Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Texture: Juicy chicken and tender vegetables covered in a smooth marinade.
Taste: The perfect blend of salty, sweet, and tangy.
Ease: Easy prep and multiple cooking methods available.
Top Tips: Thinly slice the chicken into 1/2″ strips, cutting against the grain, for best results! You can even freeze the chicken for 30 minutes to make slicing easier.
Would I make these again? Definitely! This chicken fajita marinade makes it possible to whip up an easy dinner with bold flavors and little effort. Plus it’s a great make-ahead recipe!
xoxo erin
Featured Comment
From Journa: “This is a new go-to marinade recipe! Instructions are very easy to follow and the chicken fajitas turned out to be so tender and juicy. I would definitely make this on repeat.“
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make this chicken fajita marinade. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Soy sauce: This is the foundation of the marinade, adding deep umami and saltiness. If you need a gluten-free option, use gluten-free soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos.
- Brown sugar: The brown sugar not only adds sweetness, but also helps caramelize the chicken for a perfect golden-brown sear.
- Lime juice: Always include an acidic ingredient in any marinade, like fresh lime juice or even orange juice, to tenderize the meat. Add lime zest for even more citrus flavor!
- White vinegar: This adds more acidity to further tenderize the meat and enhance flavor.
- Oil: A bit of oil helps coat the chicken evenly, keeps it moist during cooking, and carries the marinade’s flavors. You can use any neutral oil.
You also might like these breakfast tacos!
How to Make Chicken Fajita Marinade
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
Throw the marinade ingredients into a shallow dish or large Ziploc bag, then add the chicken, onion, and bell peppers. Mix everything together until evenly coated, then marinate for at least 1 hour (up to 24 hours). Avoid marinating longer than 24 hours, as the acidity can make the chicken mushy.
You can easily pan sear or broil the marinated chicken and vegetables. If you prefer grilling, thread the chicken and vegetables onto skewers. You can also grill the chicken breasts whole and use a grill basket for the veggies.
Serve on tortillas with your favorite toppings! Here are a few ideas to get you started: avocado, cheese, tomatoes, guacamole, pico de gallo, lettuce, sour cream, and more!
Try these gluten-free flour tortillas with this recipe! And serve the fajitas alongside slow-cooker pinto beans for dinner made easy!
Best Chicken Fajita Marinade
Video
Ingredients
For the Marinade:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce, use gluten-free if needed
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
For the Fajitas:
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 2 large bell peppers (any color), thinly sliced
Instructions
- Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a large ziploc bag or shallow dish. Add the sliced chicken, onion and bell peppers. Mix to coat evenly. Marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Pan Sear: Cook the vegetables in a hot skillet over medium-high heat for 6–8 minutes. Then add the chicken and cook for another 4-5 minutes until cooked through.Grill: Thread marinated chicken onto skewers or grill directly over medium-high heat for 6–7 minutes per side, and grill veggies in a basket or on skewers until lightly charred.Broil: Preheat the oven to broil (500°F), spread chicken and veggies on a foil-lined baking sheet, and broil 5–6 inches from the heat for 10–12 minutes, flipping halfway through, until cooked through and slightly charred.
- Serve on corn or flour tortillas with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in April 2013. It was updated with new photos and instructions in July 2025.
fantastic!! Best I’ve ever had. My b/s chicken thighs made scrumptious fajitas. Applause. thank you.
Hi Sandra, we’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for your positive feedback!
This recipe is delicious!! I’ve made it twice. Once I grilled the chicken and the other time I used a cast iron skillet. Both ways were super juicy and the chicken had amazing flavor. You won’t be disappointed.
Yay! We’re so pleased to hear how much you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience with us!
Excellent recipe! It reminded us of Chili’s fajitas. We used gluten-free soy sauce, otherwise, followed the recipe to a tea and let it marinate for about an hour. I will be sharing this recipe with others.
Yay! We’re glad you loved it Mandy! Thanks for sharing your feedback with us.
Made the marinade in a 2 cup glass measuring container with these changes: 2 TB brown sugar, 4 cloves garlic, no salt, 1 tsp smoked paprika (i/o pepper), 1/2 tsp Trader Joe’s chili lime seasoning (i/o) cumin and 1 tsp smoked ground chipotle peppers (added at the end). 2 cups marinade went on 2 sliced chicken breasts. I had about 1 chicken breast sized bit of leftover smoked turkey, so I minced it to match and added it to the glass cup. I cooked as per your instructions, but added the chipotle and turkey (using tongs) to the pan with the veg. The reserved marinade (untouched by raw meat) was poured over rice cooked with carrots, celery, and chicken broth. Fabulous meal, the family loved it, and it was dead easy. This is a very good, adaptable recipe! Thank you.
I don’t use tomatoes in my fajitas so I just went with the peppers and onions as usual. This marinade is unbelievably delicious. When you cook the chicken in a hot pain you get a beautiful brown on the strips, the slight sweetness of the sauce. Oh my goodness. This will be my go to marinade forever.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment 🙂
I made these when we had friends over for dinner and they Loved it too. Told them where I got the recipe because of course they wanted it. This is definitely a go to for me. Thanks it’s very yummy
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Made the marinade last night and it was fantastic.
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it! 🙂
This was simple, easy delicious! My family loved these, thank you. We’ll do these again very soon.
I’m so glad it turned out for you!
Yum yum yum! Turned out so good!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
This is a new go-to marinade recipe! Instructions are very easy to follow and the chicken fajitas turned out to be so tender and juicy. I would definitely make this on repeat.