How to Make the Best Fajitas

How to make the ultimate, tastiest fajitas with steak, chicken, and shrimp. Our versatile and flavorful seasoning works on everything. Use our recipe to make chicken, steak, or a combination, and it’s easy!

Watch the Video

How to Make the Best Fajitas Recipe Video

Related: We love these veggie quesadillas.

Whenever we order fajitas, we always order the combination. Seeing a big sizzling plate of chicken, steak, and shrimp come to the table doesn’t get much better. We love it so much that we were determined to replicate it at home. I know cooking three proteins for dinner seems like a lot, but it’s not as difficult as you may think. With our clever recipe, you can get these on the table in no time.

How to Make Fajitas

We’ve shared fajitas on Inspired Taste before. Thanks to a garlic citrus marinade, these easy chicken fajitas are juicy and ultra-flavorful.

Fajitas cook quickly. Because of the quick cooking time, we’re okay with taking a bit of time to marinate the meat.

We don’t use a wet marinade and instead use a simple spice rub. Our homemade chili powder inspired our fajita seasoning mix. In it, we mix ancho chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and smoked paprika. It’s strong in flavor and works beautifully with chicken, steak, and even shrimp.

Seasoning the Ingredients for fajitas

For the steak fajitas, we use flank or skirt steak. They cook quickly but can be a bit tough. To get around this, rub the steak with fajita seasoning and salt in advance.

By adding the salt 30 minutes before cooking, it has a chance to improve the flavor and texture of the meat. As a result, the steak tastes terrific, and it’s extra tender.

We use the same seasoning for the chicken, which turns into a flavorful crust after cooking. The same goes for the shrimp. Merely dust the shrimp with fajita seasoning before cooking.

When it comes to cooking, start with chicken. It takes the longest. You can use chicken breast (like we do) or chicken thighs. For the juiciest chicken, we use our go-to method for cooking chicken breast. Brown one side of the chicken in a pan, flip it, turn the heat down to low, and cover with a lid.

Cooking the chicken over low heat with the lid helps to keep the chicken moist and tender inside. We do this for juicy pork chops, too! Next, transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and cover with foil while preparing the steak and shrimp.

Use the same pan you used to cook the chicken in to cook the steak. Strip steak or flank steak is straightforward to cook. Cook it on both sides until brown on the outside and slightly pink on the inside.

We cook our steak to medium, which means an internal thermometer will read close to 135 degrees F. Transfer the steak to the plate with chicken and cover with foil to rest.

Steak, Chicken, and Shrimp fajitas cooked and ready to serve.

Now it’s time for the veggies and shrimp. Both cook quickly. Start with the vegetables. Sliced onions and peppers are a must. Just throw them into the same pan and cook until they begin to soften.

As the veggies cook, you’ll notice that they release some moisture, which mixes with the flavor stuck on the bottom of the pan leftover from cooking the chicken and steak.

Just as the peppers and onions finish, move them to one side of the pan and add the shrimp. Cook the shrimp until the shrimp are firm and opaque throughout.

For the last step, we enhance the sauce in the pan with some extra liquid. Here’s where you can have some fun. If you have some in the house, adding a splash of tequila or a light beer works wonders. Otherwise, use a splash of chicken stock.

Steak fajitas

To serve, slice the steak and chicken, then add to the pan with shrimp and vegetables. Adding the sliced chicken and steak directly into the skillet will reheat them. Then all you need to do is enjoy it!

Grab your favorite fajita toppings — we always have avocado or fresh guacamole, one or more salsas like pico de gallo or tomatillo salsa, and some lettuce, sour cream, and cheese.

We highly recommend homemade flour tortillas! Here’s how we make them — there’s even a video to guide you through the easy recipe.

More Easy Recipes

Our simple shredded chicken tacos are full of flavor thanks to well-seasoned chicken and a bright and creamy cilantro sauce.

Try our vegetarian tacos packed full of spice-roasted vegetables and black beans for a bit of protein.

Thanks to ground pork, these easy pork tacos come together fast. You can even make the filling in advance.

