30-Minute Chicken Fajita Bowls with Avocado Crema

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 large bell peppers, thinly sliced

1 large red or yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

heaping ½ teaspoon garlic powder, divided

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, thinly sliced into ¼-inch strips (see Recipe Notes)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon agave nectar (can sub honey or brown sugar)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 lime, juiced

1 ½ teaspoons ancho chili powder

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

heaping ½ teaspoon garlic powder

kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season

1 large avocado, pitted and peeled

1 large jalapeño, deseeded as desired

1 clove garlic

2 limes, juiced (approx. scant ¼ cup juice)

⅓ cup packed cilantro leaves and tender stems

⅓ cup sour cream or full-fat yogurt

2-3 tablespoons water

kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season

2 ears sweet corn, charred

one 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups cooked rice (white, brown, cauliflower rice, other grain of choice, etc.)

finely chopped cilantro

sliced cherry tomatoes and/or salsa of choice

shredded cheese of choice

shredded lettuce

lime wedges

Directions

Prep

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, ensuring one rack is positioned in the top third of the oven. To a medium bowl, add all listed fajitas veggies ingredients, seasoning with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Toss to combine well, then transfer to a large, rimmed baking sheet. To the same bowl, add all listed chili lime chicken ingredients, seasoning with 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Toss to combine well, then transfer to the same baking sheet as the fajitas veggies. Do your best to spread everything into an even layer so nothing is especially overcrowded on the pan.

Roast the sheet pan chicken fajitas:

Transfer the sheet pan to the oven. Roast 10-12 minutes, just until the chicken is cooked through—the chicken should be juicy + tender and the veggies should be crisp and colorful. If desired, finish under the broiler for a crispy, browned finish a la sizzling skillet fajitas. In the last 3-4 minutes of roasting, turn the broiler on its highest setting and broil, carefully rotating the pan halfway through, until the chicken fajitas are browned and slightly crisp. Remove from the oven and set aside for serving.

Chicken fajitas bowls prep:

Meanwhile, as the chicken fajitas roast, prepare any bowl fixings you’d like. I always whip up a quick batch of avocado crema and char up some sweet corn.

For charred sweet corn, place husked ears of corn directly over a gas burner. Light to a medium-high flame and cook about 2 minutes per side or until as charred as desired. (If you do not have a gas stove, you can also char the corn on an outdoor grill, in a grill pan, or under the broiler.)

Assemble chicken fajitas bowls with avocado crema and fixings of choice

Build your chicken fajitas bowls as desired. I like to swoop the avocado crema directly along the sides of the bowl, then create a base of rice, beans, and sheet pan chicken fajitas. Finish with other toppings, as desired, like fresh tomatoes and/or salsa, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, lots of fresh cilantro, and a good squeeze of lime juice. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 Bowl
• Calories: 575
• Total Fat: 20.5 g
• Saturated Fat: 5.1 g
• Trans Fat: 0.2 g
• Cholesterol: 71.1 mg
• Sodium: 839 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 74.4 g
• Dietary Fiber: 13.1 g
• Total Sugars: 12.5 g
• Protein: 26.6 g