Chicken and Shrimp Fajitas

This sheet pan chicken and shrimp fajitas recipe is the simplest, most delicious one pan dinner around. With tender chicken and juicy shrimp in a delicious homemade fajita seasoning, this easy dinner will have a permanent place on your meal plan. It is definitely one of our favorite family meals for the busy weeknights. 

this recipe

Welcome sheet pan fajitas, the weeknight dinner revolution!

I may be the last person on the internet to try sheet pan fajitas. I have seen them conquering the blog world for years, and have always thought to myself… why? It’s really not that hard to make fajitas on the stove top, surely putting them on a sheet pan is not worthy of that much excitement?

Well, let me be the first to admit, I was wrong. Truly, sadly wrong. And now I have missed out on the perfect simplicity that is sheet pan fajitas for ages. I may have to make them every week for the rest of the year to compensate.

The genius of sheet pan fajitas is how hands-off they are. This meal takes about 5-10 minutes of prep time, depending on how fast of a chopper you are. Throw everything on the sheet pan, pop it in the oven, and let it cook itself into magic fajita deliciousness.

No watching. No stirring. No fussing with the heat to get the char just right. Just sit back, pour yourself a beverage, and enjoy your genius... but only for about 16 minutes, because that’s all it takes for these fajitas to cook.

One pan fajitas on the table with almost no work in less than 25 minutes? That is certainly something to be excited about. 

Serve these shrimp and chicken fajitas with warm tortillas or cauliflower rice, black beans, sour cream, pico de Gallo and avocado for a perfect meal. Add some instant pot Mexican rice or homemade cherry tomato salsa if you have a little extra time! P.S. Leftovers make a fantastic fajita salad topped with salsa ranch dressing! 

Jump to:

• You Will Love This
• Ingredients
• How to Cut Chicken for Fajitas
• Instructions
• Storage
• Recipe
• Comments

You Will Love This

• This chicken and shrimp fajita recipe is a healthy and delicious one pan meal on the table in less than 25 minutes. Perfect for an easy weeknight dinner!
• This easy recipe gets tons of flavor from simple Mexican spices you probably already have in your pantry. 
• With lots of sliced peppers, this is easy weeknight meal is also a great source of vitamin C!

Ingredients

To make this shrimp and chicken fajita recipe, you need the following simple ingredients (exact measurements are in the recipe card below): 

• Bell peppers, sliced: Any bell pepper will work in this recipe. Colorful bell peppers are so pretty in fajitas, so I always try to use a mix of yellow, orange and red bell pepper.
• White onion: Red onion or yellow onion will also work!
• Olive oil
• Boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
• Raw shrimp, peeled and deveined: Make sure to use raw shrimp in this recipe, not pre-cooked. Pre-cooked shrimp will get overcooked and rubbery in the oven.
• A simple homemade spice mixture including: salt, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and cumin: You can feel free to substitute store bought or homemade taco seasoning for an even quicker meal!
• Optional: fresh lime juice and fresh cilantro
• Of course, you will also want to grab some flour or corn tortillas, and your favorite toppings for fajitas!

How to Cut Chicken for Fajitas

For tender fajita meat, cut the chicken breasts into thin slices across the grain. This usually means cutting horizontally across the breast. If you cut the chicken with the grain, the texture of the meat will be much less tender.

Instructions

Step One: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 

Step Two: Prepare the ingredients. Cut the chicken breasts into thin slices. Make sure to cut across the grain for tender chicken. Cut your bell peppers and onion into thin strips. Thaw the shrimp, if necessary. Stir all the seasonings together in a small bowl to make your fajita seasoning mix. 

Step Three: Lay the peppers and onions out in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Layer the sliced chicken in a single layer on top of the peppers and onions. Make sure the chicken strips don't overlap. 

Step Four: Drizzle the olive oil over the veggies and chicken, and sprinkle half of the fajita seasoning mix over the top, making sure to coat all the pieces of chicken. Put the sheet pan in the oven to bake for 10 minutes, until the veggies are tender-crisp, and the chicken is white. 

Step Five: After ten minutes, remove the sheet pan from the oven. Stir the chicken and veggies together to distribute all the seasonings. Push the veggies and chicken up to the top of the sheet pan. Place shrimp on the bottom of the sheet pan in a single layer. Sprinkle the shrimp with the remaining fajita seasoning.

Step Six: Return the sheet pan to the oven. Bake for an additional 7-9 minutes, until the shrimp is a fully opaque pink color and has curled into a C shape, and the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Stir the fajitas together and squeeze fresh lime juice over the top. Serve immediately!

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I love to use up leftovers on top of a fajita salad!

 

Recipe