This CHICKEN FAJITA MEAL PREP RECIPE is easy, delicious, and comes together in less than 30 minutes! Serve this flavorful fajita chicken and bell peppers with your favorite salsa and fluffy quinoa for a fast and easy lunch or dinner weekday meal prep.
Meal Prep Recipes are fast becoming my favorite ideas to share here on The Forked Spoon and include these Chicken Shawarma Meal Prep Quinoa Bowls, Curried Chicken Salad Meal Prep, and Buffalo Turkey Meatballs with Easy Meal Prep Bowls.
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Fajitas…especially chicken fajitas…are one of those foods. When I think about fajitas, I think about my childhood. I think about all the Mexican restaurants my parents would take me to (it was my moms favorite) and how I would always anticipate the moment the server would bring out the sizzling skillet of peppers and chicken (or steak…or shrimp).
WHAT ARE FAJITAS?
Surprise surprise! Fajitas are not an authentic Mexican dish. Truth be told, fajitas are a Tex-Mex cuisine consisting of any grilled meat (chicken, beef, shrimp, pork, etc) served with flour or corn tortillas. Kinda like a taco, but…not. These days, Fajitas are typically cooked with onions and bell peppers. In fact, the word fajitas is simply a term or word used to describe little strips or cuts of beef. Which makes perfect sense, if you think about it.
INGREDIENTS IN THIS CHICKEN FAJITA MEAL PREP RECIPE
- Seasoning: chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, ground coriander
- Chicken
- Bell peppers- red, green, yellow
- Onion
- Fresh lime juice
- Olive oil
- Quinoa
- Limes
- Salsa or homemade pico de gallo
- Optional toppings- guac, sour cream, green onion
As far as the seasoning, you can go as wild and crazy as you’d like for this chicken fajita meal prep recipe. In fact, many recipes simply call for just chili powder, salt, and cumin, but that seems boring.
If you like heat, I highly recommend the addition of cayenne pepper. Not a whole lot. Perhaps just half a teaspoon.
Also, the limes. Lime is pretty crucial. I mean, not really. It’s not like this chicken fajita meal prep recipes must have lime, but it’s much better with it.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST CHICKEN FAJITAS AND CHICKEN FAJITA MEAL PREP
- Use large, rimmed sheet pans (just make sure they fit your oven)
- Slice the chicken and bell pepper to approximately even size and thickness to ensure even cooking time.
- Marinate your chicken (if you have the time)
- Invest in some awesome glass meal prep bowls.
- Think about your toppings- what do you want to add to your fajita meal prep bowls? cheese? sour cream? guacamole?
- Lime juice.
- If you do add sour cream or guacamole, I highly recommend putting it in these mini cups with lids, that way you can remove it before reheating.
CAN YOU GRILL CHICKEN FAJITAS?
Yes! Definitely! In fact, if you’re anything like me and you hate touching raw chicken, my advice would be to prepare the chicken like this-
- Prepare the seasoning and combine with the olive oil.
- Add the seasoning to a large zip-lock bag.
- Transfer the WHOLE chicken pieces (breasts or tenders) to the bag and seal.
- Optional- marinate overnight or simply allow the chicken to rest as you halve the bell peppers and remove the seeds.
- Grill the chicken using your favorite method along with the bell peppers and slice into strips once fully cooked.
That said, although you can grill chicken fajitas, doesn’t mean you should. Or maybe it does…I don’t know. Either way, for the fastest, easiest way to get this meal prep recipe ready and finished, I recommend the sheet-pan oven route.
WHY I LOVE THIS CHICKEN MEAL PREP IDEA
- It’s healthy. Yes, it’s true. Lean protein, vegetables, fiber and protein rich quinoa…it’s healthy. If I added a whole bunch of cheese, on the other hand, it may start to tip the scale…slightly.
- I don’t have to hear my husband ask, “Is there anything I can take for lunch?” every.single.morning.
- These little meal prep bowls force me to eat well-portioned meals. This is always really hard for me.
- They’re fun to make! shhhh! don’t tell anyone.
- jk, tell everyone!
- Minimal dishes and clean up.
MUST HAVE TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT FOR EASY MEAL PREP
Meal Prep Bowls: You will need something to store and hold all your delicious prepared food in, right? These are my recommendations.
- Glass Meal Prep Containers with 2 Compartments– Having two compartments is perfect if you prefer to keep flavors separate from each other, or you want to prevent a sauce from making something soggy. These glass meal prep containers are freezable, microwavable, and dishwasher safe.
- Glass Meal Prep Containers with 1 Compartment– One giant compartment perfect for Burrito Bowls, Pastas, or this Chicken Fajita Meal Prep Recipe. These glass meal prep containers are freezable, microwavable, and dishwasher safe.
- For non-glass options, you can try these BPA free Bowls or Single Compartment Containers.
Other recommended items that will help make planning easier and help the environment!
- Plastic cups with lids– (if anyone knows of a more planet-friendly option, please let me know)- these little cups will keep things like salad dressing, sour cream, guacamole, etc. separate from the other food. This is especially important when meal prepping salad bowls as the last thing you want for lunch is soggy lettuce.
- Spork– if you’ve ever wondered where the name of my blog came from…Anyway, attach this to your keychain or backpack and take it everywhere.
- Reusable Insulated Water Bottle– I have several different brands. I have carried the same Kleen Kanteen for years, but I love my Insulated Rtic Water Bottle because it keeps ice frozen forever.
- Silicone Reusable Straw
MORE FAJITA RECIPES TO TRY,
15 Minute Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
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Easy from start to finish, these Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas take just 30 minutes to make and make excellent (and healthy!) weekday lunch or dinner meal prep bowls to power you through the week. Easily customize to make your own, Chicken Fajitas can be enjoyed with quinoa (shown here), rice, beans, salad, or simply wrapped in a tortilla for a super speedy on-the-go lunch.
I served my meal prep bowls with homemade pico de gallo (recipe link attached).
My very favorite meal prep bowls are THESE and THESE from Amazon.
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast or tenders thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and sliced thin
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and sliced thin
- 1 orange bell pepper seeded and sliced thin
- 1 yellow or red onion sliced
- 2.5 cups cooked quinoa
- salsa or homemade Pico de Gallo optional
- sour cream or guacamole optional
- fresh green onion chopped
- fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 lime sliced into wedges
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a large bowl whisk together the fajita seasoning with the olive oil. Prepare the chicken and the vegetables by slicing each into approximately equal sizes.
Transfer the sliced chicken, bell pepper, and onion to the bowl with the seasoning and toss well to coat. Spread evenly over a large rimmed baking sheet and bake for approximately 18-22 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking.
Remove baking sheet from the oven and serve with desired toppings or follow meal prep instructions below.
Gather five meal prep containers (see notes for my favorite) and your desired toppings.
First, add half a cup of cooked quinoa to each meal prep bowl, followed by approximately 1 cup of the prepared chicken fajitas and vegetables. Top with desired toppings such as fresh pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole.
Seal with a proper and tight-fitting lid and store in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
- Calories calculated without the optional toppings
IF YOU LOVE THIS EASY CHICKEN QUINOA MEAL PREP RECIPE, YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY-
Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bowls
Easy Sheet Pan Sumac Chicken with Roasted Vegetables
Meal Prep Skillet Kielbasa with Bell Peppers
This is a great recipe! I love all the ingredients and how easy it is! Food prepping makes my life so much easier!
Such a great idea for meal prep! Love it!
This is SUCH a great idea! I work from home, and I STILL want to make this for easy, make-ahead lunches!
What a lovely collection of ingredients, that sounds utterly delicious!