You’ll find everything you love about chicken fajitas in these easy chicken fajita bowls, made with marinated chicken, sautéed crisp tender bell peppers and onions, cilantro lime rice, and all your favorite toppings!
They are great for an easy and delicious dinner at home or meal prep. Switch up the protein for a different fajita bowl every night of the week! So good.
If you’re a fan of chicken fajitas, you have to give this chicken fajita bowl a try! The flavors are similar to our go-to Chicken Fajita Pasta and Chicken Quesadillas, which are a reader favorite.
The chicken is marinated and grilled until it’s juicy, tender, and full of flavor. Paired with sautéed bell peppers and onions over a bed of fluffy cilantro lime rice, it’s perfection!
But my favorite part is definitely the toppings! These chicken fajita bowls are loaded with fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, sweet corn, black beans, and shredded cheese.
And because it’s got all the Mexican-inspired flavors I love, sometimes I’ll switch it up and use my easy Mexican rice recipe instead to make them extra good!
This chicken fajita bowl comes together quickly, and is prep-ahead friendly. They’re also great for meal prep – perfect for an easy, flavorful lunch during the week!
Looking for more? Try my Beef Taco Salad, Barbacoa Tacos, and Carne Asada Tacos.
Why I love making this Chicken Fajita Bowl:
- Amazing flavor. The bold flavors, colors, and textures in every bite of these chicken rice bowls are incredible!
- Make ahead friendly. Everything can be made or prepped ahead and assembled before serving.
- Customizable. You can add whatever toppings you like or swap the protein. Make it your own!
Jump to:
Ingredient Notes
You only need a few to make the chicken and fajita veggies, and the rest of the toppings are optional.
- Bell peppers and yellow onions: Use a mix of colors for the bell peppers. For the onions, I prefer yellow onions for a mild and slightly sweet flavor, but white onions are great too.
- Chicken breasts: Pound them to about ½ inch thick for even cooking. You can also use chicken thighs if you’d like.
- Chili powder, paprika, ground cumin, oregano and garlic powder: These are the spices for the chicken marinade. They add smokiness and a beautiful color.
- Fresh limes: Used for the marinade, rice, and the toppings. You’ll need quite a few limes!
- Olive oil: Not only for cooking, but also for the marinade. It helps to coat the chicken properly with the seasonings.
- Cooked rice: Any kind of long grain or even brown rice will work. Cook according to package directions. Or if you have leftover rice, this is a great time to use it.
- Fresh cilantro: For the cilantro lime rice and toppings. Adds so much freshness and flavor to the entire chicken fajita bowl.
- Toppings: Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, black beans (canned), corn, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and shredded romaine lettuce.
As always, ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card down below.
Step-by-Step Tutorial
While there are a few components to these chicken rice bowls, it’s all very simple and straightforward. Let me show you how I make it!
Step 1 | Marinate and cook chicken
Mix all the marinade ingredients and transfer to a large Ziploc bag. Then, add the chicken, make sure everything is fully coated, and seal the bag. Marinate for 2-3 hours or overnight. Short on time? Even 15 minutes of marinating time will do wonders!
Heat a few drizzles of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for about 6-8 minutes on each side until fully cooked with golden brown. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Step 2 | Prep the toppings
Then prep the toppings of your choice. If you plan to make guacamole, hold off until just before serving it to prevent it from going brown.
Step 3 | Cook veggies and prep rice
For the cilantro lime rice, combine the cooked rice (cook according to package directions) with chopped cilantro, freshly squeezed lime juice, and salt. Set it aside and keep it warm.
In the same skillet where you cooked the chicken (don’t wipe it clean, lots of brown bits for flavor here!), add a few drizzles of oil and cook the sliced bell peppers and onions over medium-high heat until crisp tender and beautifully charred. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 4 | Assemble the bowls
To build each bowl, you’ll need the prepared cilantro lime rice, sliced chicken, and a generous amount of fajita veggies. Load your chicken fajita bowl with a generous amount of your favorite toppings. And that’s it!
When feeding a crowd, I like to do a build-your-own-bowl party. It’s really fun and much easier!
Tips for Success
- Marinate the chicken for at least 2–3 hours or overnight, for maximum flavor.
- Short on time? Even 15 minutes of marinating time will work great!
- Cook the fajita veggies over medium-high heat to get a nice char while keeping them crisp-tender.
- Grill whole corn cobs, then cut off the kernels for extra smoky, charred flavor (optional).
- To cook long grain rice, use 1 cup of uncooked rice to 1.5 cups of water. This ratio yields tender rice with nicely separated grains.
- Make the guacamole last so it stays fresh and green. To help preserve the color, add a squeeze of lime juice and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface.
