Chicken Fajita Rice Bowls
Chicken fajitas served up bowl-style with rice, colorful bell peppers, and a sour cream sauce. It’s a quick and easy recipe when you’re craving fajitas or make it ahead to have the bowls on hand for easy meals during the week.
Fresh, simple, and easy to customize – these chicken fajita bowls check all three boxes and, in my kitchen, that’s a dinner winner. I’ve made this fajitas recipe many times over the last few months and yet to get tired of it.
Instead of wrapping up the peppers and marinated chicken in flour tortillas, we’re piling it all on rice. Add a creamy sour cream sauce and you get fajitas but bowl-style. I think it’s lighter than the traditional version but it still has all the great flavor.
Ingredients
- Olive oil or vegetable oil
- Seasonings: Chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Or, use your favorite fajita seasoning.
- Fresh lime juice
- Chicken tenderloins – Or you can use boneless skinless chicken breasts but you will want to pound them to an even thickness so they cook evenly. They will also take longer to cook.
- Sliced green, yellow, and red bell pepper
- Sliced red onion
- Sour cream
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Cooked rice – Use instant rice to keep it quick and easy.
How to Make Fajita Rice Bowls
☑️ Marinate
Place olive oil and all of the seasonings in a large resealable bag. Place the chicken in the marinade and smush it around to coat it evenly. Marinate chicken for 15 to 20 minutes.
☑️ Cook the Chicken and Peppers
Once the chicken is marinated, cook it in a large skillet until it’s browned and cooked through. Take it out of the pan and cook all of the veggies in the same pan.
☑️ Make the Sauce
Mix the sour cream, lime juice, and cilantro in a small bowl.
☑️ Assemble the Bowls
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Place the cooked rice in bowls and add the chicken and cooked peppers and onions. Drizzle the sour cream sauce over the top. Enjoy it as is or add more toppings like salsa, guacamole, or pico de gallo.
Variations
- Meat: Swap chicken for steak or make shrimp fajita bowls.
- Rice: Plain rice is great or try cilantro-lime rice. Cauliflower rice is a great way make the dish even lighter.
- Toppings: Lots of options here to switch things up – if you like on tacos it will work with chicken fajita bowls.
Make Ahead Tips
These bowls are great for meal prep. The chicken, bell peppers, and rice will keep for three to four days in the refrigerator. Keep the sauce in it’s own container and when it’s time to warm up dinner or lunch, drizzle the sauce over the top before serving.
More Bowl Recipes to Try
Chicken Fajita Bowl
Chicken fajitas served up bowl-style with rice, colorful bell peppers, and a sour cream sauce. This is a quick and easy recipe when you’re craving fajitas or make it ahead to have on hand for easy meals during the week.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: Mexican-American
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil plus 1 tablespoon, divided
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- I teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 24 ounces of chicken tenderloins
- 3 bell peppers (green, red, yellow), sliced
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
- 4 cups cooked white rice, for serving
Instructions
- Combine 1/4 cup of olive oil, all of the spices, and lime juice in a large resealable bag. Place the chicken in the bag, seal it, and smoosh it around to coat the chicken with the marinade. Let it marinate for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature.
- Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Place the marinated chicken in an even layer in the pan. Cook it for five minutes and then turn it over and cook it on the other side until it’s cooked through (about three to four minutes depending on how thick the pieces are).
- Take the chicken out of the pan and set it aside on a cutting board. Add the peppers and onions to the pan. Cook them, stirring often, until they are crisp-tender. As they cook, scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- While the peppers cook, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Combine the sour cream with lime juice and cilantro in a small bowl. Once the peppers are done, place the cooked rice in bowls. Top it with the peppers and chicken. Drizzle the sour cream sauce over the top and serve.
Notes
Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for three to four days.
Nutrition
- Calories: 697
- Sugar: 5.6g
- Sodium: 265.8mg
- Fat: 28.4g
- Saturated Fat: 6.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18.3g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 63.6g
- Fiber: 2.7g
- Protein: 44.8g
- Cholesterol: 141.1mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
More Recipes with Chicken Breasts
- Tuscan Chicken Penne
- Cheddar with Cheddar Ranch Sauce
- Sheet Pan Chicken Ratatouille
- Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad
I hope you give these fajita bowls a try soon!
Happy cooking,
