more fajita seasoning, or a mixture of 1 tsp chili, ½ tsp chipotle powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, and ½ tsp salt.
- I like to warm up the beans and corn at the same time, but if that seems tricky, it’s fine to do the beans first and then the corn.
- Don’t be afraid of a bit of char in the pan! It adds authentic flavor to the veggies and chicken. You can wipe out the pan between items if you like, but it’s not necessary.
- Chicken Fajita Bowls are perfect for Meal Prep. This dish is delicious eaten cold or at room temperature if you can’t easily reheat it at lunchtime.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days. If you’re planning to have leftovers, I would keep the toppings off, and add them just before serving to keep them fresh.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
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