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Quick Skillet Chicken Fajitas with Creamy Jalapeño Verde Sauce. Seasoned chicken pan-seared with bell peppers and onions, and served up fajita-style with a quick creamy jalapeño verde sauce and warm tortillas. Everything is cooked in a piping hot skillet and comes together easily. A fun, any night of the week dinner!
When my younger brother Malachi asked if we could do a fajita night recently I was all for it. Any kind of themed dinner is always fun for me to plan out and create. They take the average weeknight dinner from boring to exciting.
I love to do up Mexican night with all the sides, sauces, lots of avocado, toppings, and of course, a fun drink too. Usually I’ll serve tacos for Mexican night, but I often forget about using fajitas. I don’t know why, because fajitas are so delicious and colorful!
Kai’s two requests were that the fajitas have a killer sauce and plenty of rice on the side. His food requests are pretty simple these days. So I was able to really have fun with this and get creative with this recipe.
Here are the details
Fajitas are great for a lot of reasons, but everyone’s favorite reason is how quick and simple they are. You really just need a skillet.
Start with the chicken. My little trick is to use some Tajin in the spice mix in place of chili powder. It keeps the flavor delicious, but the spice level just right. I’ve been using Tajin so much lately.
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 so that you get that nice light char around the edges of the meat that feels so classic for a fajita. 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. Give the onions a cook quick, and add in all of the peppers.
The peppers and onions are really KEY here. They make these fajitas. I use a mix of sweet onions, bell peppers, and smoky poblano peppers so that there’s plenty of flavor.
The chicken is added back to the peppers to warm back up. Could not be simpler.
The sauce
No surprise here, but the sauce might just be the reason to make these fajitas. There are just 3 ingredients, but don’t let that fool you, it’s so delicious.
A mix of cream cheese, green salsa verde, and pickled jalapeños. It’s very creamy with just the right amount of heat.
Serve the chicken and peppers right out of the skillet with warmed flour tortillas and plenty of sauce. I do lots of cilantro and cotija cheese on top, then guacamole and rice on the side.
And that’s it, dinner is ready. It feels fresh and colorful and it tastes even better. It’s that sauce, it’s very different but so delicious. I really cannot think of a better way to spend my Thursday night, you know? Fajitas and a fun cocktail (currently loving this margarita). I don’t believe anything is ever really perfect, but this all sounds pretty close. And if family is involved…even more fun!
Looking for other quick Mexican recipes? Here are a few ideas:
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 Skillet Chicken Fajitas with Creamy Jalapeño Verde Sauce, 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!
Skillet Chicken Fajitas with Creamy Jalapeño Verde Sauce.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 656 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons chili powder or tajin
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- chili flakes
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 2 bell peppers, sliced
- 1 poblano pepper, sliced
- 8-10 tortillas, warmed
- cotija cheese, limes, and cilantro, for serving
Creamy Jalapeño Verde Sauce
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup salsa verde
- 1-3 tablespoons pickled jalapeños, chopped
Instructions
- 1. In a large skillet, combine the olive oil, chicken, paprika, chili powder, cumin, oregano, 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 butter, garlic, and chili flakes. 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 and poblano 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 sauce, melt together the cream cheese and salsa verde in a small skillet over low-low heat, whisking constantly until creamy. Remove from the heat and stir in the jalapeños. 5. Stuff the chicken, peppers, and onions into the warmed tortillas, and top with the verde sauce, cilantro, and cheese. Enjoy!
Subbed chicken for NY skirt steak and it was delicious! The flavors and sauce made this better than a restaurant, and bonus points for serving it at the table while it’s still hot and sizzling on the pan. I also made some fresh homemade tortillas to go with it–highly recommend. This will definitely be added to my printed binder of favorite recipes (:
Hi Ellie,
I appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear that it was a winner! xT
Can you use skirt steak instead of chicken?
I haven’t ever tried this with skirt steak, but I’m sure that would be delish!!
Great recipe, is 2 tablespoons of paprika the right amount it seems like a lot.
Hey Brayden,
Amazing!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a winner! Yes, that is correct but you can always reduce to your liking:) xx
Hi there! Thanks for the recipe! Our jalapeño plant is thriving, could we use fresh jalapeños in place of the pickled?
Hi Kristen,
Totally, I would probably just reduce the amount since the fresh jalapeños are goin to be spicer than the pickled jalapeños. I hope this recipe turns out well for you, let me know if you give it a try! xT
So easy to make — and delicious too! This is now a regular meal at our home.
As we were enjoying the fajitas, my husband, who loves any recipe I make of yours said, “Is this a recipe from ‘our girl’? I love that he refers to you as “our girl”!
Hey Cheri,
Lol love this!! Thanks for making so many recipes:) So glad to hear this one turned out well for you! xT
My family loves these! The sauce is such an amazing finish topping.
Hey Karen,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it:)
My sister and I made this tonight for our family. Everyone loved it. Added homemade tortillias chips and salsa. Huge hit thanks for the recipe.
Hi Lauryn,
Happy Monday!!🌴 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Best fajita recipe I’ve made! So flavorful and delicious. I’m sure I’ll make this again and again!
Hi Sue,
Happy Sunday! 😃 Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx