Chicken Fajita Casserole

Tender strips of chicken, peppers, and onions in a deliciously savory and creamy sauce, this chicken fajita casserole is one of my family’s absolute favorite meals! It’s easy to make and perfect over rice or in tacos. All my kids clean their plates when this Mexican dinner is on the table!

🫑 What Makes This Recipe So Good

• Oh, y’all. This is a really, really good one. Go ahead and pin it, bookmark it, save it, whatever method you use for recipes you want to be sure you make. Trust me, you’re gonna want to make this one! The fajita cream sauce is AMAZING, and when I tell you my kids loved it, I mean my kids LOVED. IT. My toddler ate 2 whole plates full. TWO. That’s basically a 10-star review.
• Chicken fajita casserole has everything you love about chicken fajitas, just in casserole form. Of course, you’ll miss out on the spectacle of ordering (or, rather, receiving) fajitas, with the other diners turning to see who ordered the skillet of loud, hot, sizzling peppers and onions. Maybe you can get your family to pick up the slack when you serve the casserole.
• I really love how versatile this dish can be. Serve it over rice, or in warm flour tortillas, or atop a bed of crunchy tortilla chips. If you’re keto, you can enjoy it as-is or pair it with cilantro-lime cauliflower rice, homemade keto tortillas, pork rinds, or even a salad. There are several possibilities here!

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

• Be careful not to overcook the chicken on the stovetop. Since you’re cutting the chicken into narrow strips (or bite-sized chunks), it’ll cook much faster than if you left the chicken in large pieces. You’ll be baking the chicken for 15 minutes or so after it’s cooked on the stove. If it’s fully cooked when it goes into the oven, it’ll definitely be overcooked when it comes out.
• If you want to turn your chicken fajita casserole into a meal-prep meal, just follow the recipe as instructed. Once it’s fully cooked, divide it into portions for each day you need. Make sure you use airtight containers! Let the portions cool completely, then close them up and stick them in the fridge. They’ll keep for 4 days or so if stored properly. Reheat them in the microwave until everything’s warmed through. I’d give it a few stirs periodically just to make sure it all heats up evenly.

🌮 More Mexican-Style Recipes to Try

• Chelada (Mexican Beer Cocktail with Lime)
• Slow Cooker Carnitas (Pork Carnitas with Pork Loin or Tenderloin)
• Walking Taco Casserole
• How to Cook Nopales (Cactus Paddles)
• Burrito Suizo with Shredded Chicken
• Whole30 Fish Taco Bowl with Mango Salsa and Chipotle Aioli (Paleo, Low Carb)
• Chile Relleno Burrito
• John Wayne Casserole
• Chimichurri Rice

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

Chicken Fajita Casserole

Prep 15 minutes minutes

Cook 35 minutes minutes

Total 50 minutes minutes

Chicken, bell pepper, onions, and a delicious fajita cream sauce. Serve it over rice or in tortillas for an easy, family-pleasing meal!

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6 servings

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Equipment

• Oven
• Large cast-iron skillet or other large oven-safe skillet
• Tongs
• Large plate
• Silicone spatula
• large mixing bowl

Ingredients

For the Chicken Fajita Casserole

• ▢ 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil, or canola oil; divided
• ▢ 1 medium onion thinly sliced
• ▢ 2 medium bell peppers cores removed, thinly sliced; see Notes
• ▢ 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into thin strips or bite-sized chunks
• ▢ 1 8-ounce block cream cheese at room temperature
• ▢ 1 ½ cups shredded cheese Mexican cheese blend preferred, divided
• ▢ 1 tablespoons fajita seasoning or taco seasoning, store-bought or make your own
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste

Suggested Toppings (All Optional)

• ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• ▢ sour cream
• ▢ pico de gallo
• ▢ guacamole store-bought or make your own

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
• Heat cast-iron or other oven-safe skillet on stovetop over medium heat. When pan is warm, add 1 tablespoon avocado oil. Swirl or tilt skillet to distribute oil across entire surface, and continue heating skillet until oil is hot and shimmery.
• When oil is hot, add sliced onion and bell peppers to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender and softened, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer sautéed peppers and onions to large plate and set aside.
• Add remaining 1 tablespoon avocado oil to skillet and swirl pan to coat. Heat pan until oil is hot and shimmery, then add chicken to skillet. Cook chicken 3 to 4 minutes, stirring once or twice, until chicken is opaque and lightly golden in spots.
• While chicken cooks, add cream cheese, ½ cup shredded cheese, fajita veggies, and fajita seasoning to large mixing bowl. Stir ingredients together until well incorporated. Set bowl aside.
• Add minced garlic, smoked paprika, and salt to skillet and stir to incorporate. Cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is fragrant, approximately 30 to 60 seconds.
• Transfer chicken and garlic mixture to bowl with cream cheese mixture. Stir to fully incorporate ingredients, then transfer mixture into same cast-iron skillet. Spread mixture out into one even layer, covering bottom of skillet completely.
  
• Top chicken mixture with remaining 1 cup shredded cheese, spreading cheese out into one even layer.
• Place skillet in preheated oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly and chicken is cooked through.
• Carefully remove skillet from oven and set aside to rest 3 to 5 minutes. Top casserole as desired, divide into portions, and serve warm over rice, in tortillas, or as-is.

• If you don’t have a cast-iron or oven-safe skillet, you can prepare all of the stovetop steps in a regular skillet, then transfer everything to a baking dish to finish the recipe.
• Bell Peppers: I like to use a red and a green bell pepper just for a little extra color, but you can use any you like.
• Make it Lower Carb: Use green bell peppers (they have the fewest carbs!) and make sure you’re using a fajita or taco seasoning with no added sugars or sugar substitutes. My keto taco seasoning works great here. You can also use just half an onion instead of a whole one, and use cheese you shred yourself rather than pre-shredded cheese with added fillers.

Nutrition Info

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 407calProtein: 34gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 684mgPotassium: 550mgTotal Carbs: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gNet Carbs: 5gVitamin A: 574IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 185mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition Disclaimers

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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