Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas Recipe - quick and easy dinner for the busiest weeknights! Simply add all ingredients to your digital pressure cooker, close lid and press the button.
These fajitas are so easy, just like my chicken enchiladas. I like to add my Instant Pot Black Beans to the mix too!
Life has been crazy busy lately and I caught myself too many times recently totally overwhelmed at dinner time. I try to stick to our meal plan but things can change so quickly in our schedules that sometimes I simply fail. To no surprise, my Instant Pot always saves the day. I love the fact that I can simply use just a few ingredients and have dinner ready in no time.
These Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas are one of the fastest dishes I've made in my IP. All you need is chicken, sliced into thin strips, 3 bell peppers, one onion and seasoning mixed with oil and lime juice.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN FAJITAS IN INSTANT POT?
Cooking Chicken Fajitas in your Instant Pot digital pressure cooker is as easy as adding the ingredients to the insert, closing the lid and pressing a button. It's so easy!! You can save even more time and prep the chicken and veggies the day before. I like the chicken to keep the shape of stripes so I cook it for 10 minutes. If you want a shredded chicken texture, add 3 to 5 minutes. Also, keep in mind that the peppers will be quite broken down if you cook it longer.
If you have more time, you can saute the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes in olive oil in the IP insert, just before pressure cooking. It will add more texture to the meat.
FRESH OF FROZEN CHICKEN?
You can use both to make fajitas in the Instant Pot. That's one of my favorite features of this small appliance: you can use frozen meat! I recommend slicing fresh chicken into strips, as soon as you buy it. Store in ziploc bag, best if you can add the seasoning and oil mixture. Throw it into the IP insert, add veggies and cook for 5 more minutes than if you used the fresh chicken.
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WHAT TO SERVE WITH FAJITAS?
The most common side dishes that I make to serve with fajitas is my Instant Pot Rice. Lately, I've been making my 1-Minute Instant Pot Quinoa and storing it in the fridge so I can serve it instead of rice. You can also make my Black Bean Taco Salad. Don't forget the guacamole and pico de gallo!
MORE INSTANT POT CHICKEN RECIPES:
Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken
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INSTANT POT CHICKEN FAJITAS
Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 1 medium sweet onion
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chili pepper
- 1.4 teaspoon ground paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together oil, lime juice, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper and chili pepper.
- Make sure the stainless steel insert is in your Instant Pot. Add chicken strips to insert. Pour oil and seasoning mixture over chicken. Gently toss with metal tongs.
- Wash, core and thinly slice bell pepper and onion. Layer on top of the chicken.
- Add ½ cup of water to insert. Important: please see note.
- Close lid, set the valve to "sealing" position. Press "manual" button, make sure the IP is set to high pressure. Adjust timer to 10 minutes. The Instant Pot will beep after few seconds.
- When it comes to pressure, it will start the timer.
- Once done, the IP will beep. Press "cancel/off" button. Carefully switch the valve to "venting" position and quickly release pressure. When the metal part of valve drops, carefully open the lid away from your face.
- Serve chicken and peppers in flour tortillas. Garnish with chopped cilantro (or parsley) and a dash of crushed red peppers.
Jennifer Houston says
The taste was okay, could have used a bit more seasoning but the soup was too much. Even using the trivet I felt that my fajitas boiled and steamed. This might be a meal that stays in the cast iron grill pan
Jessie says
Read reviews about how “soupy” this turned out. I decided to try a liquid fajita seasoning from McCormick and not add any water (which was 1/2 a cup total) This still turned out extremely soupy, I’m sure it is from the vegetables breaking down and creating liquid but I had to strain it. It’s tasted ok but the amount of work from fajitas it the cutting, so I would’ve rather spent my time cooking the meat/veggies on the stove to have a good fajita and not a soupy mess.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Jessie! That's why I recommend using the trivet to keep the chicken and veggies out of the liquid. I am sorry you didn't like the fajitas.
Brieanna says
When you say set the chicken in veggies on the trivet...do you mean the water outside the inner pot and set the inner pot with ingredients on the trivet? Just got mine and new at this...
Thanks!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Brieanna! You should never add water outside the inner pot. The stainless steel pot should be in at all times when cooking. The trivet is placed inside the inner pot to keep the meat and veggies out of the water. You can skip that step and just drain everything before assembling fajitas, but I found it easier to keep them on the trivet.
Angie says
Amazing! So easy and flavorful! I used 2 packets of fajita seasoning, 3lbs of chicken strips, and the pre cut peppers and onions they have at jewel for 5 bucks! Yes there was a ton of liquid in the pot but I put everything on the trivet and pulled it right out! Perfect! Thanks so much for our new go to dinner!!!
Knazz says
This looks good . I will be trying this tonight
I’m going to try it with a packet of taco or fajita seasoning see how it turns out
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Great! Let me know how it goes!
samir says
This recipe was amazing! I just need to cut the peppers bigger next time or add more. They kind of shrunk down a lot. As for the soup like liquid, I drained it out but retained a little. I then added it back to the instant pot on sauté mode and tossed it in some extra seasoning. I’ll definitely make this again!!!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
I am so glad you love it! Thank you so much!
Michelle says
This exactly what I am planning on doing. I am trying this tonight. I will leave a review when I am done. I expect it to turn out great!
Cassie Lee says
This is the recipe my sister used to demo the IP. We decided to double the "sauce" and otherwise prepare as directed. We enjoyed it! As a matter of fact I am making it now! 🙂 I would have to say it is great when you remember what and how you are preparing the meal. It is an IP, not a skillet or a slow cooker. Juice drains, veggies pile up nicely. I wasn't cooking in my instant pot for a presentation piece!
Great recipe! Thank you!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
I am so glad you love it, Cassie! Thank you so much!!
Megan says
My husband and I were pretty disappointed in this recipe, however, my kids liked the chicken. I used less than 1/2 cup of water and it was still overly soupy. I tried broiling after I pulled it out of the IP and drained it but it really didn't help.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Megan! It's the peppers and onions that release liquid and can make the final result soupy. If you don't like that, you can saute the vegetables in the IP on "saute" setting, then add chicken and cook as directed in the recipe. I am glad the kiddos loved it!
Brandie says
Mine ended up looking like soup - very watery. I would definitely eliminate the water next time.
Yvonne says
I used the liquid to make rice and it was delicious! Mine were more like burritos but they were a “make again” per my husband.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
I absolutely love the idea of using the liquid to make rice. Brilliant! Thank you so much for sharing, Yvonne! I am so happy the fajitas were a hit!
Lauren says
Isn't the fresh or frozen part the best?!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Right? So easy!
Toni says
This looks really delicious! Would be perfect for weeknights!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Saved me lots of times! Thanks, Toni!
Erin says
These sound delicious! Dangerously good...
Jen says
I am such a last minute dinner maker so the fact that I can use frozen chicken for this is a life saver!
Kimberly says
Great idea and these look so cheerful and flavorful!
Demeter says
Getting dinner on the table really couldn't get any easier than this!
Des says
Loving that these can be made in the Instant Pot! Genius!