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My new go-to weeknight dinner – Chicken Fajita Tortilla Bowls. Seasoned chicken pan-seared with bell peppers and onions, and served up bowl style with a cilantro-lime vinaigrette. All put together with rice, lettuce, corn, salty cheese, and warm tortillas. Plus creamy whipped avocado on the side. These colorful and fresh chicken fajita bowls are simple to make and full of wonderful Mexican flavors. A fun any-night-of-the-week dinner!
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Another week, another dinner bowl. Apparently, 2022 is all about a damn good dinner bowl for me. I’m loving creating “bowl style” recipes more than anything right now. Something about a mishmash of food and flavors piled high into a bowl and eaten together really excites me.
I think it’s all the layers of flavor and all the color. I get to have so much fun when I create this style recipe. So even though I’ve shared a number of “bowl” recipes over the last few months. I’ve decided to continue to run with my ideas and not hold back.
Enter this chicken fajita bowl. One of my favorite “bowl style” dinners yet, and so perfect for summertime.
This recipe was inspired by my skillet chicken fajitas. I’ve been making those on repeat and just love the flavors so much. I wanted to see if I could turn the fajitas into a new recipe with summer corn and a quick vinaigrette.
Naturally, I thought to put everything over rice, and well, this recipe was created.
Here are the details
Start with the chicken. I love to use Tajin seasoning as the spice mix in place of chili powder. It keeps the flavor delicious and the spice level just right. I’ve been using Tajin so much lately. Most recently to rim the glasses in Saturday’s frozen peach margarita.
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. Then you’ll get that nice light char around the edges of the meat that feels so classic for fajitas. 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 to the same skillet. Give the onions a cook quick, then add in all of the peppers.
The peppers and onions are KEY here. Just like with a traditional fajita, the peppers and onions make these bowls. I use a mix of sweet onions, bell peppers, and smoky poblano peppers so that there’s plenty of flavor.
Then add the chicken back to the peppers to re-warm. Could not be simpler.
While the chicken is cooking, I mix the vinaigrette. We’re taking a shortcut and using store-bought salsa verde mixed with olive oil and lime. The salsa verde makes for a delicious vinaigrette that feels a little more special.
At this point, all you have to do is assemble. You’ll need cooked rice, tortillas, grilled corn, avocado, and lots of crumbled cheese, I love to use cotija cheese, but feta or shredded cheddar cheese are great subs.
The chicken should be served over bowls of rice. Then add the corn and sprinkle with some additional Tajin. Trust me, it’s delicious and reminds me of the popular Mexican street corn. And while I didn’t add this, a dollop of mayo or Greek yogurt over each bowl would be especially delicious.
And finally, tortillas. We’re obsessed with my homemade flour tortillas this summer. I’ve been making them nonstop!
Top each bowl with the vinaigrette and plenty of fresh cilantro + avocado.
So much happening, but really it comes together simply and in less than an hour. A fun, family dinner for sure!
Looking for other Mexican recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Skillet Chicken Fajitas with Creamy Jalapeño Verde Sauce
Crispy BBQ Salmon Tacos with Avocado Mango Salsa and Jalapeño Cream
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 Chicken Fajita Tortilla Bowls, 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!
Chicken Fajita Tortilla Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons chili powder or Tajin
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 3 bell peppers, sliced
- 3-4 cups cooked rice
- 3 cups grilled corn kernels
- 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese
- shredded lettuce, mashed/whipped avocado, jalapeños, and cilantro, for serving
- tortillas, for serving
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup salsa verde
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 2 teaspoons spicy honey
- 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- 1. In a large skillet, combine the olive oil, chicken, paprika, chili powder (or Tajin), cumin, 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 garlic. 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. 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 vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a glass jar. Season with salt. 5. Spoon the chicken and peppers over the bowls of rice. Top with lettuce and grilled corn. Sprinkle the corn with chili powder or Tajin, then pour over the vinaigrette. Crumble the cheese over each bowl. Top with avocado, jalapeños, and cilantro. Serve with tortillas. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This was sooo delicious, especially with the homemade tortillas ( Also easy). My son in law said it was one of his favorite meals ever!
However getting everything prepped and then cooking was a bit longer than Recipe stayed… Worth it tho.
I’ve been asked to make it again tonight..
Hey Roberta,
Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and your comment! Have a great Wednesday! xx
There are a lot of moving parts to get this recipe ready to serve. The end result is very good but don’t attempt if you are short on time or tired.
Hi Barbara,
Thanks so much for giving this dish a try and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear about the difficulty! xx
Amazing!! Made for my husband and I tonight. We entertain alot and I like to do a dry run before I prepare a dish for a group. This turned out fantastic. This satisfies everyone and is healthy. Guests can have a salad, a bowl, a wrap, or all of the above. The dressing is light and adds brightness to the dish. The homemade tortillas are ridiculous and bring it to the next level. Presentation was spot on. We didn’t forgot the cotijita cheese. We skipped it. But you could add whatever you have on hand. I will be making this for all the house guests we have coming to visit this summer! Thanks Tieghan!!❤️
Hi there,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! Have a great holiday weekend! 🇺🇸🎆 xT
Awesome dish!
Hey Adam,
Happy Friday!!🍍🥥 Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
10 out of 10!!!! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Hi Trina,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was a hit! xx
Can I use regular honey instead of spicy honey?
Hi Carly,
Totally, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Made this tonight, it is delicious. I made rice in the instant pot and used Trader Joe’s frozen peppers and onions. So quick to make and so flavorful! Am sending the recipe to all three of my sons as a meal they can make easily and customize to their liking! Thanks for all the great recipes.
Hey Terrylee,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and sharing your review:)
This was incredible!! Everything about this recipe is 5 stars!
My family of 6 all loved it.
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hey Kim,
Happy Wednesday!!🌈 🐇 I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you! Thanks for sharing your feedback and trying it out! xT
So good, I love to make this when we have company over because it is so easy to make and everyone loves it. The dressing is amazing.
Hey Natalie,
Happy Wednesday!!🌈 🐇 I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you! Thanks for sharing your feedback and trying it out! xT
So delicious! The seasoning of the chicken and veggies with the cilantro sauce was yummy. Will make again for sure.
Hi Kirse,
Happy Friday!!☘️ Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out and sharing your review, I’m so glad to hear it was delish! xx
Your recipes are always a hit with my family. This was no exception! YUM!
Hey Julie,
Fantastic!!🌺 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for making it! xT
Made this tonight and forgot to take a pic, we were so excited to dig in. It was e delicious and easy and better than Chipotle which my sons are addicted to. I eliminated the tortillas as I didn’t think they were needed and forgot the queso (feta is what I usually use) and it was still fantastic. Will make it again and again… and you can’t go wrong adding more poblanos. Such great flavour.
Hey Michelle,
Happy Sunday!!🌸 Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xT
What do we do with the tortillas when serving? Are they meant to be used to make a tortilla roll up with ingredients and rice inside or just served on the side ?
Hey Ellen,
It’s totally up to you and the people eating the dish! Let me know how this recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xx
So good!
Hey Hilary,
Happy Holidays!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! 🎄❄️
What did you use for the wraps
Hey Michelle,
I used my homemade flour tortillas:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/homemade-flour-tortillas/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
A repeat recipe for me! Delish and great the next day!
Thanks so much for making this recipe Caroline, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT