Fajita chicken, onions, and peppers baked in a creamy cheese sauce? This Chicken Fajita Casserole may be my favorite casserole yet. It is perfect with a dollop of sour cream and avocado on top and paired with a fresh green salad.
I love Mexican food. It is generally my birthday dinner request. My favorite Mexican restaurant is Jose Tejas in Woodbridge, NJ. There is always a line out the door so you know the food is good. And the margaritas are even better.
But it can be difficult to get out to restaurants with our five kids and difficult to find a babysitter to get out without them. And I admit I crave fajitas more than once a year. Since most of my kids love Mexican food too we add it into the dinner rotation at least a few times a month.
Most of the time we just do tacos and taco salad but this chicken fajita bake is a welcome step up from a typical Taco Tuesday. Once you try my gluten free keto fajita chicken casserole I guarantee you will want to make it again and again. This easy chicken casserole recipe is also low carb, grain-free, sugar-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
It's quick enough that even if you need dinner tonight and it's 5pm you can make it!
Ingredients
Chicken Thighs - I prefer using boneless chicken thighs in this recipe but chicken breasts work too.
Onions - Any variety of onions are fine.
Peppers - Sweet bell peppers are the best choice for fajitas.
Cream Cheese - Adding cream cheese makes a delicious creamy sauce. It's definitely not traditional but it is SO good. Trust me on this.
Fajita Seasoning - It is so easy to make your own! Click to learn to make my homemade fajita seasoning: Keto Fajita Seasoning. It uses cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, etc.
Shredded Cheese - Shredded cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack, or a Mexican blend are all good choices. For a spicier version try adding Pepper Jack cheese.
That's it! Just 6 ingredients to a delicious dinner!
How to Make a Chicken Fajita Casserole
This does have a few steps but most of the time it is hands-off. With just 6 ingredients you can make a fabulous casserole the whole family will love.
You will only be actively cooking, chopping, and mixing for about 20 minutes.
Step One: Pop the chicken into the oven to bake in the baking dish or casserole dish you will use for the casserole.
Step Two: While the chicken is baking saute the veggies.
Expert Tip: Cooking the vegetables in a skillet helps give this casserole a true fajita flavor. Adding raw vegetables and baking does not yield the same result. If you'd like to make this entirely on the oven you can roast the onions and peppers on a baking sheet instead of pan-frying them.
Step Three: Shred the chicken. Then combine the hot shredded chicken with the veggies, cream cheese, and seasonings in a large bowl.
Expert Tip: Boneless skinless chicken thighs shred easily but if you choose to use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead it may be easier to just chop them.
Step Four: Put the fajita chicken mixture in the casserole dish, top with cheese, and bake until bubbly and golden. Serve this chicken fajita bake with a salad or your favorite fajita toppings!
Variations
Dairy-Free - Cutting bake on dairy and still want fajitas? Try these Baked Chicken Fajitas instead.
Spicy - Sautee some jalapeno peppers along with the peppers and onions. For milder heat remove the seeds from the jalapenos. Canned green chilies work too.
Chipotle - Add some smokiness with chipotle puree. Simply blend up a can of chipotles in adobo and add a bit to taste to the cooked chicken mix before its added to the casserole pan.
Cast Iron Skillet - Cook the chicken in the pan, remove, cook the peppers and onions, add all of those to a large bowl, add the other ingredients, and mix. Put back into the skillet and bake until hot and bubbly.
Seasoning - To change it up try my Chicken Taco Seasoning instead of fajita seasoning.
Common Questions
What is Fajita Seasoning?
A blend of spices commonly used for fajitas. I make both my own Homemade Taco Seasoning and Keto Fajita Seasoning. They are quick, easy, and CHEAP!
Can I use chicken breasts?
Yes! Just bake the onions and peppers for 10 minutes before adding strips of raw chicken breasts or they can dry out.
What to serve with Chicken Fajita Casserole?
We serve this with taco fixings like sour cream, keto salsa, keto guacamole, some chopped cilantro, and a green salad on the side. If you have low carb tortillas you love you can scoop this into those. You can also serve it like a fajita salad right on a bed of lettuce. Cauliflower rice is a good choice for a taco bowl base on a low carb keto diet.
Sometimes I make rice and black beans and put them on the side for my kids to make fajita bowls. Growing children need a lot of healthy carbs. And having those on the side helps fill out the meal and stick to our grocery budget. My children will also scoop this into regular flour tortilla sometimes.
A couple of other favorites from Joy Filled Eats are Fajita Stuffed Chicken and healthy Chicken Fajita Nachos. Or make some Baked Chicken Fajitas which are shown on lettuce wraps in the photo above.
When I can't get out to a Mexican restaurant for an authentic fajita this easy Chicken Fajita bake fills my craving and I guarantee it will satisfy yours.
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Chicken Fajita Casserole
Ingredients
- 10 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
- 1 red pepper seeded and sliced into small strips
- 1 large onion peeled and sliced into small strips
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 8 oz shredded cheddar
- 1.5 tablespoon fajita seasoning
- salt & pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Put the chicken in the casserole dish you will be using for this dish. Cover with foil and bake until cooked to 160 degrees, about 30-35 min. Cool for a few minutes and then shred or chop into bite-sized pieces. Drain any cooking liquid from the casserole dish.
