Instant Pot chicken fajitas are just 5 ingredients and easy to prep! This delicious dinner comes together in no time!
Earlier this month, we had fajita week all week long here at Family Food on the Table.
It started with homemade fajita seasoning, a must try because it takes just minutes to mix together and makes your fajitas so much more tasty!
Next up were easy chicken fajitas in a skillet followed by sheet pan chicken fajitas, which are nice for a hands-off version.
Today the love continues with Instant Pot chicken fajitas.
You layer your chicken, onion and peppers in the Instant Pot, with plenty of seasoning and a bit of salsa and water for good measure, then seal it up and walk away.
You can fix your sides and toppings and have dinner ready to go, stress-free!
These pressure cooker chicken fajitas are just 5 ingredients and they take less than 10 minutes to prep. Perfect for a weeknight dinner!
(Or try slow cooker chicken fajitas for a different version.)
And they are so flavorful! You’ll be stuffing tortilla after tortilla and happily chowing down.
Another family dinner night success!
Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and FAQs coming up below on how to make Instant Pot fajitas. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Notes on Instant Pot chicken fajitas:
- Be sure to slice your chicken thin so they are easy to bite into when you stuff them in your tortillas.
- Similarly, make sure your onions and peppers are about the same size so they cook evenly. We are leaving them a little thicker here so they don’t completely turn to mush in the Instant Pot, but they should be similarly sized.
- Using a variety of different colored bell peppers adds some great flavor and color interest. When possible, it’s nice to have some green, yellow, red and orange in there, but you only need two bell peppers worth for the recipe. So it’s definitely OK to buy one red and one yellow, for instance, and stop there.
- As mentioned, we love homemade fajita seasoning, but you can certainly use a store-bought mix.
A disclaimer: Instant Pot recipes often fail to mention the time it takes for the pot to come to pressure or to release it.
I have found it very misleading when trying to plan, so I wanted to be sure to include it here.
I’ve listed “additional time” as 15 minutes to account for the amount of time it will take for the pot to come to pressure and then the time for quick release. The exact amount of time for these will vary, but that’s at least a rough estimate.
In case you’re in the market for one, I have and love this 6-quart Instant Pot.
Disclaimer #2: Cooking fajitas in the Instant Pot definitely makes a bit of a soupy mess.
You need the salsa and water here to have enough liquid to avoid a burn notice, but this means it will also steam the onions and peppers and leave them wilted and soft.
There’s a few options here.
- You can use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken, onion and peppers from the Instant Pot, leaving the liquid in the pot. This eliminates the excess liquid and you can serve up your fajitas like this. Or...
- Broil it all! After the cooking time is done and you’ve opened the Instant Pot, you can use the slotted spoon to transfer the chicken, onion and peppers to a foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Pop it in the oven for 2-3 minutes, on high broil, to help everything brown up a bit.
I’ve done both ways and honestly, it’s just personal preference. And laziness; I’m usually content just to serve them up with the slotted spoon.
Cause especially once you add all your favorite toppings and some warm tortillas, it still tastes great.
Speaking of which…
Topping ideas for chicken fajitas:
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced avocado or guacamole
- Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
- Salsa or pico de gallo
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Pickled red onions
- Pickled jalapeños
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
So many fun ideas to customize your plate!
Now, let’s bring this dinner home.
What to serve with chicken fajitas?
- Chicken fajitas, when served with warmed tortillas and plenty of toppings, make a great all-in-one meal.
- You can also serve them with steamed rice and black beans to make a more hearty fajita or to have rice and beans as a side.
- Mexican coleslaw would be amazing as a side dish with this, as would just a simple green salad for something light and fresh.
Flour tortillas are perfect for fajitas, and you can use regular, whole wheat or a gluten-free version.
They come in a variety of sizes, so pick your favorites, being sure you will have enough room to add all your fajita fixings.
And if you’ve wondered about the best way to warm tortillas, I’ll share our favorite method.
