Fajita stuffed chicken breasts are a fun alternative to traditional fajitas. Seasoned chicken breasts are stuffed with peppers and onion, and cooked to perfection.
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If you love fajitas, you might also want to check out my sheet pan fajitas, fajita pasta with chicken or pork chop fajitas for other tasty alternatives!
These chicken breasts stuffed with peppers are so easy to make, and taste great. Peppers and onions are sauteed, then stuffed in chicken fillets. The chicken is then seared on both sides to give the chicken a lovely flavor and color, and baked in the oven.
This recipe produces an excellent juicy chicken with plenty of flavor, and as a bonus it's really healthy and lean too.
Ingredients
For this recipe, you will need chicken breast fillets, peppers and onion.
You will also need cumin, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Alternatively, you can use a fajita seasoning mix, like this fajita seasoning without cumin.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200 °C / 390 °F.
Prepare the fajita seasoning by combining all the spices in a bowl. You can skip this step if you are using premade fajita seasoning.
Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. As we will later transfer the dish to the oven to finish, I highly recommend using a cast iron pan for this recipe.
Add sliced peppers and onion to the pan, and sauté these for about 5 minutes, or until they are soft and slightly translucent. Add half of the fajita seasoning, and sauté for another minute to allow the flavors to develop.
Slice an opening through the chicken fillets to create a pocket for the filling to go in. Make sure to not cut all the way through the chicken, as this will cause the filling to fall out.
Rub the chicken with the remaining fajita seasoning, and make sure to cover all sides.
Now, remove the peppers and onions from the pan, and stuff these in the chicken fillets. It can be a bit tricky to get the vegetables to stick inside the chicken, but it's OK if some filling falls out.
Sear the chicken in the pan for 5 minutes on each side, then transfer to the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked through.
Serve the fajita stuffed chicken immediately while it's still hot.
Top tips
Here are my top tips to succeed with this recipe:
- Since you sear the chicken in a pan, then transfer it to an oven, I find it best to use a cast iron pan for this recipe. Alternatively, you can transfer the chicken from a skillet to an oven proof casserole dish.
- You can replace the seasoning listed with a fajita seasoning mix.
- Use a meat thermometer to check that the chicken has cooked through. Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 °F / 74 °C.
Serving suggestions
Stuffed chicken is best served as an entree, paired with your favorite side dishes. As this has some Mexican and Tex Mex inspiration, I think it pairs really well with other Tex Mex sides. Here are some of my favorites:
Chili lime rice - A flavorful and spicy rice.
Guacamole with lemon - This creamy avocado dip is a classic side for Mexican food.
Strawberry pineapple salsa - A lovely side salad with plenty of flavor.
Air fryer rutabaga fries - These rutabaga fries are easy to make, and more interesting than regular fries.
Cilantro and lime - These toppings can lift any Tex Mex dish!
Variations
Although the recipe is amazing as is, here are some variations you can make:
With cheese: Add shredded cheese to the stuffing for a cheesy variety.
Other meats: You can use chicken thigh fillets or a thick steak instead of the chicken breasts if you prefer.
Spicy: Add ½ teaspoon chili powder to the fajita seasoning if you like a little spice!
More veggies: Although fajitas are traditionally made with peppers and onions, you can add other veggies if you want. I like to add thinly sliced sugar snap peas or carrots for variety.
Dietary requirements: This recipe is gluten free, soy free, nut free, dairy free and egg free, which means that it should suit most dietary requirements.
Leftovers
Leftover fajita stuffed chicken can be stored in an airtight container in a refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Reheat the chicken in a microwave for a few minutes until it's hot throughout, then serve.
You can also alternatively use the leftovers in other dishes! Dice the chicken and peppers, and use it in a sandwich, a wrap or a salad.
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Frequently asked questions
Fajita chicken is a tasty Mexican dish consisting of juicy chicken, and roasted peppers and onions with traditional Mexican spices.
Fajitas are traditionally served as sliced chicken or steak in a flour tortilla with your favorite toppings like guacamole, pico de gallo, cheese or salsa.
Recipe
Fajita Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breast fillets
- 1 large red onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C / 400 °F.
- Prepare the fajita seasoning by combining all the spices in a bowl. You can skip this step if you are using premade fajita seasoning.
- Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. As we will later transfer the dish to the oven to finish, I highly recommend using a cast iron pan for this recipe.
- Add sliced peppers and onion to the pan, and sauté these for about 5 minutes, or until they are soft and slightly translucent. Add half of the fajita seasoning, and sauté for another minute to allow the flavors to develop.
- Slice an opening through the chicken fillets to create a pocket for the filling to go in. Make sure to not cut all the way through the chicken, as this will cause the filling to fall out.
- Rub the chicken with the remaining fajita seasoning, and make sure to cover all sides.
- Now, remove the peppers and onions from the pan, and stuff these in the chicken fillets. It can be a bit tricky to get the vegetables to stick inside the chicken, but it’s OK if some filling falls out.
- Sear the chicken in the pan for 5 minutes on each side, then transfer to the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked through.
- Serve the fajita stuffed chicken immediately while it’s still hot.
Notes
- The exact cooking time can vary depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Use a meat thermometer to check that the chicken has cooked through. Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 °F / 74 °C.
- Leftover fajita stuffed chicken can be stored in an airtight container in a refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Since you sear the chicken in a pan, then transfer it to an oven, I find it best to use a cast iron pan for this recipe. Alternatively, you can transfer the chicken from a skillet to a casserole dish.
- You can replace the seasoning listed with a fajita seasoning mix.
Christina Bucceri
Flavor was good, but recipe isn’t completely accurate. Doesn’t say how much oil (isn’t even in ingredient list, but is in the instructions). Instructions also say to bake it for 5 minutes at 390F after searing it in the frying pan. Unless your chicken breasts are paper thin the 5 minutes in the oven isn’t enough time.
Also note that the amount of rub you make from this recipe isn’t a realistic amount for flavoring the vegetables AND rubbing on 4 chicken breasts. I only made 2 chicken breasts and barely had enough rub.
Other than the above - the flavor was wonderful and will definitely make it again!
Tonje
Hi Christina! Thank you for your lovely comment, I'm glad you enjoyed this dish! Thanks for pointing out that the oil was missing from the ingredient list. I have corrected this now. The exact cooking time and amount of seasoning and oil needed can vary a lot depending on the size of chicken breasts used, and it sounds like yours might be larger than mine. You can always add more seasoning if preferred, and I always recommend that you use a meat thermometer to ensure that the chicken is cooked through.