Baking-tray chicken fajitas
Quick oven fajitas roasted on one baking tray — charred peppers, juicy spiced chicken and warm tortillas in under an hour.
This is the lazy-weeknight way to do fajitas: everything roasted together on one baking tray so you get juicy, spice-kissed chicken and sweet, charred veg with almost no washing up. It’s brilliant for a fuss-free family meal or for feeding friends — make extra and use leftovers for sandwiches, salads or packed lunches the next day.
Ingredients
- 700 g chicken thigh fillets — trimmed and sliced into 1–2 cm strips
- 1 red pepper — cut into 1 cm strips
- 1 yellow pepper — cut into 1 cm strips
- 1 brown onion — cut into thin wedges
- 3 garlic cloves — finely minced
- 30 ml olive oil
- 10 ml smoked paprika
- 10 ml ground cumin
- 5 ml chilli powder
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 5 ml sea salt
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground
- 1 lime — zest and juice, plus extra wedges to serve
- 8 flour tortillas
- 15 g fresh coriander — roughly chopped
- 1 avocado — sliced for serving
Equipment
- baking tray
- measuring spoons
- kitchen thermometer (optional)
Instructions
Put the sliced chicken in a large bowl. Add the minced garlic, olive oil, smoked paprika, ground cumin, chilli powder, dried oregano, sea salt, black pepper and the zest and juice of the lime. Mix thoroughly so every strip is coated.
Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the spices to penetrate the meat.
About 10 minutes before the end of the marinating time, preheat the oven to 220°C fan/240°C conventional and line a large baking tray with baking paper. Slice the red pepper, yellow pepper and brown onion into strips/wedges.
Tip the marinated chicken onto the lined baking tray and spread into a single layer. In the same bowl toss the peppers and onion with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then spread around the chicken so nothing overlaps or the pieces will steam instead of roast.
Roast on the top third of the oven for 20–22 minutes, turning everything once halfway through, until the chicken is cooked through and the edges of the vegetables are nicely charred.
Remove the tray and leave the chicken and veg to rest on the tray for 5 minutes.
While the filling rests, warm the flour tortillas in the oven for 2–3 minutes on a separate tray or briefly in a frying pan over a medium hob until pliable.
Assemble: spoon the roasted chicken and veg down the centre of each warm tortilla, top with sliced avocado, fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime. Fold and serve immediately.
Tips
- Slice the chicken across the grain so the cooked strips feel tender rather than chewy.
- Don’t overcrowd the tray — if the ingredients are jammed together they’ll steam and won’t colour.
- Marinate for at least 30 minutes; if short on time, even 10 minutes helps the spices stick and flavour the meat.
- Warm tortillas briefly just before serving so they stay pliable; stack and wrap in a tea towel to keep warm.
- Make-ahead: marinate the chicken and keep covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours, then roast with freshly cut veg.
Substitutions
chicken thigh fillets → chicken breast fillets, same weight
Stays closeflour tortillas → gluten-free tortillas, same quantity
Stays closesmoked paprika → regular paprika, same quantity
Noticeably differentolive oil → rapeseed oil, same quantity
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 660
- Calories
- 35 g
- Protein
- 75 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
- Sugar
- 700 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I use ready-sliced peppers and onion?
Yes — pre-cut veg saves time. Make sure pieces are similar thickness so they cook evenly.
How do I know when the chicken is cooked?
Strips should be fully opaque with clear juices. For certainty, use a kitchen thermometer — 75°C internal temperature.
Can I make these ahead for a party?
You can roast the chicken and veg up to 2 hours ahead, keep warm on a low oven (100°C) covered with foil, and warm tortillas just before serving.
How should I store leftovers?
Keep filling and tortillas separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Reheat filling in the oven at 180°C fan/200°C conventional for 8–10 minutes.
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