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My friend Vanessa Spina was teasing me on Instagram with the most perfect looking chipotle chicken, so I had to give it a go and make these low-carb fajitas. They were so good I made them three times this week! (You can find Vanessa @ketogenicgirl and her chipotle chicken bowl on Instagram.)
Chicken fajitas are an easy and delicious recipe that's great for busy weeknights and weekly meal prep. Inspired by Vanessa's meal, this is my take on a classic Mexican recipe. Not it's one of those recipes I keep coming back to because it's so good and I always have the ingredients I need at hand.
In case you wonder, I added some turmeric for extra anti-inflammatory boost and pretty golden color. Make sure to use black pepper with it as that will significantly improve the absorption of curcumin found in turmeric.
I like to serve mine with some avocado mashed with lime juice and palmini rice which is similar to cauliflower rice. Just like palmini noodles, palmini rice is made from hearts of palm which is ideal for a low-carb, diabetic-friendly diet.
How to Make Keto Fajita Bowls
Making these keto fajita bowls is easy! They require very little prep time and make a speedy-yet-delicious lunch or dinner.
The only extra time you need (at least 30 minutes) is for marinating the meat and vegetables but you can easily do that the night before and have everything ready for the next day.
Once the meat and veg is marinated, I then pan-fry the chicken, followed by the vegetables, and then simply combine the two.
I used chicken breasts to make these fajita bowls although you can make them with steak too. Use flank steak, skirt steak, or even sirloin steak, and make sure to marinate the whole steaks — do not slice them before they are cooked.
When cooking steak, timing is important. Using high heat, flank steak will take about 3 minutes to cook per side to cook, and skirt steak will take 2 to 3 minutes per side. If you’re using thicker cuts like sirloin, cook on each side for 2 to 4 minutes to sear the juices and then continue cooking for a few more minutes. This will take anywhere between 4 to 11 minutes, depending on the preferred doneness. Once cooked, rest them for a few minutes and then slice before serving with the cooked vegetables and any of the toppings.
How to Serve Chicken Fajitas
You can serve these fajitas on their own, with some avocado mashed with lime juice (which is what I did). Here are the toppings & extras you can add to your fajitas:
- Cauliflower rice (here's how to prepare cauliflower rice), palmini rice (made from palm hearts) or shirataki rice (here's how to prepare shirataki rice).
- Tomato salsa — easy Pico De Gallo would go wonderfully with these keto approved fajitas!
- Avocado cut into pieces instead of the mashed avocado used in this recipe.
- Cheddar or Manchego cheese, shredded and served on top.
- Sour cream, full-fat Greek yogurt or creme fraiche.
*Fresh herbs such as cilantro, or fresh parsley for cilantro haters!
- Lime wedges to serve with your fajitas.
- Keto Tortillas or Nut-Free Keto Tortillas are a fantastic keto approved option for those who miss classic tortillas.
You can make this recipe kid-friendly by adjusting the heat and using mild chile powder instead of hot. For hot fajitas use chipotle chile powder, and for mild fajitas use ancho chile powder.
Finally, if you're using our KetoDiet app and need to adjust your macros, for example by adding healthy fats, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the smashed avocado. It's easy to do that by cloning this recipe and adjusting the ingredients to your liking. You can also make other swaps, such as replacing the chicken with steak.
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Hands-on Overall
Serving size about 225 g/ 8 oz fajitas + 75 g/ 2.7 oz avocado
Nutritional values (per serving, about 225 g/ 8 oz fajitas + 75 g/ 2.7 oz avocado)
Net carbs8.3 grams
Protein31.3 grams
Fat41.8 grams
Calories554 kcal
Calories from carbs 6%, protein 23%, fat 71%
Total carbs16.2 gramsFiber7.9 gramsSugars5.3 gramsSaturated fat6.1 gramsSodium708 mg(31% RDA)Magnesium74 mg(18% RDA)Potassium1,074 mg(54% EMR)
Ingredients (makes 4 servings)
Chicken fajitas:
- 500 g skinless chicken breasts, sliced (1.1 lb)
- 1 medium red onion, sliced (100 g/ 3.5 oz)
- 1 medium red bell pepper (120 g/ 4.2 oz)
- 2 large green bell peppers (330 g/ 11.6 oz)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (120 ml/ 4 fl oz)
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (30 ml)
- 1 tsp chile powder, or to taste (chipotle for hot, ancho for mild)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- Optional to serve: cauliflower rice or palmini rice, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and fresh cilantro or parsley
Mashed avocado:
- 2 medium avocados, mashed (300 g/ 10.6 oz)
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts. Peel and slice the onion and slice the bell peppers. Mince the garlic.
- To make the marinade, juice the lime and place in a small bowl together with the spices (chile powder, cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper) and olive oil. Whisk to combine — the mixture will thicken.
- Place the peppers in a bowl and add the red onion and garlic. Pour over half of the marinade.
- Toss to combine. In another bowl combine the sliced chicken breasts with the remaining marinade. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Remove the chicken and peppers from the fridge. Place the chicken strips in a hot skillet and cook on high in a single layer until cooked through and lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- To the same skillet where you cooked the chicken add the marinated vegetables and cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, tossing through. Add back the chicken and cook for another minute to heat through.
- To make the avocado mash, cut the avocados in half and remove the stones. Scoop into a bowl and add salt, pepper and lime juice.
- Use a fork to mash until creamy but still slightly chunky.
- You can optionally serve these fajitas with cooked cauliflower rice or palmini rice. If using palmini rice, pour through a fine mesh sieve and rinse with running water. Cook in a pan for 1 to 2 minutes until just warm.
- Serve the chicken fajitas with the mashed avocado and the optional cauliflower rice or palmini rice. You can optionally add shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro (or parsley), or some Tomato Salsa.
- To store, place in a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Store the fajitas separately from the avocado.
Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving, about 225 g/ 8 oz fajitas + 75 g/ 2.7 oz avocado)
| Net carbs | Protein | Fat | Calories |
|---|
| Chicken, breast (without skin, raw) |
| 0 g | 28.1 g | 3.3 g | 150 kcal |
| Onion, red, fresh |
| 1.6 g | 0.3 g | 0.1 g | 10 kcal |
| Peppers, red bell, fresh |
| 1.2 g | 0.3 g | 0.1 g | 9 kcal |
| Peppers, green bell, fresh |
| 2.4 g | 0.7 g | 0.1 g | 16 kcal |
| Garlic, fresh |
| 0.5 g | 0.1 g | 0 g | 2 kcal |
| Olive oil, extra virgin |
| 0 g | 0 g | 27 g | 239 kcal |
| Lime juice, fresh |
| 0.5 g | 0 g | 0 g | 2 kcal |
| Chile (chili) powder, spices (ancho, chipotle, Mexican chile powder) |
| 0.1 g | 0.1 g | 0.1 g | 2 kcal |
| Cumin, ground |
| 0.2 g | 0.1 g | 0.1 g | 2 kcal |
| Turmeric, spices (dried, ground) |
| 0.2 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
| Salt, sea salt |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Pepper, black, spices |
| 0.1 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
| Avocado, fresh |
| 1.4 g | 1.5 g | 11 g | 120 kcal |
| Lime juice, fresh |
| 0.2 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
| Salt, sea salt |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Pepper, black, spices |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Total per serving, about 225 g/ 8 oz fajitas + 75 g/ 2.7 oz avocado |
| 8.3 g | 31.3 g | 41.8 g | 554 kcal |
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