grilled chili lime chicken fajita bowls

or make it a sheet-pan meal!

Fajitas are a go-to order for me. The steaming skillet, the plate of fixins, the option to eat either a bite of plain ole chicken and veggies or make a little taco — they are an A+ dining experience across the board, and also a meal I love to recreate at home. We’ve cooked sheet-pan steak fajitas here on What to Cook, but we’ve never cooked chicken fajitas! Today is the day.

Ed note from Molly: Today is also a big day because it’s Caro’s bday!!! HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Caroline! Thank you for always telling me what to cook when I don’t feel like cooking, and for making me more confident in the kitchen times 1,000. So grateful for you and this community you’ve created!!

We’re in prime grilling season, so we are taking the cooking outside this week to grill chili lime chicken, onions, and peppers (perhaps with an ice-cold cocktail in hand?). While our chicken and veggies marinate — they can hang in the fridge for up to 24 hours, and the longer they marinate the better! — we’re going to make cilantro-lime rice (as always, feel free to swap this with microwaveable frozen rice, should you want to skip cooking a component), a bright and crunchy slaw, and a creamy cilantro-avocado sauce to tie it altogether.

If you don’t own a grill, cook your fajitas on a sheet pan! See the “I don’t own a grill” note beneath the recipe for a how-to.

The marinade we’re making is so simple and so delicious. It relies on a taco seasoning spice blend, which allows it to come together in no time, and prevents you from having to juggle a bunch of different spice jars. Taco seasoning typically consists of chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and sometimes more — so you are getting a ton of flavor in just 2 tablespoons of seasoning! Some taco seasonings contain salt and others don’t — take a look at the ingredient list on yours and, if it includes salt, cut the kosher salt you add to the marinade by about half so it’s not too salty.

I love and use Jacobsen’s taco seasoning, but there are great store-bought options too, like Siete Foods. Or just grab a jar or packet of good ole McCormick or Old El Paso.

If you’re not in the mood for fajita rice bowls (as written) — or if you want to mix up how you serve your leftovers — try one of these!

• Fajita tacos. Grab fajita-sized tortillas from the store and make tacos with chicken, veggies, slaw, any optional toppings you want, and crema. Serve the rice on the side (or skip it!). Be sure to warm your tortillas. Wrap a stack of them in foil and add them to the grill (or oven) for the final few minutes of cooking.

• Fajita salad. Wash and chop 2 heads of romaine for a salad base and sprinkle it with a big pinch of kosher salt. Add the slaw, chicken, veggies, and rice (or skip the rice) on top and drizzle with crema. If you want the crema to be more of dressing, stir in 1/4 cup olive or avocado oil.

• Fajita quesadillas. Stuff large tortillas with chicken, veggies, and cheese and make quesadillas. Serve the rice and slaw on the side and dip your quesadillas in the crema.

• Burrito. Or, make burritos out of all the elements! This is a good option if you’re going to eat these on the go. Crisp them up if you’d like (see a demo here) and, if you’re not eating them immediately, wrap them in foil so it all stays together.

Poblano steak fajitas can be on the menu for your next fajita night. Turkey taco salad is an excellent summer meal — it’s great for dinner and/or to prep ahead for lunches. Just skip the romaine and double the cabbage/coleslaw base to make it a Good-All-Week Salad. For another Mexican flavor-inspired dinner idea, try these adobo pork & cauliflower rice taco bowls!

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Serves 4 to 6

Cook time: 45 minutes active + 30 minutes to 24 hours for the chicken and veggies to marinate