Nothing says summer like BBQ chicken, but if you’re looking for a new way to make it, look no further! This recipe is a Tex-Mex mashup of BBQ chicken and fajitas that is sure to be your new cookout favorite. Fajitas were originally made with skirt steak, but these days, we see it done with chicken, vegetables, seafood and so much more. The BBQ rub makes for tender, juicy and flavorful chicken. I love the addition of a poblano pepper to the charred pepper mix; it adds a bright and savory flavor pop. The sizzle sauce marries a traditional barbecue sauce with a double dose of bright acid from apple cider vinegar and lime. It’s all topped with a generous drizzle of a smoky and spicy crema that ties the whole mashup together.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 50 min |
| Active: | 50 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 3 tablespoons BBQ rub seasoning
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Maui or sweet onion, halved and sliced into 1/2-inch strips
- 1 orange bell pepper, stemmed and seeded, then sliced into 1/2-inch strips
- 1 red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded, then sliced into 1/2-inch strips
- 1 poblano pepper, stemmed and seeded, then sliced into 1/2-inch strips
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1/2 cup crema
- 1 chipotle from canned chipotles in adobo, minced, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Eight 6-inch flour tortillas
- Avocado oil, for toasting the tortillas
- Lime wedges
- Kosher salt
- Avocado slices
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken tenders in a medium bowl by sprinkling the BBQ rub seasoning over the chicken to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, peppers and salt. Toss to coat in the oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers and onions are softened and starting to char, 8 to 10 minutes.
- While the onions and peppers are cooking, make the crema: Whisk together the crema, chipotle, adobo sauce and garlic salt. Set aside.
- Prepare the sizzle sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the BBQ sauce, lime juice, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.
- Remove the peppers and onions to a bowl and set aside. Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil and the chicken. Sear until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Add the peppers and onions back to the skillet with the chicken. Toss to combine and cook until the vegetables are sizzling, about another minute. Add the sizzle sauce to the hot skillet, over the chicken and vegetables. Using tongs, toss to completely coat. Cook until the sauce starts to caramelize and the chicken is cooked through, another 1 to 2 minutes.
- To serve: Heat the tortillas on a griddle pan lightly greased with avocado oil until warm. Stack in a tortilla warmer or wrap in foil or a clean kitchen towel as they are done.
- Build the fajitas by placing the chicken topped with peppers and onions in the center of each tortilla. Squeeze some lime juice over the filling and season with salt. Top with the avocado, crema and cilantro. Serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 935 |
| Total Fat | 49 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11 g |
| Carbohydrates | 97 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Sugar | 24 g |
| Protein | 28 g |
| Cholesterol | 61 mg |
| Sodium | 1860 mg |
Reviews
Great change up recipe to your typical fajita. Delicious! Will definitely make again!
We ate it, weren’t thrilled with it.. it’s not a bad recipe, but for our family it wasn’t great either.. we prefer the real fajita spices..won’t be a repeat.
Jeff shared the bbq dust on Rachel ray show once, it’s silly to keep it secret now:
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 ½ teaspoons granulated garlic
1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons crushed black peppercorns
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 ½ teaspoons granulated garlic
1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons crushed black peppercorns
This was very good will make again!
These weren’t bad but I think I prefer the traditional fajita flavor over the BBQ sauce. And it was SO MUCH sauce.
Really great recipe! Easy, lots of flavor and delicious. I did also use Jeff’s sweet BBQ rub. Will be making this in the future as my favorite fajita recipe.
I made these bar-b-que chicken fajitas for tonight’s dinner and they were a winner!! Just delicious–the right amount of flavor and spice. Thanks a bunch for sharing this recipe, Jeff. Definitely adding this recipe to my dinner rotation; next time I prepare these fajitas, I’ll cook the chicken and veggies on the grill.
Perfect recipe. I love fajitas and make them all the time but this one honestly is at the very top of the list. Great job Jeff!
So I made this tonight it was perfect we loved it I’m saving it I’m making it again
Jeff nailed it on this one. I had some leftover heavy cream that I used instead of crema and it worked fine. I’ll have to use my imagination to use up the rest of the can of chipotle peppers. The final product actually tasted better when I came back for seconds about an hour later!