Using a sheet pan for roasting an entire meal is a one-pot meal reinvented. Since gaining inspiration from a favorite new cookbook, Sheet Pan Suppers, by Molly Gilbert of Dunk & Crumble blog, I've been experimenting with using just 1 baking sheet to deliciously roast an entire meal, often in 30 minutes or less. I don't know of a better way to create amazingly flavorful meals in such a short period of time with little fuss. Nothing adds flavor to meat and veggies like oven roasting.

Fajitas are traditionally prepared on the stove-top; but in this recipe, I simply toss all of the ingredients together on a large sheet pan, put them in an oven, roast them at high heat, and in 30 minutes dinner is served. The tortillas can be warmed in the oven along with the fajita mixture. So easy! 

Make-ahead convenience. You can assemble and bake the fajitas right away, or prepare the pan and refrigerate or freeze it to bake later. I'll show you how.

Nutritious, too! If you're craving Mexican food and are looking for a healthy option, fajitas are a great choice. This recipe is about as healthy as it gets. Veggies, chicken, healthy oil, and seasoning add up to lots of vitamins, protein and heart healthy oil. If you're avoiding carbs, in place of tortillas you can wrap the fajita mixture in lettuce leaves or a low carb, whole grain wrap.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION per 1 cup serving of filling (without tortilla):

• 259 calories, 13g fat, 2.7g sat.fat, 344mg sodium, 7.7g carbs, 2.8g fiber, 3.8g sugars, 27.6g protein
• Weight Watchers SmartPoints: 4 
• High in protein, iron, niacin, selenium, Vitamins A, B6 & C. 

Here's a short video that shows you how easy it is to make these:

Step-by-step photos for making
Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas 

Step 1. Assemble the ingredients.

• Taco Seasoning. You can purchase low sodium, ready-made taco seasoning, but it is easy and SO much tastier and healthier to make your own. (Here's my recipe: Fiesta Taco Seasoning Mix) This is an all-in-one seasoning for fajitas; it's a blend of chili powder, salt, pepper, and other spices, so it's all you need.
• Flour tortillas.
• Olive oil
• 1 large or 2 small onions

• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cut it, against the grain, into thin strips. (TIP: If it's difficult to cut, put it in the freezer for 15-30 minutes to firm it up and make it easier to handle.)

• Colorful bell peppers. I use one red and one yellow. You can use whatever combo you like. 
• Poblano pepper. Most fajita recipes call for a green bell pepper, but I find their flavor to be too overpowering. Poblanos are usually very mild, but have a great flavor. But, feel free to use a green bell pepper, if you prefer.
• Jalapenos. These are optional, but I like their added heat and flavor, especially when they are oven roasted. 

Step 2. Slice the bell & poblano peppers into 1/4 inch strips.

Step 3. Cut off the stem end of the jalapenos and use a vegetable peeler to dig out the membrane and seeds from inside (or leave them in if you want more heat). Slice the jalapenos into thin rounds.

Step 4. Cut the two ends (poles) from the onion, and cut it in half from pole to pole. Then thinly slice each half. 

Step 5. Spray or brush a large sheet pan with oil. (My pan is 13x18".) Add the peppers, onions, and chicken. Sprinkle on the taco seasoning and then drizzle with olive oil. Use tongs to toss and evenly coat everything.

view on Amazon: 13x18 baking sheet with lid (half sheet)

Step 6. Bake for approx. 30 minutes, stirring once half way through.

Step 7. While the fajita mixture cooks, wrap the tortillas in foil. Add them to the oven for the last 10 minutes that the fajitas are baking.

view on Amazon:  ceramic tortilla warmer

Done! How easy was that?

These nutritious ingredients taste amazing after the oven roasting.

For a casual meal, I like to serve mine straight from the baking sheet. Why dirty a serving dish if you don't have to? Plus the pan is oven hot and will keep the fajita filling warm while it's served. Garnish the edges of the pan with cilantro and lime wedges--they pretty up the pan and are handy for people to add to their fajitas, if they like. 

I like a squirt of lime juice and a few sprigs of cilantro on my fajitas, how about you?

Other topping options include guacamole, salsa, sour cream, beans, and/or rice. My Simple Guacamole, Cilantro Lime Brown Rice, and Chili Beans are tasty, nutritious complements to these fajitas.

Make ahead convenience--refrigerate or freeze.

