This chicken fajita marinade is a blend of olive oil, lime juice and spices, all mixed together to form the perfect flavoring for zesty fajitas. You can also use this marinade to make Mexican style chicken for burritos, nachos, tacos and more!
Mexican food is favorite in my house, every week I find myself making steak tacos, chicken enchiladas or chicken fajitas. This fajita marinade takes just 5 minutes to put together and always gets rave reviews.
I have been making this chicken fajita marinade for many years – it’s my absolute favorite way to add flavor to plain old chicken breasts! This is the best method of enjoying restaurant style fajitas in the comfort of your own home.
How do you make chicken fajita marinade?
This marinade is a mixture of olive oil, lime juice, minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and onion powder. Whisk all of the ingredients together and you’ve got a simple yet flavorful marinade. Add chicken to the marinade, and let it sit in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes. Cook your chicken as desired, along with peppers and onions, and you’ll have delicious fajitas to enjoy!
Tips for the perfect marinade
- Be sure to use freshly squeezed lime juice.
- I use a mild chili powder, so I add 2 tablespoons to my marinade. If you’re using a chili powder that packs some heat, you may want to cut it back to 1 tablespoon.
- Smoked paprika can be found in the spice aisle of most grocery stores and adds so much great flavor.
- This recipe makes enough marinade to coat about 1 pound of chicken.
- You can use chicken breasts, chicken thighs or chicken tenders in this marinade. I typically use chicken breasts that are cut into strips.
- This marinade can be made up to 2 days before you plan to use it.
How long can you marinate chicken?
This chicken should soak in the marinade for a minimum of 30 minutes, and a maximum of 8 hours. The marinade contains a large amount of lime juice, and the acid in the juice can change the texture of the chicken if it soaks for an extended period of time.
Chicken fajita marinade variations
While I typically make this marinade as written, sometimes I add other ingredients to the mix depending on what I have on hand.
- Herbs: Feel free to add a handful of fresh herbs such as chopped cilantro leaves or sliced green onion.
- Spice: If you prefer a spicy marinade, add some hot sauce or minced canned chipotle peppers to taste.
- Citrus: While lime juice is a classic pairing with Mexican food, you can add some lemon or orange juice to the mix for a different flavor.
- Protein: This marinade also works with other types of protein such as shrimp, flank steak or pork tenderloin.
You can’t go wrong with a good marinade! Whether you choose to grill, pan sear or bake your fajitas, the results will be perfect each and every time.
More Mexican food favorites
Chicken Fajita Marinade Video
Chicken Fajita Marinade
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1-2 tablespoons chili powder depending on the heat level of your chili powder. I use a mild chili powder so I do the full 2 tablespoons.
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Place the olive oil, lime juice, water, sugar, kosher salt, cumin, garlic, smoked paprika, onion powder, chili powder and pepper in a bowl.
- Stir to combine.
- Add 1 pound of sliced chicken, 1 1/2 cups sliced bell peppers and 1/2 cup sliced onions to the bowl and toss to coat.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
Very excellent recipe! It is easy to get ready! I love making my own things because I know what I put into it. Thanks for sharing!
First time making this particular recipe. Wish I found it sooner! Marinated the chicken for about an hour. Made very minimal changes. I
used about a TBSP and a half of the chili powder. The onions and peppers were a frozen fajita mix that is actually pretty flavoral, fajitas rajas brand. Since I was using a pan, the fajita mix was able to take in some of the marinade as it was simmering for the last few minutes. I made ours with tortillas and a side of yellow rice. My husband said he should have skipped the rice and made another fajita! This will be added to my favorites for dinner rotation.
How much chicken is this for?
2 pounds!
I’ve made this recipe several times since I found it, and it is a keeper! The one thing I do differently is that I don’t marinate the onions and veggies with the meat. I tried it with and without marinating the veggies and I strongly prefer the texture of the peppers and onions if I don’t marinate them. Aside from that, I make it exactly as written, sticking with 2 tbsp of chili powder, as I use a fairly mild variety (El Guapo New Mexico Chili Powder.)
Great marinade. Have used chipotle chili powder, added shrimp for last hour of marinating& last 6-7 minutes of cooking. I “pan grill” on med high heat so everything gets a bit of a sear. Also save about 1/3 cup liquid marinade with added TBSP brown sugar for extra caramelizing veggies if needed.
I have this recipe in my monthly dinner rotation because it is so flavorful. My husband enjoys it over jasmine rice, while I prefer it in a low-carb tortilla with all the toppings. Thank you for sharing! The only adjustment I made was to use less fresh lemon juice for two pounds of skinless, boneless chicken thighs. It turned out great, of course.
Easy and delicious!
My 15 year old says this is the best chicken marinade ever! Thank you!
I loved it! Delicious, even from my picky 4 year old. I tripled the ingredients for my 3 lbs of chicken thighs. My foodie hubs agreed with my 4 yr old. Yummm!
This fajita marinade is the best. I even use it to make grilled chicken. Delicious.
What happened after step 4 of the instructions?
You can cook the fajitas the way you like! You can pan sear, broil or grill them. Here is instructions for pan cooking: https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/chicken-fajitas-recipe/ and here for grilling https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/grilled-chicken-fajitas-on-a-stick/
Made this tonight for the first time….WOW! Is all I can say! It is an excellent recipe for fajitas. Will definitely make on a regular basis.
Really good! Used a tad more lime juice, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of Chipotle powder. I cut up 1/2 onion, one yellow bell pepper, one red bell pepper, and a whole poblano. Yummy!!
Love this marinade! After making it countless times I have to leave a review. My first time making this the only ingredient I didn’t have on hand was the fresh lime juice, so I went with what I did have; mandarin cuties. Used the same amount as you would the lime (historically 3 cuties) and it came out SO GOOD. So good that we’ve done it the same way ever since! This is in heavy rotation at our house.