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These easy chicken fajita bowls are the perfect high-protein weeknight dinner ready in under 30 minutes. Combined in a bowl with rice, black beans, and tons of veggies, it’s a staple recipe you’ll always come back to.
Chicken breast is combined with a homemade Tex Mex spice blend and cooked with peppers and shallots or onions, the same way traditional fajitas are serving. Instead of tortillas, everything is combined in a bowl that you can customize to make your own.
These chicken fajita bowls are perfect paired with mozzarella queso, Spanish brown rice, and sour cream or blended cottage cheese for a migraine-friendly pairing.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Fajita Bowl Recipe
These chicken fajita salad bowls are one of my favorite recipes that I make at least once a week when I just don’t have the energy or brain-power to do something new. It’s my go-to favorite. Not only is it delicious, but it comes together quickly, is easy to make and very filling.
You’ll love these bowls because:
- Ready in under 30 minutes – The spice mixture is super flavorful, like a pre-made packet, so you don’t have to marinate the chicken ahead.
- Easy to cook – Everything cooks in one single pot!
- Customizable – Can’t tolerate onions? Use shallots or completely leave them out. This dish is flavorful in so many ways, you can make it your own.
- Well-balanced – With 53 grams of protein, fiber and lots of colorful vegetables, it’s a great, well-rounded meal and makes a wonderful meal prep!
This recipe fits a HYH migraine diet (with edits), Mediterranean diet, gluten free, and dairy free. For another easy weeknight recipe, don’t miss these ground beef protein bowls!
Ingredients
Here are a few details on specific ingredients needed. See the recipe card below for the full list.
- Chicken breast – I prefer to use air-chilled, boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. Chicken thighs could also be used for extra flavor!
- Bell pepper – Red and yellow are my favorites, but you can add whatever kind you list best!
- Shallot or onion – Use shallot for those on a migraine elimination diet, but yellow or white onion for a classic fajita bowl. Both are great in this!
- Black beans – I used low-sodium canned black beans.
- Microwavable rice – The 3 minute frozen packets of rice from Trader Joe’s are my absolute favorites for quick meals.
- Spices – Chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and cumin all combine to make a standard fajita seasoning mix that’s on the mild side.
- Coconut aminos – This may seem strange, but it’s a great sub for soy sauce and it adds a lot of flavor here!
Substitutions
- Chicken breast – This also works with chicken thighs!
- For the HYH diet – Use shallots instead of onion, blended cottage cheese instead of sour cream, and leave off any avocado.
- Low sodium – Leave out any added sodium suggestions and look for low sodium black beans.
- Low carb – Use cauliflower rice or add more romaine lettuce to the bottom of the bowl!
- Dairy free – Omit the sour cream or use your favorite yogurt sub.
How to Make Chicken Fajita Bowls
- Step 1: Stir together the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt in a small bowl.
- Step 2: In a large cast iron pan, add olive oil over medium high heat. Add in sliced shallots and peppers in a single layer, allowing them to cook for about 5 minutes without touching them to get a nice char. Then stir with a wood spoon as needed till softened – about 10-15 minutes. Remove them from the pan.
- Step 3: Over medium high heat, add in 1 teaspoon of olive oil and then add the sliced chicken breast in a single layer. Allow them for brown for 2-3 minutes, then stir to cook all the way through.
- Step 4: Once the chicken looks almost cooked through (around the 5 minute mark) stir in the spice mixture to the chicken till well-coated. Add in the coconut aminos, which should sizzle, and stir till well combined then remove the chicken from the pan.
- Step 5: Stir in the frozen corn in the same pan and cook till just warmed through. You can return the chicken and veggies to the pan to mix everything together if you want the spices to coat it, or leave separately for picky eaters.
- Step 6: In large, flat bowls, add in cooked white rice, black beans, chicken and corn, and lettuce. Add any desired toppings!
Recipe Tip
Using a cast iron pan will help you get that classic fajita sear on the chicken and vegetables.
Serving Suggestions
These chicken fajita bowls are really a full meal in one, but if you’d like to add some great extra elements I recommend these recipes.
