The Low Carb Chicken Fajita Recipe
This chicken fajita recipe is: Gluten Free, Paleo, Primal, Low Carb and Wheat Belly Friendly.
Mexican food is feast for the senses with a smattering of vibrant colors, bold flavors and tantalizing aromas. The best part about making Mexican recipes in your kitchen is just how many are to make. And, they’re just about foolproof! Not many cuisines offer such an incredible mix. This low carb chicken fajita recipe won’t let you down either.
In this recipe, I’ve used chicken from my easy shredded chicken recipe which cuts down on the cook time if you have some on hand. If not, that’s okay too. I’ll give the steps to make chicken strips just like at the restaurant. Also, you can get the recipe for some super fresh guacamole that I posted up a little while ago. Super good and easy to make.
We are going to be mixing up some spices in this low carb chicken fajita recipe. If you don’t have time or the inclination to do this, there are a lot of commercially available fajita seasoning packages or even cajun seasoning that will work perfectly. At our house, we have a big batch of this seasoning made up and stored in the pantry. I like using my own simply because I can control the quality of the spices used as well as the heat.
QUICK COOKING TIP: Shishito peppers (shown in the image below) are easy to make and have a very low heat factor. They provide more of an earthy flavor to the low carb chicken fajita recipe than any additional heat. I like them with this recipe because the whole family can enjoy them and they only take about 20 minutes to cook in the oven. If you make them, simply toss them with olive oil, salt & pepper and cook in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes or until they brown. What a nice layer of flavor.
I can’t wait to make this low carb chicken fajita recipe again… maybe tonight! Let’s get to it:
LOW CARB CHICKEN FAJITA RECIPE
Ingredients
- Fajita Spice Mix
For the Chicken (if not using the shredded chicken recipe)
- 4 Chicken Breasts boneless and skinless, cleaned. Cut into ¼” strips.
- 2 TBSP Fajita Spice Mix
- 2-3 TBSP Olive Oil
For the Peppers & Onions
- 1 Spanish Onion peeled and cut in half. Slice thin.
- 2 Peppers seeded and sliced thin.
- 2 Pinches Kosher Salt
- 2 TBSP Olive Oil
Optional Ingredients
- Guacamole
- ½ Cup sliced grape tomatoes
- Minced shallots or green onions
- Chipotle sauce
Instructions
For the Chicken (if you are not using the shredded chicken recipe)
- Add the sliced chicken and spice mix into a bowl. Mix to coat the chicken.
- Heat a heavy bottom pan over high heat. Add the oil. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken.
- Allow the chicken to cook without stirring for about 2 minutes. This will help to prevent sticking and let the pan reheat.
- Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally, for another six to eight minutes or until cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and put the pan back over the high heat.
- Add ½ cup of cold water and deglaze the pan. If you would like, you can reduce this and add to the cooked chicken or simply discard.
For the Peppers & Onions
- In the same heavy pan, keep the heat high and add in the olive oil. When it shimmers, add in the onions along with a pinch of salt and cover.
- Cook the onions for 2 minutes or until they just begin to soften. Then add in the peppers and another pinch of salt.
- Cover the pan again and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for 5-7 more minutes, or until the onions are slightly browned and the peppers are soft.
- Remove from the heat.
Putting it all together
- Plate the onions and peppers first, then the chicken. Load it up with whatever optional items you would like from here!
- Serve hot and happy eating…
Notes
Nutrition
Final thoughts on the Low Carb Chicken Fajita Recipe:
Around our house, we eat a variation of this recipe at least once a week. My kids love chicken fajitas. They’re not gluten free nor do they follow the paleo guidelines. That means that their plates are even more colorful, with fresh charred corn, sour cream mixed with fajita seasoning, crumbled cheese and bed of blue corn chips. Sometimes we all have sliced black olives and always either Cholula or Chipole sauce. So many layers of flavor just make me happy.
You can also make this with steak, shrimp, fish or even pork. The core principles remain the same no matter the protein. You can use the same seasonings as found in this low carb chicken fajita recipe and just sautee them in a pan.
If you love Mexican style food as much as I do, you might want to give these other recipes a try… Starting off with some easy guacamole, or maybe some super delicious pulled pork which is the perfect base for this awesome pulled pork taco recipe! There are so many more Mexican and Tex-Mex recipes coming to the blog, so stay tuned!
Enjoy and happy eating!
This sounds lovely. Going to give this a go. thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
Hi there:
Thank you for visiting.
Hope you have a fantastic day in the kitchen. Happy eating!
Scott
This recipe looks super delish!! Your photos are amazing! And you have a great talent for food styling too! Cheers!
Ps: Do you by chance live somewhere like Southern California with great natural light? I am socked in the clouds and fog most winter days here in the Oregon Coast Range am I am jealous of all that great light in your photos!
Hi Andrea:
Working really hard on making my photos better. I downloaded a book from RecipeTinEats on food photography (you can see it in my foodblogger resources) about a month ago. I had already watched the videos in FBP, but this book really changed my game completely. Now, instead of having to “fix” one photo that turned out ok, I have to choose from a bunch that are all pretty good. Really makes this much more enjoyable.
I live in Ohio- with really terrible light. I use the Lowel Ego and have 1 LARGE reflector, the reflector that came with the light and 5 or 6 little reflectors for dark spots. The trick I figured out last week is to stack a bunch of cookbooks up and put the light on that so it comes down onto the food rather than directly behind or next to the food.
Thank you for stopping over too- very much appreciated!
Take care,
Scott
We made these with steak last night and your fantastic guacamole recipe. Everything was so light and tasty. Thanks!!
Hi Heather:
Thank you for trying and letting me know how it went- sounds like you’ve had a delicious feast.
Hope you have a fantastic day in the kitchen!
Scott