Mexican food is something I find myself craving on the regular, but if I ate it as much as I craved it, I would be in a world of trouble as far as my jeans are concerned. In all seriousness, if I was forced to only eat chips, salsa and guac for the rest of my life, I’d throw up my hands and surrender willingly, thanking my lucky stars to have been given such an awesome fate. Unfortunately, that is not my life, so like a normal human being, I have to watch what I eat if I want to stay fit.
When it comes to the majority of Mexican dishes this side of the border, they aren’t exactly what I would consider calorie-conscious options. Here in the U.S., we have a penchant for wanting to smother everything in cheese, sour cream, guacamole, more cheese, etc., etc., making the majority of Mexican food we consume a complete calorie bomb in terms of meeting and exceeding our daily requirements. Why do we do this? I’ll never know, especially since authentic Mexican food is pretty damn incredible sans extras.
Sadly, it isn’t always easy finding health-conscious Mexican food, but today I am giving you exactly that with these healthy chicken fajitas and peppers. This dish proves that Mexican food can be both light and healthy with some simple substitutions, and a little time in the kitchen.
Don’t fret, these healthy chicken fajitas could not be any easier to prepare, and you don’t have to spend hours over a stove throwing these together. We’re talking under 30 minutes tops, and no grilling required.
If you eat these chicken fajitas as pictured above (just with peppers), your looking at a super low 350 calories per serving. If you want to serve them in a style more similar to traditional fajitas, try swapping out romaine lettuce leaves in place of tortillas to keep the calories low. I personally like to top mine with salsa verde and hot sauce, and eat them as pictured.
Trust me when I say that these are some of the best chicken fajitas I have ever tasted. The marinade is mouthwatering, and from a nutritional standpoint, they are a remarkably healthy, low-carb source of protein that will satisfy your Mexican food cravings 10x over.
Let me know your thoughts!
- 1.5 lbs free-range, organic boneless and skinless chicken breasts; cut into 1/4″ thick slices
- 2 red peppers; cut into thin strips
- 2 yellow or orange peppers; cut into thin strips
- 1/2 large yellow onion; cut into thick slices
- 1 Tbsp. organic grape seed oil
- ***Marinade:***
- 1 Tbsp. organic grape seed oil
- 2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1.5 tsp. pink Himalayan salt
- 1.5 tsp. dried oregano
- 1.5 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- Prepare your chicken by cutting it into uniform 1/4″ thick strips, and place into a Ziplock bag.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for your marinade, then pour finished marinade over your chicken.
- Seal Ziplock bag and set chicken aside.
- On a clean cutting board, prepare your peppers and onions.
- In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. of grape seed oil and add in your prepared peppers and onion, cooking on medium/high heat until peppers are tender and onion is turning translucent.
- Remove finished peppers from skillet and place into a large mixing bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside.
- In the same skillet, cook chicken over medium-high heat for 6 minutes or until no longer pink. Return pepper mixture to pan to heat through.
- Serve fajitas as is, or use romaine lettuce leaves in place of tortillas.
- Top with salsa, hot sauce and freshly chopped cilantro (optional)
Yvette
September 20, 2014 at 4:41 pm (10 years ago)Wonderful! Offering variety Vegan and Gluten Free Recipes!
aimee
October 7, 2014 at 6:30 pm (10 years ago)Made this for dinner last night and it was a big hit all round. It was easy, healthy and delicious, thank you
Danielle
October 8, 2014 at 12:51 pm (10 years ago)So happy to hear, Aimee!
Peggy
October 20, 2014 at 5:59 pm (10 years ago)Danielle, I just inhaled two of these fajitas and they are divine! I lived in Texas for 8 years and this is the most incredibly authentic fajita recipe I have ever tasted. Thank you.
Danielle
October 22, 2014 at 10:54 am (9 years ago)You are so welcome, Peggy!! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Daisy
November 16, 2014 at 5:11 pm (9 years ago)Made this for dinner for the family! So easy and quick! Put them in lettuce cups. My tastes buds were overloading, going to be hard not to make this every night
Danielle
November 19, 2014 at 12:00 pm (9 years ago)So glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, Daisy! It’s one of my favorites as well!
Alyssa
November 20, 2014 at 3:19 pm (9 years ago)Great meal! I just wanted to let you know that I have a food photo submission site (Simply Creative Recipes) and I am linking to this post if you don’t mind. You are welcome to submit your photos to my site if you’d like.
Danielle
November 23, 2014 at 1:20 pm (9 years ago)Thanks for the link, Alyssa! I’ll have to check your site out
Kimberly
January 31, 2015 at 4:19 am (9 years ago)My boyfriend and I really enjoy Mexican food but most of the time are very disappointed with the restaurant- way to greasy – so I’m always looking for a way to make our favorite dishes without all the extra grease and sodium and not using a pre-package seasoning. This recipe was PERFECT.
Danielle
January 31, 2015 at 5:36 pm (9 years ago)So glad to hear that you enjoyed this, Kimberly
Jessica
February 4, 2015 at 2:41 pm (9 years ago)These were fantastic!!!
cara
March 9, 2015 at 12:10 pm (9 years ago)What are the ingredients for the marinade that you put in the ziploc??
Danielle
March 13, 2015 at 11:56 am (9 years ago)***Marinade:***
1 Tbsp. organic grape seed oil
2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1.5 tsp. pink Himalayan salt
1.5 tsp. dried oregano
1.5 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Tammy
March 21, 2015 at 5:03 pm (9 years ago)I made it this evening and it was fantastic. I substituted red flakes with montreal chicken spice only because I was out. I highly recommend this recipe.
Danielle
March 24, 2015 at 12:02 pm (9 years ago)Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Tammy!
Christi
June 17, 2015 at 9:03 am (9 years ago)Huge hit for the whole family! Easy, healthy and incredibly delicious! Thank you for adding another go-to meal into my rotation!
Stephanie
October 22, 2015 at 9:14 am (8 years ago)These are amazing!!!! Thank you!
Cassie
March 14, 2016 at 12:22 pm (8 years ago)I tried my hand at making fajitas using this recipe and it was fabulous. Because it’s what I had, I used olive oil instead of grape seed oil and cayenne instead of red pepper flakes. My husband raved about it and now I’ve made this every week since. I subbed steak one time and it was good as well.
A Texas Boy
March 26, 2016 at 6:39 pm (8 years ago)I’m trying to eat better, and I stumbled across your recipe. It was delish!
Marcy Holland
September 23, 2016 at 6:43 pm (8 years ago)Awesome! I used just a few shakes of lite salt since I didn’t have the pink, and only green bell peppers and don’t use red pepper flakes. I am always looking for heart healthy recipes, however many tend to be surprising high in sodium. This one is a keeper! Thank you!
Ashley H
November 10, 2016 at 8:04 pm (7 years ago)These are the phenomenal!!! Didn’t need to tweak the recipe at all. I made them as an alternative for myself on taco night, but the kids ate them too. Must try!
Allison
May 7, 2017 at 12:56 pm (7 years ago)I know this post is years old now, but can anyone recommend a substitute for the grape seed oil in this recipe?
Natasha
March 18, 2018 at 1:23 pm (6 years ago)Easy, super delicious and healthy!