A skillet of the Best Fajitas with Chicken, Steak, Shrimp and Veggies

How to Make the Best Fajitas

  • PREP
  • COOK
  • TOTAL

Fajitas cook quickly, so taking a bit of time to season steak, chicken, or shrimp with our simple fajita seasoning is a good idea. Use our recipe as a guide; you can make all three proteins or choose one. Use 2 ½ pounds of protein for six people. Even though it is only the two of us, we still make the whole batch. The leftovers are fabulous.

Serves 6 when served with sides

Watch Us Make the Recipe

You Will Need

For the Fajitas

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Salt and fajita seasoning, recipe below

1 pound flank or strip steak

1 pound chicken breast (2 medium)

1/2 pound shrimp, deveined with tails left on

1 pound bell peppers or poblano peppers, sliced (3 medium)

1 large onion, sliced into half moons

1 tablespoon minced garlic, about 3 cloves

3 tablespoons tequila, light beer or chicken stock

2 limes

Fajita Seasoning

1 ½ teaspoons ancho chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

What to Serve with Fajitas

Warm tortillas, try homemade flour tortillas

Beans and rice

Avocado or homemade guacamole

Sour cream

Fresh tomato, pico de gallo or roasted tomato salsa

Shredded lettuce

Shredded cheese or crumbled queso fresco

Directions

  • Prepare Seasoning
  • 1Mix the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and smoked paprika in a small bowl.

    2Season the steak, chicken, and shrimp with salt and a generous dusting of fajita seasoning. We use 1/2 teaspoon of salt for the steak, 1/2 teaspoon for the chicken, and 1/4 teaspoon for the shrimp. Set the steak and shrimp aside while you cook the chicken.

  • Cook Chicken
  • 1Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a wide skillet (with a lid, or you can use foil) over medium-high heat. As soon as the oil is hot and looks shimmery, add the chicken. Cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the chicken so that the seared side is facing up.

    2Reduce the heat to low, then cover the skillet with a lid or use foil. Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the breast. Transfer chicken to a plate and cover loosely with aluminum foil.

    3Note: Use the time while the chicken is cooking to chop the onions, peppers, and garlic.

  • Cook Steak
  • 1Pour any liquid left in the pan out and use a paper towel to wipe the bottom of the skillet. It is okay if there are bits of chicken or spices stuck to the bottom. (If you want to, you can save the liquid to add back to the pan later.)

    2Put the skillet back onto the heat, increase to medium-high heat, and add another two teaspoons of oil. As soon as the oil is hot and looks shimmery, add the steak. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until brown, and then flip to the other side and let cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Check the internal temperature. If it is not ready, turn the heat to low and continue to cook until it reaches your preferred doneness. For medium, cook to 135 degrees F. Transfer steak to the plate with chicken and cover loosely with aluminum foil.

  • Cook Vegetables and Shrimp
  • 1Put the skillet back onto the heat, increase to medium-high heat, and add another two teaspoons of oil. Add the onions, peppers, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring until they start to soften and brown a bit; about 5 minutes. As the veggies cook, use tongs or a wooden spoon to scrape up bits of chicken, steak, or spices stuck to the bottom of the pan.

    2When the peppers and onions are ready, pile them up on one side of the pan. Place the shrimp into the pan and cook, stirring, until the shrimp are firm and opaque throughout; 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer cooked shrimp to a plate.

  • To Finish
  • 1To finish, turn the heat down to low, arrange the vegetables on the bottom of the skillet, stir in tequila, beer or stock, and cook for 1 minute. Take the pan off of the heat. Slice the chicken and steak then arrange the chicken, steak, and shrimp on the peppers and onions. Finish with a generous squeeze of lime.

