These fresh and colorful chicken fajita bowls are an easy one-pan recipe made from juicy seasoned chicken fried up with peppers and onions, tossed with creamy ranch, and served with rice. The zesty flavors taste great rolled up in a soft tortilla!
Still hungry? Try these pulled tandoori chicken rice bowls or these easy Cajun chicken cauliflower rice bowls for another tasty dinner this week. I also love this veggie-packed Mediterranean bowl!
Back in the day, my mom used to make us chicken fajita bowls topped with her awesome Saucy Chicken (I feel like that should be trademarked). This recipe is 100% inspired by Mom’s. It has juicy fajita-seasoned chicken strips pan-fried with veggies tossed in a flavor-packed sauce. My version has a “secret” ingredient: buttermilk ranch dressing. I swear I’d bathe in the stuff if I could. Instead, I settle for stirring it into a pan of fajitas.
You can serve your chicken fajitas over a bowl of rice, or do as I did, and mix the rice right into the skillet with the chicken. It soaks up all the flavor and tastes like a zillion bucks. Just add your favorite taco toppings, and dig in.
Why Chicken Fajita Bowls Are The Answer (To Everything)
- You need only one pan. Not only does the whole family devour these fajita bowls in a heartbeat, but clean-up is quick. All the ingredients cook and come together in the same pan.
- The flavors are the best! Just when I thought chicken fajitas couldn’t get better, I threw ranch dressing into the mix. Creamy, savory ranch has a magical way of 1) making the Tex-Mex flavors go WOW! and 2) making an already kid-friendly recipe even more kid-friendly.
- It’s a meal in one. Chicken fajita bowls have it all. Protein, vegetables, tons of flavor. My mom always served hers over rice, while my dad loved his with soft tortillas. Either way, it’s a one-pan meal that’s super versatile.
- It’s speedy. Best of all, the whole meal is hot on the table in 30 minutes or less. Just like traditional steak fajitas, just get everything sizzling in a skillet, and let it go, like Elsa. ❄️
Fajita Bowl Ingredients
We’ve made this recipe so many times in my family that I usually “wing it” a little, but I’ve put together some basic notes on the ingredients. Fajitas are a great recipe to have if you’re just getting into cooking because there’s a lot of wiggle room. Scroll down to the recipe card for a printable ingredients list with measurements.
- Rice – Cooked white rice, or I’ll sometimes use leftover jeera rice if we’ve had our favorite tandoori chicken the night before.
- Chicken – Skinless boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into strips. You can also pick up pre-cut chicken tenders from your grocery store.
- Seasoning – I season the chicken with a combination of cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder, plus salt and pepper. Otherwise, I’ll use my homemade fajita seasoning when I have a batch in the pantry.
- Bell Pepper and Onion – Red, yellow, green, any colored bell pepper you’d like, or a combination of colors. Take out the seeds and slice the peppers into strips. Slice up a yellow onion, too, while you’re at it.
- Ranch Dressing – Choose your favorite brand of ranch salad dressing from the store. I’ve also linked my homemade version earlier and in the recipe card.
- Salsa – Again, you can use a jar of store-bought salsa, or try homemade salsa.
- Shredded Cheese – I use shredded white cheddar. Use any shredded cheese you’d like or a Mexican cheese blend.
- Garnishes – We serve these fajita bowls with lime wedges, fresh cilantro, and sour cream. See below for more serving ideas.
How to Make a Chicken Fajita Bowl
These chicken fajita bowls are one of our favorite meals, and they’re SO quick to make. Follow this easy step-by-step and scroll to the printable recipe card for the full instructions.
- Cook the chicken. Toss your chicken strips with seasoning and get them browning in a hot skillet.
- Add the veggies. Stir in the peppers and onions. Let that cook until the chicken is done, about 10 minutes or so.
- Add the rice and sauces. Next, dump cooked rice into the skillet along with the salsa. Stir that around so that it heats through. Add ranch dressing only after taking the pan off the heat.
- Garnish and serve. Squeeze in some fresh lime juice, sprinkle over cilantro and shredded cheese, and you’re ready to serve.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Use more or less ranch to taste. When it comes to ranch dressing in this household, we measure with our hearts. So, you do you.
- Vegetarian. Make mushroom fajitas with meaty portobellos for a vegetarian fajita bowl. You can also check out this copycat Chipotle sofritas recipe, made with tofu, that tastes great in a Mexican rice bowl.
- Swap out the rice. Substitute rice with another grain, like quinoa. For a low-carb option, I’ll make these fajita bowls with cauliflower rice.
Serving Suggestions
Anything that I’d add to a taco bowl, I’d add to a chicken fajita rice bowl. Some of my favorite toppings are diced avocado or guacamole, sliced jalapeños, extra salsa, homemade enchilada sauce, and crunchy tortilla chips. Finish off with a squeeze of extra lime and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, and these bowls are good to go.
Eat your fajitas out of the bowl as is, or do like my dad and roll the saucy chicken into a flour tortilla! We love these Southwest egg rolls as a fun side, or I’ll lay out a family-sized platter of nachos to share.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fajitas comes from the Spanish word “faja” which means “strip” or “belt”. Traditional fajita recipes involve strips of grilled meat and veggies served in a hot skillet, paired with warm tortillas and toppings like avocado, salsa, and sour cream.
For a fajita bowl, you take everything in a chicken fajita dish – chicken and veggies – and serve it over a bowl of rice instead of tucked into a tortilla. Meanwhile, a burrito bowl contains taco meat, beans, and other fixings you’d find rolled up in a burrito.
Storing Leftovers
Refrigerate. Since this recipe had chicken and rice, try to refrigerate any leftovers within 1-2 hours of cooking. Store the fajitas airtight in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Reheat. Warm the chicken fajitas in a skillet or the microwave until they’re nice and hot all the way through.
Freeze. I’ll sometimes double the recipe and freeze the chicken fajita mixture for meals down the road. It’s great for meal prep! Just let the cooked fajitas cool and then transfer them to a freezer-safe container to freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge before reheating.
More Mexican-Style Recipes
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- 1 to 1½ cups cooked rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
- 1 bell pepper, red, yellow, or green, seeded and cut into thin strips (see note)
- 1 small yellow onion, sliced
- ½ cup salsa
- ¼ cup ranch dressing
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, I like to use white cheddar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, for garnish
- 6 whole wheat flour tortillas, optional
- sour cream, for topping, optional
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Prepare the rice. Cook the rice according to the directions on the package and set aside.
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Cook the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Season the chicken strips with salt, pepper, garlic powder, ground cumin, and chili powder. Add to the skillet and cook for 1 minute per side.
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Add veggies. Add peppers and onions and continue to cook for 8 minutes, or until the chicken is done and vegetables are tender.
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Combine with rice and seasonings. Add the rice and salsa to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, just until heated through. Remove from heat and add the ranch dressing (use less or more ranch to taste). Stir until well combined. Stir in the lime juice.
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Finish and serve. Top with cilantro (or parsley) and cheese. Serve as is, or divide the chicken fajitas and rice between tortillas and top with sour cream.
- You also can use a combination of colored bell peppers, amounting to about 3 cups of pepper strips.
- Note that nutritional estimates do not include tortillas or additional toppings.
Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 385mg | Potassium: 428mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 872IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
