Chipotle Lime Chicken Fajita Skewers
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Grilled chipotle lime chicken fajita skewers are marinated in THE BEST chipotle garlic lime marinade. You can also ditch the skewers and cook these fajitas on the stove or on a sheet pan in the oven. No matter how you cook it, this recipe is easy, healthy, low carb & gluten free!
Serve these chicken fajitas with a side of Mexican Rice and Deconstructed Mexican Street Corn. And don’t forget the Watermelon Jalapeno Margaritas!
If you’ve been looking for the best marinade for chicken fajitas, you just found it! Ground chipotle peppers add a spicy, smokey flavor to the marinade. While lime juice gives it a nice zest!
It only takes 5 minutes to prepare the marinade. Simply toss the chicken in and let it marinate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. It’s easy to get this chicken marinating before dinner, while heating up the grill, or before hosting a BBQ or party.
These skewers have been a Bond family favorite for years and I know you’re going to love this great recipe too! If you want to make traditional chicken fajitas, without the skewers, you can use this recipe for that also.
I’ll show you how to make these chicken fajita skewers on the grill, in the oven and on the stove. This recipe is less about the skewers and all about the delicious flavor from the marinade!
At only 7 carbs per skewer, this chicken fajita recipe is perfect for those on a low carb or keto diet. For a complete low carb meal, serve the fajitas with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice and Grilled Stuffed Mini Peppers.
How to make Chicken Fajita Skewers
- Prepare the marinade. In a large bowl, ziplock bag or plastic container, combine lime juice, sea salt and ground cumin.
Add ground chipotle chili powder, fresh cilantro and minced garlic.
- Marinate the chicken. Add diced chicken breast pieces to the marinade. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.
- Quick Tip! You don’t want to marinate chicken in lime juice (or any citrus for that matter!) for more than 2 hours. It will break down the texture of the chicken, taking it from tender to mushy. And we definitely don’t want that!
Also, never marinate chicken in lime juice in a metal bowl. The acid from the lime juice can react to the metal and ruin the chicken.
- Make chicken fajita skewers. After the chicken has marinated, skewer the chicken with large diced bell peppers and red onions on wooden or metal skewers.
- Quick Tip! If using wooden skewers. Be sure to soak the skewers for at least 30 minutes ahead of time. This will prevent the skewers from catching fire on the grill.
- Grill the chicken fajita skewers. Place the skewers on a grill over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Flip and grill for an additional 5-7 minutes.
- Quick Tip! In the winter I use the indoor OptiGrill for all of my grilling. This is the best indoor grill I’ve ever used and I highly recommend it to everyone! You can also use a cast iron grill pan, which I also own and use for things like meatballs and burgers.
How to make Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Instead of grilling these chicken fajitas, you can roast them on a sheet pan in the oven. To make sheet pan chicken fajitas, toss the onions and bell peppers in with the chicken and marinade.
After the chicken has marinated for 30 minutes, remove the chicken and veggies from the marinade. Discard the marinade. Arrange the chicken and veggies in an even layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Place in a 400°F preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and squeeze the additional lime wedges over the chicken before serving.
How to make Chicken Fajitas on the stove
These chicken fajita skewers can also be made on the stove. Prepare the marinade and marinate the chicken as instructed. After the chicken has marinated, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat.
Add the bell peppers and onions, sauté for 3-5 minutes. Drain the chicken and discard the marinade, then add the chicken to the skillet and sauté for 6-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve with lime wedges on the side for squeezing over the chicken fajitas.
What to serve with Chicken Fajitas
These chicken fajita skewers can be served on the skewer for a low carb meal. They can also be taken off the skewer and served in corn or flour tortillas. If serving them in tortillas be sure to warm the tortillas on the grill or in the microwave before serving.
Add the fajitas to the warm tortillas and top them with pico de gallo, sour cream or hot sauce. No matter which way they’re served, these delicious sides will pair perfectly with the dish!
- Mexican Potatoes – creamy, cheesy mashed potatoes, combined with peppers chilies and spices. You can’t go wrong with this scrumptious Mexican side!
- Grilled Romaine Salad with Honey Lime Dressing – while you’re grilling these skewers, throw some romaine on the grill! I love all the delicious flavors in this chopped salad recipe and I know you will too!
- Watermelon Salsa – if I had to pick a favorite salsa recipe, this would be it! It’s so refreshing and flavorful. Once you dip one chip into this magical salsa, you’ll be hooked!
- Green Chili Queso Dip – I mean what fiesta is complete without some seriously delicious green chili white queso?
- Grilled Pineapple Tomatillo Guacamole – this guac is great on the side, or right on top of these fajitas! Grill the tomatillos & pineapple while you’re grilling the chicken skewers, then toss them right in this sweet & smokey guacamole recipe!
Be sure to also check out my fajita seasoning recipe. It’s delicious in these recipes for Veggie Fajita Rice Bowls, Chicken Fajita Burritos and Fajita Meatball Sliders. Add them all to your menu, because let’s be honest, there’s really no such thing as too many fajitas!
