Recipe

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Get ready to transform plain chicken in just 20 minutes with this chicken fajita marinade. It's quick, bold, and packs all the restaurant-style flavors you love.

With this easy chicken fajita marinade, you’ll have juicy, flavor-packed chicken on the table faster than going out to eat.

zip bag of chicken marinating for fajitas

Marinade for Chicken Fajitas

When I don't know what to make for dinner but I have chicken, this chicken fajita marinade is my go-to. In just 20 minutes, it infuses the chicken with all the flavor you need for a dinnertime win.

While the chicken sizzles, I sip on my best margarita recipe and dip chips into some spicy guacamole. When the chicken is ready, I wrap it all up in warm tortillas and turn it into easy chicken fajita tacos.

Ingredients

To infuse the chicken breasts or thighs, you’ll need olive oil, lime juice, and simple seasonings: salt, dried oregano, ground cumin, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, and optionally, crushed red pepper flakes for a pinch of heat.

Top left: a bowl with fajita marinade. Top right: chicken strips soaked in marinade. Bottom: a pan with chicken fajita, peppers and lime wedges

How Long to Marinate Chicken for Fajitas

20 to 30 minutes is long enough to infuse the chicken with all the flavors in the marinade, but no more than 8 hours. At that point, the acid in the lime juice begins to break down the proteins and change the texture of the chicken. Once done, follow these directions for cooking chicken fajitas.

Tips for the Most Flavorful Marinade

Cut whole breasts or thighs into fajita strips or smaller pieces before marinating. The more the chicken is exposed to the marinade, the more flavorful.
Prep the marinade ahead, but avoid over-marinating. If you want to save time, mix the marinade a day ahead, but remember that the chicken only needs 20 minutes.
Fresh lime juice makes a big difference in the flavor and the tenderizing of the protein.
Don’t skip the oil. It helps the spices and herbs get into the meat. You’ll discard the marinade anyway.
Use a marinade bag or smaller dish so the marinade covers as much of the chicken as possible.

Variations

Fresh herbs: chop up some fresh cilantro, lemon thyme, or fresh oregano instead of the dried in the recipe.
Fresh aromatics: swap the garlic powder for 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or grated.
Use orange juice instead of lime. This citrus pairs great with all the spices.
Make it spicier by adding 1 tablespoon of minced chipotle peppers in adobo, ½ teaspoon of red chili flakes, or by chopping up ½ of a jalapeño.

Quick Chicken Fajita Marinade

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 3

Marinating time: 20

Total Time: 23

Get ready to transform plain chicken in just 20 minutes with this chicken fajita marinade. It's quick, bold, and packs all the restaurant-style flavors you love.

5 from 58 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

For 1.5lbs to 2lbs chicken:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
2 pounds chicken breasts, or thighs

Instructions

In a medium bowl or in a zip bag, combine the olive oil with lime juice, salt, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, and red pepper flakes.
Add the chicken to the marinade bowl or zip bag, toss to coat all the pieces with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap or zip the bag closed and refrigerate it for 20 minutes to marinate.
Once it's ready, remove the chicken from the bag onto your skillet and cook chicken according to the recipe. Discard the marinade left in the bag.

Notes

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

Fresh herbs: chop up some fresh cilantro, lemon thyme, or fresh oregano instead of the dried in the recipe.
Fresh aromatics: swap the garlic powder for 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or grated.
Use orange juice instead of lime. This citrus pairs great with all the spices.
Make it spicier by adding 1 tablespoon of minced chipotle peppers in adobo, ½ teaspoon of red chili flakes, or by chopping up ½ of a jalapeño.