    2Serve the fajitas family style with more lime on the side as well as your favorite side dishes.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

  • We use all of the spice seasoning, but if you have some leftover, store it in a resealable container or plastic bag for next time.
  • Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste

Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1/6 of the recipe / Calories 314 / Total Fat 11.1g / Saturated Fat 2.8g / Cholesterol 161.3mg / Sodium 764.3mg / Carbohydrate 10.2g / Dietary Fiber 2.7g / Total Sugars 4.9g / Protein 42.4g
AUTHOR:  Adam and Joanne Gallagher
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24 comments… Leave a Review
  • Barb S March 13, 2023, 2:20 pm

    So happy I found this recipe! I also added 1tsp brown sugar and 1tsp onion powder. Made this for 6 adults and it was a huge hit! Thanks for your detailed recipe and tips! This has been added to our dinner rotation!

    Reply
    • Adam September 17, 2023, 2:12 pm

      No problem. So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂

      Reply
  • Barb November 4, 2022, 6:19 pm

    Thank for this fabulous recipe! Amazing how tender the chicken breasts came out! Also used beef tenderloin. I also added 1tsp brown sugar and 1 tsp onion powder to the spice rub. My family loved it. Will be adding this recipe to our rotation. Thanks again!

    Reply
  • helen pursell April 12, 2022, 8:31 pm

    Your site is excellent. Do not need to go searching for recipes as you have it all.

    Reply
    • Adam September 17, 2023, 2:13 pm

      You have made our day with this comment 🙂

      Reply
  • Veronica Gilligan January 26, 2022, 4:44 pm

    I love trying new recipes

    Reply
  • Marlon Samaniego October 8, 2021, 8:07 pm

    Excellent and easy recipe. I even made the tortillas for the first time. All was delicious.

    Reply
    • Adam September 17, 2023, 2:14 pm

      Yay! Making this with freshly made tortillas really does take it to a whole new level. So glad you enjoyed it 🙂

      Reply
  • Roxanne Weightman August 25, 2021, 9:24 pm

    The peppers are abundant in stores now, great luck for my first time making this. I was so impressed with the directions and ingredents I invited a friend to share, I’m brave! We both LOVED them!

    Reply
    • Adam September 17, 2023, 2:14 pm

      What a nice comment! So glad you loved the recipe 🙂

      Reply
  • Fred August 7, 2021, 8:10 am

    I just found your recipe for Fajitas. Excellent detailed recipe. Sounds so good. Planning to make for large family gathering Next week.Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Adam September 17, 2023, 2:15 pm

      Your welcome! Be sure to come back to let us know how your gathering went 🙂

      Reply
  • Michelle June 18, 2021, 8:55 pm

    I’ve been on the hunt for a great fajita recipe and this really delivered!!!

    Reply
    • Adam September 17, 2023, 2:15 pm

      Yay! Thanks for the kind review 🙂

      Reply
  • Ali April 13, 2021, 5:35 pm

    My family and I really liked this one! I’m back to make it once more! Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Adam September 17, 2023, 2:15 pm

      You are very welcome! Glad your family thinks the recipe is a keeper 🙂

      Reply
  • Debra Carr October 10, 2020, 12:33 pm

    Can you use ribeye steak in place of the flank or skirt steak?

    Reply
    • Joanne September 12, 2021, 4:36 pm

      Yep!

      Reply
    • Adam September 17, 2023, 2:16 pm

      You absolutely can!

      Reply
  • Charlie Torra August 19, 2020, 1:22 pm

    I look forward to seeing more recipies and I am making the fahitas today and will try your scallop recipe

    Reply
  • Sarahi Espinoza April 6, 2020, 12:41 am

    Ah! This is literally THE BEST fajitas recipe!! First time making fajitas and I wanted them to be perfect for my parents’ birthday (they both were born on the same day). Crazy I know! But anyways, I kept looking up recipes and I found this one, so perfectly detailed! And I followed it to the bone- they came out AMAZING! Everyone loved them! Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Adam September 17, 2023, 2:17 pm

      Wonderful! So glad that their birthday fajitas were a hit 🙂

      Reply
  • Glenn D Stevens October 17, 2018, 10:33 pm

    Thanks you guys are epic!!!!!!!

    Reply
    • Adam September 17, 2023, 2:16 pm

      Wow! What a nice comment. We are blushing 🙂

      Reply

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