Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas (Whole30, Low Carb)

This sheet pan chicken fajitas recipe is perfect for weeknight meals and I’ve perfected the technique so the dish won’t come out soggy. Plus, it’s an all-in-one meal that’s Whole30-friendly, even topped with a dairy-free avocado crema!

The quest for perfect sheet pan chicken fajitas

Chicken fajitas and sheet pan suppers would seem like a marriage made in a busy home cook’s heaven. I mean, who wouldn’t fall in love with the idea of chicken strips, bell peppers, and onions tossed in a Tex-Mex inspired marinade, oven-roasted for a few minutes, and plated up on a busy weeknight? Sadly, it turns out that the reality—like most fairytale Hollywood celebrity unions—rarely winds up as happily-ever-after as one would hope.

No more soggy chicken fajitas!

If you’re like me, you’ve no doubt been seduced by the noisy sizzle of fragrant onions and seasoned meat strips at a neighborhood Tex-Mex restaurant. (Psst! That sizzling cast iron platter? It’s just a prop to further a calculated marketing move called the “Fajita effect.” It doesn’t do anything other than make you drool while it overcooks your food.) I had high hopes of coming up with a one-pan approach to making restaurant-style fajitas, but my initial test batches were a let-down. The flavors were right, but the chicken, peppers, and onions ended up steaming in their own juices. I forced my family to choke down tray after tray of soggy, limp piles of meat and veggies swimming in orange-y liquid. Still, despite my kids’ insistence that I throw in the towel, I persisted.

Why? Because (A) I’m no quitter, and (B) I knew my flavors were right and sensed that a breakthrough was right around the corner. Also, (C) I don’t really care if my kids have to eat the same thing four nights in a row.

A wire rack is the solution!

So I kept testing. I tried altering the cooking temperature, preheating the sheet pan in the oven before adding the ingredients, and adjusting the ratio of vegetables—all to no avail. Finally, Henry suggested that I raise the ingredients up on a wire rack—similar to what I do with many of my roasted chicken recipes (like this one and this one)—to see what would happen.

Spoiler: The rack worked!

The extra liquid released from the chopped up veggies and chicken drip through the rack, allowing the fajitas to cook more evenly when elevated! Just make sure you buy a sturdy, oven-safe stainless steel rack like this one. (Chrome racks can flake with time or vigorous scrubbing and may not be heat-safe up to 575°F, like stainless racks.)

What if you don’t use a wire rack?

No rack? I’m giving you fair warning that your fajitas will steam, and the vegetables will end up limp. It’ll still taste good, but you’ll want to tilt the pan and spoon off the extra liquid before serving.

Me? I’m going with the rack. See the difference?

While you’re waiting for your fajitas to finish cooking, you might as well whip up my simple dairy-free Avocado Crema as a topping, too.

This zesty sauce was developed as an accompaniment to my Paleo Shrimp Tacos recipe and it tastes great on everything! (Psst! Totally okay if you want to skip the homemade sauce and use some store-bought guacamole, salsa, and sour cream as the toppings!)

How to make Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

Heat your oven to 450°F with the rack in the middle. Place a stainless steel wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the avocado oil, lime juice, minced garlic…

…kosher salt, and spices. 

Whisk it all together to make a fajita marinade.

Add the chicken thigh strips to the marinade. (Chicken breasts can dry out, but you do you.) Toss in the sliced peppers and onions, too.

Use your hands to combine the ingredients for the sheet pan fajitas.

Plop the chicken and veggies onto the rimmed baking sheet… 

…and spread everything in a single layer.

Place the tray in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then, toss the chicken and veggies, and rotate the tray.

Switch to broil…

…and cook for  an additional 5 to 10 minutes under the broiler or until the chicken is cooked through and the peppers and onions are browned in places. Keep your eyes on the fajitas to make sure nothing burns!

While the chicken is cooking, make the Avocado Crema.  

Cut the avocado in half lengthwise and remove the seed. Scoop the flesh into a food processor or blender. Add the coconut milk, chives, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper.

Blitz until smooth. Add some water to thin out the sauce if desired. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed with salt, pepper, or more lime juice. You can refrigerate the crema in a sealed container for up to 2 days.

Once the chicken and veggies are finished cooking, pull the tray out of the oven. Serve the fajitas with lime wedges, lettuce wraps or grain-free tortillas, and avocado crema.

What do you serve them with?

Traditionally, sheet pan chicken fajitas are served with Mexican rice and refried beans or black beans. To keep things paleo, you can serve this chicken fajita recipe with my Mexican cauliflower rice!

How to store leftovers

The avocado crema can be stored in a sealed airtight container in your fridge for up to 4 days. The chicken fajitas can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to clean your wire rack

One last thing: Wondering how to clean the stainless steel wire rack? After everyone grabs the chicken and veggies off the rack, I take the pan ’n rack to the sink. Then, I flip the rack upside down, place it in the rimmed baking sheet, and cover it with warm soapy water. I let the rack soak while we eat dinner. When we’re done with our meal, I simply wipe the grime off the rack with a sponge. Then, I can either rinse it or put it in the dishwasher to finish cleaning.

But if I were you, I’d get someone else to clean—after all, you did all the cooking! Just don’t tell them how easy it was to make dinner!