Single Sheet (pan) Chicken Fajitas

Easy Clean Up, Tons of Flavor

I love these sheet pan meals as they are both flavorful (all the flavors in one place) and easy to serve/clean up. Initially, I started cooking this way when I worked the overnight shift at a large hotel chain and had to cook for 100 team members at 3 am. I needed to produce large amounts of food, and quick! I started doing sheet pan meals every night and I became a huge hit with the housekeeping department. They are the real critics; if you can please them, you always get the clean towels first. Thus these dishes were born. Of course, I didn’t invent sheet pan meals, they have probably been around since the dawn of time. I recall an old dinosaur recipe cooked solely on a large rock. But that’s another post.

In this case, you don’t need to marinate the meat for too long. I find people think a marinade will penetrate the meat over time. It does, but not the way you think/hope. Typically the flavor doesn’t work into the meat, instead, the acid cooks the meat, making it somewhat mushy and mealy. This is why I opt for a quick toss in the marinade for flavor, then save the remainder for the veggies. It’s that simple. The steps are easy:

-Heat a sheet pan

-Add your protein

-Cook your protein

-Remove the protein

-Add the veggies

-Slice the protein while cooking

-Combine and serve

Ingredients (this serves 6-8 people so cut in half for a smaller portion):

2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken thigh meat

For the marinade:

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar or white vinegar

2 tablespoon pineapple juice

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoon olive oil

Remaining ingredients:

1 tablespoon avocado oil

1 red bell pepper sliced

1 yellow bell pepper sliced

1 red onion sliced

1 yellow onion sliced

6-10 corn tortillas

For the cilantro lime cream:

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon mayo

1 lime juiced and zested

1 teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon cilantro chopped

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 F

2. Brush the avocado oil all over a heavy duty half sheet pan

3. Place pan in the oven and heat for 3-5 minutes

4. Remove pan from the oven and place the chicken on the pan

5. Put the chicken and pan back into the oven

6. Cook for 10 minutes, then flip the chicken (it may start to brown on the bottom of the pan, that’s ok)

7. Cook for another 10 minutes

8. Remove the chicken from the oven and place on a cutting board. Drizzle the remaining marinade that was left over from thechicken onto the veggies, toss and place on the same sheet pan.

9. Put the veggies in the oven and roast for 5 minutes. At this point, open the oven and carefully with tongs mix the veggies, scraping any of the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. The veggies will steam a bit and that should loosen the fond on the bottom of the pan.

10. Roast for another 5 minutes. While the veggies are finishing, slice your chicken.

11. Remove the pan of veggies and place the chicken atop the pan. Drizle with the cilantro lime sauce. Wartm some tortillas in the hot oven or over the stove and serve as one!