How to warm tortillas:
- If you have a gas burner, you can place a soft flour tortilla, one at a time, directly over the flame. Leave it for 5-10 seconds, until lightly charred, then flip and do the same on the other side. Again, just 5-10 seconds is all you need to get it browned and bubbled up slightly.
- If you have an electric stove, you can broil your tortillas in the oven as an alternative. Just keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn.
- Or of course, you can wrap the tortillas in some damp paper towels and warm them in the microwave too.
Last but not least, let’s talk leftovers.
No need to throw them out, they will reheat great and you can make the extras into something new if you like.
How to store leftover chicken fajitas:
- The leftover fajita chicken, peppers and onions can be stored, once drained and cooled, in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet to warm them back up.
How to use leftover chicken fajitas:
- You can of course make more fajitas another night or for lunch.
- Or use the fajitas for a grain bowl or rice bowl along with some beans, veggies and more of your favorite toppings.
- You can also mix your warmed, leftover fajitas into some hot cooked pasta, mix with some salsa and shredded cheese and you’ve got a fajita pasta dish that tastes delicious!
More fajita fun is always a good thing.
I hope you give these a try for a family dinner night soon.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. Stay tuned because I have even more delicious ways to make fajitas coming up for you soon.
You can sign up for free e-newsletter to get all of my new recipes delivered straight to your inbox so you never miss a thing. I’ll even send you my free e-cookbook, Healthy Weeknight Dinners, as a thank you!
Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients
- 3 (6 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch wide strips
- ½ cup salsa
- 2 bell peppers, mixed colors, sliced ½-inch thick
- 1 onion, sliced ½-inch thick
- 4 teaspoons fajita seasoning, divided
- ½ cup water
For serving:
- Warmed tortilla shells
Optional toppings:
- Diced avocado or guacamole, shredded cheese, salsa or pico de gallo, sour cream or Greek yogurt, pickled red onions, pickled jalapeños, fresh chopped cilantro, lime wedges
Other optional fillings or sides:
- Shredded lettuce, steamed brown or white rice, black beans
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chicken strips with 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) of the fajita seasoning. Place in the bottom of the insert of your Instant Pot.
- Top the chicken with the salsa, then layer the peppers and onions on top. Sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of fajita seasoning over the peppers and onions. Add the water.
- Place the lid on the pot and set to sealing. Cook on manual function, high pressure, for 12 minutes. Then, do a quick release and wait for the pot to be safe to open.
- The fajitas will have a lot of liquid in the pot. You can use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken, onion and peppers to a plate to avoid a soupy mess. You can also, if you prefer, broil them to dry them out a bit. Place the chicken, onion and peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray and broil on high for 2-3 minutes, watching carefully.
- Serve the chicken fajitas in warmed tortilla shells with desired toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken, onion and peppers from the Instant Pot, leaving the liquid in the pot. This eliminates the excess liquid and you can serve up your fajitas like this.
- Broil it all! After the cooking time is done and you’ve opened the Instant Pot, you can use the slotted spoon to transfer everything to a foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Pop it in the oven for 2-3 minutes, on high broil, to help them brown up a bit.
How to warm tortillas:
- If you have a gas burner, you can place a soft flour tortilla, one at a time, directly over the flame. Leave it for 5-10 seconds, until lightly charred, then flip and do the same on the other side. Again, just 5-10 seconds is all you need to get it browned and bubbled up slightly.
- If you have an electric stove, you can broil your tortillas in the oven as an alternative. Just keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn.
- Or of course, you can wrap the tortillas in some damp paper towels and warm them in the microwave too.
Leftover chicken fajitas:
- The leftover fajita chicken and peppers and onions can be stored, once cooled, in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet to warm them back up.
- You can of course make more fajitas another night or for lunch.
- Or use the fajitas for a grain bowl or rice bowl along with some beans, veggies and more of your favorite toppings.
- You can also mix your warmed, leftover fajitas into some hot cooked pasta, mix with some salsa and shredded cheese and you’ve got a fajita pasta dish that tastes delicious!
Nutrition
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