Chicken Fajitas are delicious. Chicken Traybakes are delicious. So putting the two together for a chicken fajita traybake will always be good!
I love a chicken traybake or sheet pan bake, and I make them quite regularly, often changing the ingredients and spices to create different flavours.
For this one, I use a homemade fajita spice mix that I also use when I make fajita pasta and homemade chicken fajitas. It’s super simple, easy to change to suit your tastes, and it tastes fantastic on lots of different ingredients.
This sheet bake dinner is a big favourite in our house and makes the perfect midweek meal or an easy alternative to a Sunday roast, which I love when it’s hot.
Why Traybakes Are the Perfect Midweek Dinners
This chicken fajita traybake recipe is a perfect midweek dinner because:
- Traybakes are cheap, especially if you use boneless skinless chicken thighs, or drum portions, instead of breasts, as they are much cheaper.
- Very little washing up with a one pot/one pan dinner like traybake fajitas.
- You can add different veggies and spices to this Mexican traybake.
- Lots of flavour in a fajita chicken traybake.
- Traybakes with roasted veggies are super colourful and filled with nutrients.
- I always think of traybakes as summer comfort food.
- You could serve your chicken fajita bake with tortillas for a more classic Mexican dinner.
- Oven-baked chicken fajitas are very healthy.
Ingredients for a Fajita Spice Mix
For my chicken fajita spice mix, I use:
Paprika
Smoked Paprika
Oregano
Coriander
Cumin
Chilli Power
Salt and Pepper
You can change the quantities and add extra heat with something like chilli flakes or cayenne pepper. But I think this mix is a great starting point.
Ingredients for Chicken Fajita Tray Bake
I tend to use a med veg style mixture for most of my traybakes. They are colourful, juicy and filled with flavour. They also roast really well. However, you really can use anything that roasts. I use:
Olive Oil – Other cooking oil is fine too.
Chicken – Any kind of skinless, boneless fillet is great. You could use breasts or thighs. At the moment, I’m using drum fillets from Aldi. They are small, cheap and are really tasty. I prefer legs and thighs to breasts, but it is just a personal preference. Remember, if you use larger chicken pieces, you will need to cook them longer. Always cut the biggest piece in half to make sure the middle is fully cooked and piping hot before serving.
Chorizo – This is totally optional but makes a fantastic addition.
Red Onion
Bell Peppers
Courgettes
New Potatoes – Baby potatoes and salad potatoes are great, too, anything small. I haven’t used them, but chopped-up sweet potato might be nice too.
Vine Plum Tomatoes – Cherry tomatoes are lovely too, and the vine isn’t essential, but it looks cool.
Is This Chicken Fajita Traybake Spicy?
This chicken fajita traybake recipe isn’t super spicy but has a spicy flavour.
Add a pinch of chilli flakes if you want a fiery chicken fajita traybake.
How to Make a Chicken Fajita Traybake – Step-by-Step Instructions
Traybakes are so easy to make, and this recipe for chicken fajita traybake is no different. You can also get full instructions and quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Disclaimer: While I aim to be as accurate as possible, any advice in this post, including but not limited to, cooking times, quantities, nutritional information and storage and freezing guidance is based on my own experience. Please use your own skills, knowledge and judgement, and get up to date food safety information.
Step One – Making the Fajita Spice Mix
Mix the spices in a small bowl and set to one side.
Step Two – Preparing the Vegetables
Chop or slice all the veggies (except for the tomatoes) and place them in a large mixing bowl.
If your bowl is too small, you might need to do this in a few batches.
Drizzle with oil, add a good tablespoon of the spice mix, and toss either with your hands or two spoons.
Step Three
Tip the coated vegetables onto a large, deep baking tray (preferably bigger than mine!) and spread out evenly.
Step Four
Slice the chorizo and scatter on top.
Step Five
Place the chicken fillets into the same mixing bowl. Add another drizzle of oil and another tablespoon of spice mix.
Toss until well coated.
Step Six
Nestle the chicken on top of the vegetables.
Step Seven
Bake at 180 degrees C (fan-assisted) for 20 minutes or longer if using large chicken fillets.
Step Eight
Remove from the oven.
Step Nine
If you can, toss everything about to re-cover in oil that’s now at the bottom of the pan.
My traybakes are always massive, so I push everything out of one corner, tilt the pan carefully, and use a spoon to collect oil to drizzle back onto the top. Just be careful and use an oven glove.
Step Ten
Nestle on the tomatoes.
Step Eleven
Return to the oven for a further ten minutes.
Step Twelve
Check that the largest piece of chicken is cooked through and piping hot. Return to the oven if necessary.
If using store-bought packaged chicken, I recommend checking the packet for cooking times and sticking to these, but most fillets will be cooked in 30 minutes.
Here’s a rough guide on how long breasts take to cook.
What to do with Leftover Fajita Spice Mix
If you have leftover spice mix, keep it in a sealed tub in a dark cupboard with your other spices.
You can use it on pasta dishes, other traybakes and, of course, for homemade fajitas. It would be fantastic on roasted veggies or steak fajitas, as well as on chicken.
What to do with Leftover Fajita Tray Bake
If you have any leftover traybake, remove it from the cooking pan and place it in a clean tub or bowl. Leave on the countertop to cool.
Then, cover and place in the fridge overnight.
Reheat on a baking tray in the oven until piping hot, and serve as it is or with some sour cream, as a side dish if you just have leftover vegetables or leftover potatoes, or in wraps for leftover chicken fajitas.
Chicken Fajita Traybake
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Teaspoons Paprika
- 1 Teaspoon Oregano
- 1 Teaspoon Coriander
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin
- 1 Teaspoon Chilli Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- Pinch Salt and pepper
- 600 g Chicken Fillets (boneless, skinless thighs, drums or breasts are fine)
- 200 g Chorizo (Sliced)
- 2 Red Onions (Peeled and cut into chunks)
- 2 Courgettes (Sliced)
- 3 Peppers (Seeds removed and cut into thick slices)
- 500 g New Potatoes (Larger ones cut in half)
- 200 g Vine Plum Tomatoes
Instructions
- Mix the spices, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and set to one side.
- Place the vegetables (except for the tomatoes) in a large mixing bowl in two batches if needed.
- Drizzle with oil, add a good tablespoon of the spice mix, and toss either with your hands or two spoons.
- Tip the coated vegetables onto a large, deep baking tray and spread out evenly.
- Scatter the chorizo on top.
- Place the chicken fillets into the same mixing bowl. Add another drizzle of oil and another tablespoon of spice mix.
- Toss until well coated.
- Nestle the chicken on top of the vegetables.
- Bake at 180 degrees C (fan-assisted) for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven.
- If you can, toss everything about to re-cover in oil that’s now at the bottom of the pan. (Alternatively, use a spoon to collect oil from a corner by tilting the pan, and drizzle over the top)
- Nestle on the tomatoes.
- Return to the oven for a further ten minutes.
- Check that the largest piece of chicken is cooked through and piping hot.
- Return to the oven if necessary.
- Serve straight away.
Notes
- I use boneless skinless thighs or drum fillets. Breasts would be fine, too. Just make sure they are cooked through and piping hot and bake for longer if necessary.
- Read the post above for more tips and advice.
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
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