- Meanwhile, in a frying pan coated with cooking spray, cook the pepper and onion over medium-low heat until they are golden and soft. I let mine caramelize the entire time the chicken was in the oven. I just left the heat between low and medium and popped into the kitchen to give them a stir every 5-10 min. Cool until warm.
- In a large bowl mix the cream cheese, half of the shredded cheddar, and the fajita seasoning. Add the chopped chicken and cooked onion and pepper. Put back into the same casserole dish you cooked the chicken in. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350 for 25-30 min until hot and bubbly.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally Published April 14, 2016. Revised and Republished February 28, 2023.
Rebecca says
Do you think you could freeze this?
Taryn says
Yes. I've had readers freeze this after baking it. I think you could freeze it before baking as well.
Melanie says
YAll so what I did was, in the morning I mixed my chicken/peppers/fajita sauce together in a crock pot and cooked it on low all day and then At dinner time i just broke up the chicken, mixed the cream cheese and shredded Mexican blend cheese, and it came out so so good! And sooooo easy!
Sharon says
Thank you, Melanie! That's what I was wondering about. Going to do that too!
Carol says
Is an instant pot the same as a pressure cooker
Taryn says
Yes, an instant pot is an electric pressure cooker.
Stephanie, One Caring Mom says
I absolutely love fajitas. This looks amazing. I never would've thought to make a casserole out of them, though. Thank you for sharing this!
Sissy says
What would you say the serving size would be?
Taryn says
A serving is 1/8th of the recipe. I normally just eye it up.
Karla says
Are the nitrition facts for each servin or for the whole casserole?
Taryn says
For one serving.
Jami Williams says
Oh My Goodness!!! I made this for the first time tonight...it is for a sure a keeper! I used one each - red, yellow and green pepper, as well as an onion, chicken breast fillets and 2 packets of fajita seasoning (since the directions for the packet is 1 pound per packet, so hence 2). The fillets crumbled as I took them out of the casserole dish with the tongs, to mix with cheese and pepper/onion mix. While eating tonight, might guy says "honey, is this one of those low carb things?" I said it sure is! He declared it was better then our usual fajitas I make and he loved it! Thanks for the easy and delicious recipe!
Stacy says
Could this be done in the Instant Pot? I just recently got one and would love to try this in there, just not sure how. 😊
Taryn says
Sure! If you are using raw chicken I would cook that first, remove it, and shred it. I do chicken thighs on manual high pressure for 10 minutes and then natural pressure release. They are so tender. Then saute the veggies. When they are done add the chicken and other ingredients back in and just heat until the cheese melts.
Stacy says
Great, thanks! My instant pot is has a permanent spot on my counter. 😄
Lorri S says
Just made this. Don't know why I waited so long!! My 17 yr old daughter (who thinks your Chicken Bacon Ranch one is the best ever) took one bite and said Oh yeah. She took another bite and said Oh yeah!! For her that is a compliment! Lol! Great recipe!! It's going into the rotation!!
Latoja says
This was my first time making a casserole and it was delicious. I paired it with cauliflower rice--great low carb meal.
Taryn says
Glad you liked it 🙂
JANE says
Your recipes look great, but I'm old fashioned and like to print them out. I don't see a "print this recipe" button. Is there one?
Taryn says
There is one within the recipe box. If you scroll to the bottom of the post, before any reader comments, you should see it.
Melia says
For the fajita seasoning, do you use store bought? make your own?
Taryn says
I use the fajita seasoning from Penzey's Spices.
Carrie says
Where can you get that?
Taryn says
From their website. They frequently do free shipping over $20. penzeys.com
Tonya says
Sounds deliciously. Do you have nutrition info?
Taryn says
Yes. I just added a nutrition box to the bottom of the post 🙂
txgrandma says
We tried this tonight and I agree with everyone that this is my favorite one of all. Funny because I was wishing that I had added a can of Rotel before baking but when we ate it, it really was perfect. It's a keeper and would be a great option for a potluck. Thanks!
Rose says
This looks amazing, I will definitely be trying this soon...
Mama owl says
This was the best casserole yet! My entire family loved it! It is going to the church potluck next week!
Kris says
I made this tonight. It is so good. I made it with chicken breasts because that it what I had. Yummy. The whole family loved it.
Jennifer says
This was delicious! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Sha says
What is your fajita seasoning? Thanks so mmuch for your great recipes.
Taryn says
I use the fajita seasoning from Penzey's spices. Their spices are reasonably priced and they always have free shipping over $30. Sometimes over $20.
Cynthia says
Hi Taryn,
This sounds pretty incredible! It makes me want to go but the ingredients now and try it (I'm adding it to my grocery list ingredients for this week). Question: do you think it would achieve the same result if thrown into the crockpot, chicken shredded and then baked (broiled for gooey carmeliazation)?
Taryn says
Hi Cynthia, you can definitely cook the chicken in the crock pot. The veggies could probably cook with it. But I would drain the liquid before adding the cheese and spices.
Rebecca says
Looks delicious! If I only have boneless breast meat in the house does that just make it a light S?
Taryn says
I'm not sure since it does have a lot of cheese still. I'd say it would still be a regular S.
Rebecca says
Makes sense, thanks! Putting on the menu for this weekend!