Chicken Fajita Casserole

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

Prep: 15

Cook: 35

Total: 50

Yield:6 servings

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.

Notes

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

Recipe By:Cheryl Malik