Description
Cheesy Baked Fajita Chicken is a flavorful and easy-to-make dish featuring tender chicken breasts baked with colorful bell peppers and onions, seasoned with fajita spices and topped with melted Mexican blend cheese. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, this recipe combines vibrant flavors with a comforting cheesy finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Seasoning
- 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fajita seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetables
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
- 1 small red onion, sliced
Cheese and Garnish
- 1 ½ cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Dish: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly grease a baking dish to prevent sticking and set it aside.
- Toss Vegetables: In a small bowl, combine the sliced red, green, and yellow bell peppers along with the sliced red onion. Toss them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper to season evenly.
- Arrange Vegetables: Spread the seasoned vegetables evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish as a colorful base layer for the chicken.
- Season Chicken: Rub the chicken breasts with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then coat both sides thoroughly with the fajita seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste if desired.
- Place Chicken on Vegetables: Lay the seasoned chicken breasts on top of the arranged vegetables in the baking dish, ensuring they are spaced evenly.
- Bake Chicken and Vegetables: Place the dish uncovered in the preheated oven and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
- Add Cheese: Remove the baking dish from the oven and evenly sprinkle the shredded Mexican blend cheese over the cooked chicken and vegetables.
- Melt Cheese: Return the dish to the oven for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden.
- Rest and Garnish: Let the baked fajita chicken rest for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro if desired, for a fresh burst of flavor.
Notes
- Serve this dish over rice, wrapped in warm tortillas, or paired with a side of beans for a complete meal.
- To save prep time, you can use pre-sliced fajita vegetables available in many grocery stores.
- For extra heat, add sliced jalapeños to the vegetable mix before baking.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken breast with veggies
- Calories: 410
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 640 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 42 g
- Cholesterol: 115 mg