- Spanish brown rice instead of plain white rice.
- Use shredded cabbage slaw, romaine lettuce, or mixed greens for a veggie base.
- Sour cream or blended cottage cheese (HYH).
- Easy queso mozzarella dip.
- Red salsa or salsa verde.
Storage Suggestions
- Refrigerator – Chicken and peppers can be stored together in the same container for up to 5 days. Store in an airtight glass container.
- Freezer – Freeze cooked chicken for up to 6 months. While you can also freeze the vegetables, it’s easy to make these fresh as well. Store in an airtight glass container or freezer bag.
Meal Prep
One of my favorite recipes for meal prep! Since these make awesome protein bowls, you can double or triple the recipe to use throughout the week. One night can be made the traditional way with tortillas, and use bowls for lunch – whatever you want!
I love these Pyrex glass containers to store everything in and keep for lunches or dinners throughout the week.
Protein Bowl Recipes
Beef
Beef Protein Bowl
Breakfast
Cottage Cheese with Fruit
Salmon
Spicy Salmon Bowl
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review in the recipe card! Don’t forget to tag me @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram, and follow along on Pinterest for more great recipes!
Easy Chicken Fajita Bowls
Ingredients
Spice Mixture:
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, I used diamond kosher, may need 1/2 teaspoon for other brands
Fajitas
- 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 orange or yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 3 large shallots or 1 large yellow onion, sliced into strips
- 2 pounds skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin 2-3 inch long strips
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- kosher salt and black pepper
Bowl ingredients:
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 2/3 cup frozen corn
- 10 oz white rice or cauliflower rice
- Optional: avocado, sour cream, cilantro
Instructions
- Stir together the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large cast iron pan, add 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add in sliced shallots and peppers in a single layer, season them with salt and pepper, and allow them to cook for about 5 minutes without touching them to get a nice char. Then stir with a wood spoon as needed until softened, about 10-15 minutes. Remove them from the pan, or if you have a large enough cast iron, push them to the side.
- Over medium high heat, add in 1 teaspoon of olive oil and then add the sliced chicken breast in a single layer. Allow chicken to brown for 2-3 minutes, then stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the chicken is almost cooked through. Stir the spice mixture into the chicken until well-coated.
- Stir in the coconut aminos over medium high heat (should sizzle a little bit), then remove the chicken from the pan. Turn the heat down to medium and stir in the frozen corn in the same pan. Cook till just warmed through. Return the chicken, veggies, and corn to the pan and stir together so they spices coat everything – or keep them separated if you have picky eaters.
- In large, flat bowls, add in cooked white rice, black beans, chicken, corn, and lettuce. Top with avocado, cilantro, and sour cream.
Notes
- Highly recommend a cast iron pan for the best sear on the veggies and chicken.
- To meal prep – Make a big batch of the spice mixture ahead to keep on hand. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Keep the chicken, shallots/onion, and peppers together in a dish, then build your bowl daily as needed, or add them into tortillas to mix it up.
- This makes about 4 very large servings, or up to 6 for lighter eaters. It’s meant to have leftovers!
- For HYH migraine diet: Use shallots instead of onion, omit avocado, and use my recipe for blended cottage cheese or queso instead of sour cream.
- I keep frozen white rice bags from Trader Joe’s on hand just for this recipe. They’re so convenient.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow! This recipe is perfection. All the flavors and ingredients blend so well together, and my family loved it. My tummy is saying, “Thank you, Alicia!”
Thanks so much, Pam!
Made this for my lunch meal prep for the week. Delicious! Will be adding this to the rotation for sure. I used Trader Joe’s frozen brown rice instead and made blended cottage cheese with a little white vinegar as a sour cream substitute. I’m not a fan of smoked paprika so left that out of the spice blend and added oregano.
Thanks, Jenn!
So delicious and super easy. 👍🏻
I made this over Spring Break when family was in town; everyone loved it! This will definitely be a part of our regular dinner rotation. Thank you Alicia!
This has become a weekly staple meal for us when I don’t know what to cook. It’s so healthy and helps me hit my protein goals for the day. I make extra for the week!