These Chicken Fajita Bowls are packed with bold flavors for a hearty, satisfying meal that's about to become your new favorite! Unlike the typical fajita bowls that include a base of cilantro lime rice, this version features a homemade Mexican-style rice that adds deep, savory flavor to every bite.

Piled high with sizzling skillet-cooked fajita-seasoned chicken, perfectly sautéed peppers and onions, and all of your favorite toppings—from sliced avocado to zesty salsa—this bowl brings all of the vibrant flavors of your favorite Tex-Mex fajitas with no tortillas required. They're even great for busy weeknights or easy meal prep!

A chicken fajita bowl with mexican rice, salsa, and sour cream on the side.

When I don't know what to make for dinner, I often opt for an easy "bowl" kind of recipe. The kind where you just look in your fridge and throw together whatever combination of foods you can find. This fajita bowl recipe utilizes so many ingredients that you're likely to have on hand in one of these situations, making it great for meal prep or when you're in a pinch for dinner!

I always have boneless chicken breasts in the fridge, an abundance of peppers and onions, and canned corn and beans in the pantry. If you're like me, then you should be able to whip up this meal, with very little effort, in a few hours (if you include marinating time)!

If you don't have time to marinate the chicken, it's no biggie. You can just skip that step, but if you have the time, I love to let it marinate in some lime juice, chili powder, cumin, and garlic and onion powder for a homemade fajita seasoning blend that adds a punch of flavor.

Then, cook the chicken, peppers, and onions up in a skillet, make this homemade mexican rice for the base, and top with corn, beans, avocado, cotija or shredded cheese, and a drizzle of sour cream for the most perfect Chicken Fajita Bowl you've ever tasted!

Ingredients

Instructions

Step 1: Cut chicken horizontally into 6 to 9 thin cutlets. Place in a large bowl.

Chicken cutlets with lime juice and seasonings in a bowl.

Step 2: Add lime juice, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and cumin. Stir to coat the chicken.

Step 3: Set chicken in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour. Cover the bowl if marinating overnight.

Step 4: While chicken is marinating, make the Mexican rice. I like making mine homemade, but you can use store bought if you prefer!

Step 5: When chicken is done marinating, preheat a large skillet over medium heat. (I like to use a cast iron skillet so the chicken gets slightly charred.) Add olive oil.

Cooked and lightly charred chicken in a large skillet.

Step 6: Once oil is hot, add the pieces of chicken in a single layer at the bottom of the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip, cooking another 5 minutes, or until browned and an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Step 7: Remove chicken to a cutting board. Don’t wipe out the skillet! The chicken remnants will help add flavor to the peppers and onions.

Peppers and onions added to the skillet.

Step 8: While chicken is resting, add peppers, onions, salt, and pepper to the skillet. If the peppers and onions start to stick, you can add up to an additional 2 tablespoons of oil.

Step 9: Cook peppers and onions, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender.
Step 10: Slice chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Step 11: Assemble by adding rice to the bowls, topped with sliced chicken, peppers and onions, black beans, corn, and your favorite toppings (salsa, sour cream, guacamole, hot sauce, etc.). Garnish with fresh cilantro.

⭐️ Quick Tip! When cooking veggies or chicken in a skillet, don’t overcrowd it. It might be tempting to cook everything at once to save time, but cramming the pan until it's full leads to "steaming" instead of searing.

That golden-brown char on your fajita chicken and caramelized edges on the peppers and onions? You only get that if you cook in batches and give everything a little space. It’s a small step that makes a huge difference in flavor and texture!

Fajita chicken, peppers, and onions on a bed of Mexican rice topped with avocado, sour cream, and other toppings.

My Top Tips!

⭐️ I love making the rice from scratch, but if you want to skip that step, you can use a store-bought rice instead.

⭐️ Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before you slice into it. This will help the juices redistribute instead of running out onto your cutting board, which results in a much juicier sliced chicken.