Made this recipe and loved it? Be sure to rate it 5 stars in the recipe card below!
Chipotle Lime Chicken Fajita Skewers
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup lime juice, app 4-5 limes
- 1/2 tbsp sea salt
- 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground chipotle pepper powder
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 4 chicken breasts, app 2 lbs - cubed
- 2 cups red bell peppers, large dice
- 2 cups green bell peppers, large dice
- 2 cups red onion, large dice
- 1 lime, sliced into wedges
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the lime juice, salt, cumin, chipotle pepper, cilantro and garlic to make the marinade.
- Add the chicken breast cubes to the marinade, toss to coat the chicken in the marinade.
- Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to marinate.
- After the chicken has marinated, skewer the chicken, bell peppers and onions onto 12 metal or wooden skewers. If using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them for at least 30 minutes ahead of time.
- Place the skewers on the grill over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, flip and grill for an additional 5-7 minutes.
- After the chicken is cooked through, remove from the grill, squeeze the additional lime over the skewers and serve.
Video
Notes
- Marinating the chicken: the chicken should not be marinated for more than two hours. The acid from the lime juice will break down the texture of the chicken if it's marinated for more than 2 hours, making it mushy instead of tender. Also, never marinate chicken with citrus in a metal bowl. The acid from the citrus can react to the metal and ruin the chicken.
- Make these fajitas in the oven: Toss the onions and bell pepper in with the chicken in the marinade. After 30 minutes, remove the veggies and chicken. Discard the marinade. Arrange the chicken and veggies in an even layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place in a 400°F oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Make these fajitas on the stove: Prepare the marinade and marinate the chicken as instructed. After the chicken has marinated, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the bell peppers and onions, sauté for 3-5 minutes. Drain the chicken and discard the marinade, then add the chicken to the skillet and sauté for 6-8 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
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26 Comments on “Chipotle Lime Chicken Fajita Skewers”
I love the Chipotle Lime Chicken Fajita Skewers! This is a must fix recipe that we have often. We also serve them for almost every dinner party we host and they are always a huge hit! The Deconstructed Mexican Street Corn and the Mexican Rice are great sides making a fantastic meal!
I came across your website just recently and made these today. V tasty but a bit too overbearing on the lime for my taste. I’ll try with 3 limes instead. But otherwise v good! I doubled on the chipolte pepper as I like spicy and it was very yummy. Thanks!
Thank you Sarah! That’s the great thing about cooking is that you can alter recipes to your taste! Glad you enjoyed them 🙂
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These look absolutely delicious! Will be trying these very soon!
Thanks Alex! I love all of the healthy food tips and recipes on your website!
WOW, this looks absolutely delish…I’m drooling all over my computer. I’m hosting a “get your grill on” link party and spice giveaway that ends tonight at 11:59 pm…I’d love to have you share this recipe because I think others would love it too!
http://www.4you-withlove.com/2013/06/party-thyme-get-your-grill-on-link.html
Marilyn
Hmm, I wonder how to convert this to an oven recipe. We don’t have a grill.
You could grill them on the stove in a cast iron skillet or place them on a baking sheet and into the oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Happy Cooking 🙂
Try adding some Top shelf Tequila in with the lime marinade.
Tequila, Lime and a little Chipolte Tabasco makes a great marinade when I shoot a limit of wild Doves…
Man now I cant get rid of my neighbors. They keep coming back for more. Really great stuff.
Haha that’s awesome Chris! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I don’t have chipotle chili powder. Can I substitute chipotle chili peppers? Or is it better to substitute chili powder? Also recommendations of amounts would be appreciated. Thanks
Hi Sarah, I would substitute the chili powder! Enjoy 🙂
I like the combination of spices you used. Your pics are fantastic.
I would love it if you shared this recipe on our BBQ Block Party
http://easylifemealandpartyplanning.blogspot.com/
Hope to see you there.
Whitney, fab work. Thanks for stopping by the BBQ over at my place. Cheers
Hi, this look so good. I just have a quick question I wanna make this for only two people should I cut the Ingredients in half or should I cut it even more?
Hi Katie, I would cut it in 1/3 for 2 people! Happy Cooking 🙂
Need to double this for large family, can I sub bottled lme juice and if so how ,ich would I use in place of each lime?
Yes, use 1 tbsp bottled lime juice in place of each lime. Enjoy!
My husband and I had a couple of friends over for dinner tonight and I made these skewers. They were such a hit!! So delicious. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with us. I’ll definitely be making them again and again.
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What temperature or setting for the grill(gas)
Hi Jorge, I set my gas grill at medium for the skewers! Enjoy 🙂
Reblogged this on David Vale and commented:
I have followed littleleopardbook for a while. I love the ways she prepares her recipes, keeps the posts fun, and the photographs are amazing right down to the final plating. Whenever I have a craving for an amazing meal, this is where I look!
Yummmmm…. Again so delish looking my mouth is watering!