Flavor Fiesta: Unveiling the Best Chicken Fajita Bowl Recipe!

Welcome to our flavor-packed culinary adventure! Today, we’re diving into the vibrant world of Mexican Inspired cuisine with our irresistible Chicken Fajita Bowl recipe. Get ready to tantalize your taste buds and elevate your mealtime experience to new heights. Packed with juicy chicken, sizzling veggies, and zesty spices, this dish is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

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Somehow whenever we offer a Mexican inspired dish here at Semper Pot Pie, it sells out. Fast. This Chicken Fajita Bowl was no different.

Humorously, this was a very last minute decision for the menu. I kind of threw the idea out on a whim and just ran with it, because I needed to get this menu out!

The Recipe

This recipe came together the way all best recipes do. A little of this…a little of that…WAIT! How much did I use? I knew exactly what flavors I wanted in the recipe, I just had to make sure to write down how much I used!

Ingredients

Rice

Rice is a world of its own. There are so many different varieties of rice that we could even start to go through them all here. In most people’s world we can narrow it down to four types: 1. White 2. Brown 3. Long grain and 4. Short grain. The white rice and the brown rice are fairly self explanatory. We will have a more in depth blog post about that later on. But for now, the white rice is a more refined rice that has had the husk, bran, and germ removed.

Here in Okinawa, all I can find “out in town” or at the local grocery stores is short grain rice. It is the type of rice that is short and sticky and can be used to make sushi. To find long grain rice, I must go to the commissary. This rice doesn’t get as sticky and it can be fluffy after it is cooked.

For Mexican style cooking, use a basic long grain rice. No need for anything fancy.

Chicken Breast

This recipe can be made with any kind of chicken. You can use chicken breast, chicken thighs, chicken tenders, even ground chicken if you really wanted to. When using a large chicken breast, you can feed an entire family of four with this recipe. If you use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, I’d recommend 1 thigh for every 1-2 people depending on how big of eaters they are. For chicken tenderloins I’d say 1-2 tenderloin per person. Ground chicken I’d say 1 pound for every four people.

Bell Peppers

You do not have to use as many colors of bell pepper as I did. You can easily get away with using two only. I like the aesthetic of using the yellow, red and green bell peppers. I couldn’t find an orange bell pepper when I did this test batch, but I did use them later in the week. So I’d recommend, 1/2 of each color OR just 2 whole bell peppers of your preferred color.

Onion

Onion is one of those ingredients that’s in pretty much everything I cook. But in this recipe, we are not dicing them and using it as a base flavor. We are slicing them and using them as a major component of bowls themselves. We don’t want to slice them too thin and we don’t want them to cook down too much.

Lime

The bright citrus of lime in this recipe can not be replaced. Not only is the juice used, the zest is used as well. The oils in the zest make the flavors much more intense than juice alone. A very slight bitterness may be present when using zest, but the bitterness balances out the other flavors in this dish.

Garlic

Garlic, like onion is used in 99% of my cooking. Nothing can replace garlic.

Spices

For this recipe, we are using chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder and bay leaf. The chili powder, cumin and oregano give the chicken the distinct Mexican flavor palette. The garlic powder and onion powder mirror the fresh onion and garlic that will be sautéed and served alongside the chicken. The bay leaf gives an herbaceous quality.

Salt and Pepper

Personally I like to use a clean Kosher salt in the majority of my cooking. Table salt tastes like metal. Sea Salt is too strong. Coarse Kosher salt dissolves easily and evenly, and the coarseness helps protect from over salting. For my black pepper I use a small coffee grinder to grind black peppercorns in small batches. I do this every few weeks.

Olive Oil

To sauté the onions, garlic, bell peppers and chicken, fat will be needed. For this recipe, olive oil is the best fat to use. It is not overpowering like lard can be, it doesn’t require an especially high smoke point and the flavor is good.

Instructions

Cook Rice

With long grain rice, I don’t personally rinse it. But you can always rinse it if you prefer. In my InstantPot, I simply do a 1:1.25 ration of Rice:Water. I then cook it on high pressure for 6 minutes with a natural release. You can cook your rice anyway you prefer.

Marinate Chicken

Rinse the chicken thoroughly and pat dry with clean paper towels.

Mix the garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a shallow bowl or Pyrex dish. Sprinkle the spices over the chicken.

Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken, zest the lime and then juice it. Use all of the zest and juice from one small to medium lime.

Massage the spices into the chicken. Tuck the bay leaf under the chicken breast.

Allow the chicken to marinate at least 15 minutes. 4 hours would be better. Overnight would be even better.

Prepare the Vegetables

Cut the deseeded bell peppers into long strips.

Slice the onion in thin strips. Mince the garlic.

Cook the Chicken

You can either slice the chicken thin like the peppers and onions and then sauté the chicken in a little bit of olive oil, or you can bake it. Sautéing the chicken in faster, but I feel like the moisture released can sometimes dilute the spices and flavor. Baking takes longer, but the flavors deepen and get even more intense.

To Sauté:

Slice the chicken thinly and place in a hot pan with hot olive oil.

Cook the chicken for 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside while you cook the onions and bell peppers.

To Bake:

Heat a cast iron pan, add about 2 tbs of olive oil into the hot pan. Sear the chicken, skin side down for 3-5 minutes or until browned.

Flip the breast and then bake the chicken breast in a 350º oven for 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165º.

Set the chicken aside to rest while you finish the rest of the ingredients.

Sauté the Onions and Peppers

Using the same cast iron pan, add the garlic and onion to the hot pan and sauté 2-3 minutes.

Add the bell peppers and continue to sauté for another 2-3 minutes or until the peppers are cooked to your preference.

Assemble Bowls

In 4 bowls, scoop some rice and smooth the surface.

Slice the chicken and divide it among the 4 bowls.

Divide the peppers among the 4 bowls.

Finish the bowls off with optional toppings. We used: grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, fresh pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, crunchy tortilla strips and top it off with fresh cilantro.

Serve with warm buttered tortillas.

Conclusion:

With its bold flavors and customizable toppings, our Chicken Fajita Bowl recipe is sure to become a staple in your meal rotation. Whether you’re hosting a fiesta with friends or simply craving a satisfying dinner, this dish has got you covered. So gather your ingredients and get ready to spice up your life with this delight!