You can bake the fajitas immediately after assembly, or cover and refrigerate or freeze them for later. If you have the fridge space to accommodate a sheet pan, go ahead and get them assembled in the pan, cover them, and they're ready to bake later. They can be assembled and refrigerated a day in advance. These 13x18 (aka "half sheets") are perfect for this, and they come with lids for easy storage in the fridge.

view on Amazon: 13x18 baking sheet with lid (half sheet)

If the large sheet pans are too big to easily fit in your oven or fridge, you can divide the fajita mixture between two 9x13 sheet pans (aka "quarter sheets"). This set comes with lids so they can be easily stacked in the fridge or freezer. When I'm cooking for just King-Man and myself, I'll divide the recipe between these two smaller pans. One gets cooked right away, and the other is frozen for a future meal.

view on Amazon:  9x13 quarter sheet with lid

view on Amazon:  value priced set of baking sheets with lids (one of each size)

Freezing tips:

• You can freeze the pan of fajita mixture to cook up to 2 months later. If you'll be freezing it more than 1 week, I recommend pressing a layer of plastic wrap on top of the mixture before covering it with a lid or foil. The plastic wrap will help prevent freezer burn and extend the freezer life of the fajitas. 
• Alternatively, you can freeze the mixture in a Ziploc freezer bag; flatten the bag so that it freezes in a thin layer for even cooking later.
• It's not necessary to thaw the mixture before cooking; simply add 10 minutes to the cooking time (it will thaw in the first 10 minutes of cooking). I remove a frozen pan of the fajita mixture from the freezer, remove the lid and plastic wrap, and place it directly in the preheated oven. With the additional 10 minutes of cooking time, it only takes a total of 40 minutes to cook.
• NOTE: It's the nature of frozen vegetables that when they're cooked they loose crispness and release more liquid than if they're cooked fresh. That means the fajita mixture will have more liquid in the pan if it's been frozen before it is cooked, and the peppers will be more limp. The mixture still tastes good; but if you don't like these effects from freezing it, I recommend that you make and cook it while the ingredients are fresh. 

This easy oven method for making fajitas results in an oven-roasted flavor that is hard to beat. This one got unanimous thumbs up in my house.

Make it a Yummy day!

Monica

You might also like these sheet pan meals:
Sheet Pan Asian Stir-Fry

Sheet Pan Chicken Fried Rice 

Low-Carb, Sheet Pan Cauliflower "Fried Rice"

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Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

By Monica              Servings: 4-5 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 poblano pepper (substitute green bell pepper, if preferred)
• 2 jalapenos
• 1 large or 2 small onions
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning; purchase ready-made or make your own (recipe at http://www.theyummylife.com/taco_seasoning_mix)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8-10 flour tortillas
• optional garnishes/toppings: cilantro, lime wedges, guacamole, sour cream, salsa

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray or brush large 13x18 sheet pan with oil (or, use 2 smaller pans).

Cut chicken breasts against the grain into 1/4" to 1/2" wide strips. (Tip: freezing chicken for 15-30 minutes firms it up for easier cutting.)

Cut bell and poblano peppers into long thin slices, approx. 1/4" wide.
Cut stem end from jalapenos. Use vegetable peeler to cut out membrane and seeds (or leave them in if more heat is desired). Slice into thin rounds.
Cut ends (poles) off of onions. Cut in half from pole to pole. Cut into thin slices.

Scatter peppers, onions, and chicken on sheet pan. Sprinkle on taco seasoning. Drizzle with olive oil. Use tongs to toss until everything is coated and spread in an even layer. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring half way through.

Wrap tortillas in foil and put in oven with fajita mixture during last 10 minutes of baking time.

Garnish sheet pan with cilantro sprigs and lime wedges. Serve with warm tortillas and optional toppings.

MAKE-AHEAD TIPS:
--Assemble the fajita mixture, cover and refrigerate up to 1 day ahead.
--Mixture also may be frozen, either in the sheet pan or flattened in a Ziploc freezer bag. To cook frozen mixture, add 10 minutes to cooking time for a total of 40 minutes; leave uncovered the entire time.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION per 1-cup serving of fillng (without tortilla): 259 calories, 13g fat, 344mg sodium, 7.7g carbs, 2.8g fiber, 3.8g sugars, 27.6g protein, Weight Watchers SmartPoints: 4
High in protein, iron, niacin, selenium, Vitamins A, B6 & C.

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Want more inspiration for sheet pan meals? I highly recommend Molly Gilbert's Sheet Pan Suppers cookbook. Her 120 recipes include Flank Steak Fajitas--yum! Need a gift idea for a friend or shower? Combine the book with a set of sheet pans. Who wouldn't love that? Here are Amazon links to help with your shopping:

• Sheet Pan Suppers cookbook by Molly Gilbert
• 13x18 baking sheet with lid (half sheet)
• 9x13 baking sheet with lid (quarter sheet)
• set of baking sheets with lids (one of each size with value pricing)