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
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!
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.
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. © Little Sunny Kitchen