- Want a lighter option? Turn it into a chicken fajita salad by swapping the rice for leafy greens instead.
Prep Ahead Tips
This is one of my go-to meal prep recipes. It all reheats nicely and it’s loaded with so much goodness to power me through the week. Here’s how I do it:
- Chicken: Marinate and cook the chicken. Cooked chicken will last about 3 days in the fridge. You can also marinate ahead (overnight) and cook the next day.
- Fajita veggies: Cooked veggies will stay tender for up to 3 days.
- Cilantro lime rice: Can be prepped 2-3 days ahead.
- Toppings: Prepare the toppings and store in separate containers. The one thing I would hold off on is the guacamole – fresh is always best for this one.
I keep the rice, chicken, and fajita veggies in the same container but divided up. For the toppings, they are best stored separately to prevent sogginess.
More Topping Ideas
If you’re going all out, upgrade your chicken fajita bowls with these delicious toppings, which is great for hosting a party!
- Slow Cooker Chorizo Queso (you can leave out the chorizo)
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Mexican Coleslaw
- Avocado Crema
Cinco de Mayo celebrations are coming in a few weeks, so we’ll be making these bowls along with my Carne Asada Fries, Chili Lime Shrimp Guacamole Bites and Tres Leches Cake for dessert. It will be quite a party!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, absolutely! Cook according to package directions.
Ideally at least 2-3 hours for best flavor, or even overnight. If you’re in a rush, even 15 minutes will add tons of flavor to the chicken.
The fresher the better! When stored, guacamole can turn brown from air exposure. However, you can preserve its color by squeezing a layer of lime juice on top and place a layer of plastic wrap on top.
This post was originally published in 2019 and updated in April 2025 to include new photos and a few recipe modifications.
I’d love to hear from you! If you loved my recipe, please consider leaving a 5-star rating and a comment down below. Sign up for my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest
Easy Chicken Fajita Bowls
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 large chicken breasts - pounded to ½ inch thick
- ¼ cup olive oil - plus more for cooking
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Cilantro Lime Rice
- 3 cups cooked long grain rice
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro - plus more to taste
- 1 freshly squeezed lime
- Salt to taste
Fajita veggies:
- 2 large bell peppers, sliced - I use a mix of red, yellow, green
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
Toppings:
- Guacamole
- Pico de gallo - or diced tomatoes
- Corn kernels - fresh or canned
- Canned black beans - drained
- Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- Shredded romaine lettuce
Instructions
- Marinade: In a large resealable Ziploc bag, combine all the marinade ingredients evenly. Then, add the chicken, making sure everything is well coated. Seal and marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours or overnight for maximum flavor. Note: If you're short on time, even 15 minutes or marinating time will work.
- Toppings: In the meantime, prepare the toppings. If making guacamole, wait until closer until it’s time to serve to prevent browning.
- Cilantro lime rice: In a bowl, combine the cooked rice with freshly squeezed lime juice and salt to taste. Set aside and keep warm.
- Cook chicken: Heat a few drizzles of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken, about 6 minutes per side, until golden brown and fully cooked through in the center. Remove from the pan and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then, slice or dice.
- Cook fajita veggies: In the same skillet (do not wipe clean), add a few more drizzles of oil over medium-high heat. Cook the sliced bell peppers and onions for about 5 minutes, until slightly charred and crisp tender. Season with salt and pepper.
- Assemble: In individual bowls, serve rice, then top with the chicken and the cooked veggies. Load them generously with your prepared toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
- Marinade: 2-3 hours are ideal for best flavor (or even overnight), but if you’re short on time, even 15 minutes will do wonders.
- Store leftovers in containers for up to 3 days. Keep the toppings separately.
- Cook rice according to package directions.
- For long grain rice: For 1 cup of rice, I use 1.5 cups water. This will yield tender rice with perfectly separated grains.
- Meal prep: Store the cooked chicken, veggies, and rice in the same containers but divided up. Keep the toppings in separate containers.
Michelle says
So so so delicious! I’ve made it on several occasions for just my husband and I or for friends and we have all loved it each time. Making it again Thursday for some different friends. LOVE IT!
Tania says
Thank you so much, Michelle! I am go glad!
Melissa Harris says
Don’t like cilantro what could I replace with?
Tania says
Hi Melissa – I think you can just omit it!
Caroline says
WOW! This was so delicious. I was worried that I was leaving my chicken on too long, but it tasted amazing. I feel like it tasted just like Chipotle and included almost everything I would normally put on a bowl. This is absolutely a new favorite.
Tania says
Thank you so much, Caroline!