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Quick Chicken Fajita Marinade

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Want to make the best chicken fajitas at home tonight? Use this quick and easy chicken fajita marinade and make it happen!

You can even use this marinade for basting grilled or baked chicken, veggies, skewers, even other proteins like seafood and beef!

20-minutes is all it takes to infuse your chicken with the classic flavors of the restaurant-style recipe!

zip bag of chicken marinating for fajitas

You’re probably here for fajitas, so I’m going to give you all the tips I know to make the best chicken fajitas that are tender, juicy, and delicious at home.

Chicken Fajita Marinade Ingredients

This fajita marinade adds to the chicken and veggies with fresh lime juice, paprika, and chili spices. Here’s everything you need to make it: 

  • Olive oil
  • Fresh lime juice
  • Salt
  • Dried oregano
  • Cumin powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Chili powder
  • Paprika
  • Crushed red pepper flakes

Serve with: Roasted Peppers and Onions

bowl of fajita marinade with a whisk

How to Make Fajita Marinade

This is a super easy marinade that comes together in less than a minute. Grab a bowl, a whisk, and those marinade ingredients because we are about to make this: 

  1. To a medium bowl, add the olive oil, lime juice, and seasonings. Whisk until incorporated. 
  2. Transfer the marinade to a large zip bag or airtight container and add the prepped chicken. Seal, marinate and cook. 

How easy is that?! You can even watch how this recipe comes together in the video below:

How Long to Marinate Chicken for Fajitas

When it comes to fajita marinade, the chicken should marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes and no more than 24 hours. After a day, the lime juice will begin “cooking” the meat and make it tough.

Using citrus juices such as lime or lemon in marinades is effective because the acids enter the meat quickly, giving more flavor in a shorter amount of time than soy-based marinades. This recipe and my Lemon Chicken Marinade prove it and are often used to cook chicken fast.

large bowl of chicken strips being marinated for fajitas

Prepping Your Marinated Chicken for Fajitas

To make perfect chicken fajitas, I start with butterflying the chicken breasts; this ensures that every slice will be the same thickness and cook faster without drying out. 

Next, you’ll slice the chicken halves into thin strips, making sure to go against the grain, which is the real secret behind tender pieces of cooked meat. 

Don’t know how? Check out this video where I show you how to slice protein against the grain.

After your marinade, you can easily cook your chicken and get tasty fajitas like these!

chicken fajitas in a large skillet

Check out this post for directions on cooking chicken fajitas

Print

Quick Chicken Fajita Marinade

large skillet of chicken fajitas
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★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

The BEST chicken fajita marinade makes a healthy version of the classic recipe in just 20 minutes! Add up to 2 lbs of chicken and enjoy! 

  • Author: Laura Fuentes
  • Prep Time: 3 minutes
  • Total Time: 3 minutes
  • Yield: ½ cup
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Tacos
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

For 1.5lbs to 2lbs chicken:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 ½ teaspoons seasoned salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk the olive oil with lime juice, salt, oregano, cumin,  garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, and red pepper flakes. 
  2. Transfer marinade into a zip bag or bowl and combine with chicken.
  3. Marinade for 20 minutes and cook chicken according to the recipe.

Equipment

the taco tuesday cookbook

The Taco Tuesday Cookbook

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Notes

The nutritional data below is for the full recipe using 2 lbs of chicken. Please note that you’ll be discarding the marinade after seasoning your chicken.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 284
  • Sugar: 1g
  • Sodium: 3536.1mg
  • Fat: 29.3g
  • Saturated Fat: 4.2g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 9g
  • Fiber: 2.5g
  • Protein: 1.8g
  • Cholesterol: 0mg

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @MOMables on Instagram and hashtag it #momables

More Tacos

  • The Best Tacos Rancheros
  • Scrambled Egg Tacos with Salsa Verde
  • Steak & Eggs Breakfast Tacos
  • Black Bean Taquitos 

Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Melissa

    July 26, 2022 at 12:16 pm

    I’ve never left reviews before-but this was SO good! Kids are it up. It’ll be going in the meal rotation.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      July 27, 2022 at 11:32 am

      I’m so glad you enjoyed the chicken fajita marinade! Thank you for sharing that you and your family enjoyed it.

      Reply
  2. Donna Perry

    January 22, 2022 at 9:33 am

    This marinade was fabulous! True to the word…it only took 20 minutes!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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