Chicken Fajitas on the Griddle
This chicken fajitas recipe uses boneless skinless chicken thighs so you can make a large batch of fajita meat and not worry about the chicken becoming too dry. Add your favorite fajita vegetables and seasonings for an easy chicken fajitas dinner to feed a crowd!
Servings: 8 people
Ingredients
- 5-6 lbs chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- Mexican fajita seasoning or substitute taco seasoning
- 1 ½ sweet onion sliced
- 2 large bell peppers sliced
- 3 roma tomatoes sliced into wedges
- juice of ½ a lime
- your favorite tortillas and fajita toppings for serving
Instructions
To Marinate the Chicken:
- Lay boneless skinless chicken thighs flat on a large baking sheet so that the underside is facing up. Season the underside of the chicken thighs with Mexican fajita seasoning.
- Place the seasoned chicken thighs in a large zip top bag or bowl. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil and mix well so that the chicken is coated. Refrigerate overnight.
To Make the Chicken Fajitas:
- Preheat griddle on low to medium until it reaches about 400°F.
- Place the marinated chicken thighs on the heated griddle with the skin side (smoother side) facing down. Allow the chicken thighs to cook on the first side until golden brown, approximately 5-7 minutes depending on the griddle/outside temp. Then flip the chicken thighs to the second side and continue to cook until the fattest part of each thigh reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. As each individual piece of chicken reaches the correct temperature, remove from the griddle and transfer to a cutting board. *Note - The chicken will cook at different times, so it's important to temp each piece before taking it off the griddle.
- When all of the chicken is done cooking, and without cleaning or scraping the griddle surface, add the sliced onions and bell peppers to the griddle. Add salt and pepper to the vegetables and allow to cook untouched for about 3 minutes before starting to saute. As you start to mix the vegetables, use your spatula to scrape the excess seasoning from the chicken off the griddle surface to flavor your vegetables.
- When onions and peppers are almost done cooking, add the sliced tomatoes and saute the vegetables together.
- While the vegetables finish cooking, cut the cooked chicken thighs into slices. Taste the cut cooked chicken for seasoning and add more seasoning if needed.
- Add the cut chicken to the griddle, and add fresh squeezed lime juice to the chicken. Mix the chicken and the vegetables together and saute for 2-3 minutes until everything is combined.
- Remove the chicken fajitas from the griddle and serve warm. *If you are cooking a large batch for a crowd, you can transfer the chicken fajitas to a large pan and cover with aluminum foil. Place the chicken in the oven covered on the warm setting (about 170°F) until ready to serve.
- Serve chicken fajitas with warm tortillas and your choice of fajitas toppings.
Video
Notes
- I used a mix of these two seasonings: Sazon Mas Guapo and Sure Shot Sid's Lime Pepper seasoning. You can substitute your favorite Mexican fajita seasonings or taco seasoning.
- Once you flip the chicken to the second side, you may need to rearrange the pieces on the griddle so they cook evenly - i.e., move the darker/more charred pieces to the outer edges (cooler zone) and move the lighter colored pieces to the hotter zone.
- I deboned and skinned my chicken thighs to keep costs down since I was feeding a large crowd, but you can also substitute boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts.