Pressure-cooker Chicken Fajitas are perfect for busy weeknights! Make these in under 30 minutes with simply a few ingredients, and you've got an simple weeknight dinner the whole family will love!
When you're craving Tex-Mex but it's a busy weeknight, it's the Pressure-cooker to the rescue!
This Pressure-cooker Chicken Fajitas recipe is so quick and simple, you can have a hearty, satisfying, flavorful meal on the table in less than 30 minutes.
[feast_advanced_jump_to]❤️ Why you'll love this family-friendly recipe
There are so many reasons to love this Pressure-cooker Chicken Fajita recipe!
- You only need less than 10 ingredients, most of which you probably already have on hand.
- You can use any combination of bell peppers you prefer.
- It only takes a few minutes of prep work, some of which you can do the night before.
- The Pressure-cooker pressure cooks this recipe in simply 6 minutes, plus what we call "come to pressure time," which can take 6 to 10 minutes.
- It's an awesome Meal Plan recipe because you can serve this in SO many ways!
🧄 Ingredients for chicken fajitas
Chicken – You'll want to start by thinly slicing chicken breast.
Bell Peppers – You can use any combination of colored bell peppers you like. We like to use a combo of red, orange, and yellow bell peppers. Or, We use red, yellow, and green bell peppers. Whichever bell peppers you use, be sure to slice them in even sized slices so they cook evenly. And use a combo of colors versus all the same color, to add more depth of flavor.
Onions and Garlic- These aromatics help build a yummy flavor base to these fajitas!
Fajita Seasoning – You can use the Homemade Fajita Seasoning recipe, or use store-bought fajita seasoning. You can also use taco seasoning instead.
Olive oil – You'll need some olive oil to sauté the chicken.
Broth or water – Chicken broth will add more flavor to the fajitas, but you can use water instead.
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS – Top the chicken fajitas with pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, sliced avocados, diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
Exact measurements of ingredients and instructions are in the printable recipe card toward the bottom of this post. Here are some helpful tips to guide you as you make this recipe.
First: make sure you slice the chicken breasts into even, thin slices. And make sure your peppers are all sliced evenly. Slice the onions and mince the garlic.
Get your fajita seasoning ready, whether you use a homemade fajita seasoning recipe or use store-bought.
Turn the Pressure-cooker to SAUTE.
Add the olive oil and once the oil is heated up a bit, add the chicken slices and sauté the chicken simply until it's brown on all sides.
Add the onions and garlic, sauté for one minute, simply until they are soft, translucent and fragrant. If there are brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot, pour in a little chicken broth or water and use a wooden spoon to gently deglaze the pot by scraping up any brown bits. Hit CANCEL to stop the sauté mode.
Add all of the sliced bell peppers on top of the chicken. Add the fajita seasoning, and pour in the chicken broth or water. Then, without stirring the ingredients, secure the Pressure-cooker lid. Make sure the pressure release valve is set to SEALING.
Press PRESSURE COOK (or MANUAL) and cook on high for 6 minutes.
Once cooking is complete, do a Quick Release. Wait until all of the pressure has been released and the pressure release valve is all the way down. Then, carefully open the lid.
You may have some excess broth or water. Simply drain out excess liquid if necessary. Then serve the chicken fajitas in tortilla shells, over rice or a salad.
What are good toppings for fajitas?
- sour cream
- sliced jalapeños
- cilantro
- avocados
- pico de gallo
- guacamole
- grilled corn
How to serve chicken fajitas
These Pressure-cooker Chicken Fajitas are tasty served in many different ways
- You can either leave the chicken in strips, or use two forks to shred the chicken (as pictured above).
- Serve the chicken fajitas in soft tortilla wraps.
- Enjoy the chicken fajitas over rice.
- Make a chicken fajita salad by serving the chicken and peppers over a bed of salad greens. Add some corn, black beans, and quacamole!
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs and tips
Fajitas are generally considered Tex-Mex food, which is a blending of Texas "cowboy food" and Mexican panchero foods. Fajitas traditionally have grilled skirt steak, and the Mexican term for grilled skirt steak is "arracheras," and its American counterpart is fajitas.
Is fajita seasoning the same as taco seasoning?While they are similar, taco seasoning usually has more chili powder and more oregano than fajita seasoning. Taco seasoning is generally a bit spicier than fajita seasoning. You can definitely substitute one for the other in taco and fajita recipes, if you like.
What's the best way to store leftover chicken fajitas?Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
🥂 Best wine pairings
Like most Tex-Mex food, these Pressure-cooker Chicken Fajitas are tasty when paired with crisp white wine.
Try serving this dish with a Sauvignon Blanc or an Unoaked Chardonnay.
⏲ Kitchen tools and equipment
For this recipe, you simply need a few basic kitchen tools:
Cutting board and knife – You'll need a sturdy cutting board and sharp knife.
Electric pressure cooker – We use either the Pressure-cooker Duo or the Pressure-cooker Deluxe XL multicooker to make these chicken fajitas. You can use any 6 or 8 quart electric pressure cooker that you have. However, do NOT attempt to make this in a 3-quart Pressure-cooker.
Tongs- You'll need some sturdy kitchen tongs to move the chicken around while sautéing. You may also use a wooden spoon.
➡️ More Tex-Mex recipes
- Tex-Mex Vegetarian Sheet Pan Nachos
- Vegetarian Burrito Bowl (Pressure-cooker Recipe)
- Pressure-cooker Mexican Shredded Beef
- Simple Shrimp Tacos
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you truly loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Pressure-cooker Chicken Fajitas
By Marlynn Schotland Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 6 mins Pressure-cooker Come to Pressure Time: 6 mins Total Time: 27 mins Servings: 6 servings Flavorful chicken fajitas made in less than 30 minutes thanks to the pressure cooker!Equipment
- Pressure-cooker, Pressure-cooker, or other electric pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts, sliced into strips
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup sliced yellow onion
- 2 red bell peppers,sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
- 1 orange or green bell pepper, sliced
- 3 Tablespoons fajita seasoning, homemade or storebought
- ¾ cup chicken broth or water
Instructions
- Turn the Pressure-cooker to SAUTE. Add the olive oil and once the oil is heated up a bit, add the chicken slices and sauté the chicken simply until it's brown on all sides.
- Add the onions and garlic, sauté for one minute, simply until they are soft, translucent and fragrant. If there are brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot, pour in a little chicken broth or water and use a wooden spoon to gently deglaze the pot by scraping up any brown bits. Hit CANCEL to stop the sauté mode.
- Add all of the sliced bell peppers on top of the chicken. Add the fajita seasoning, and pour in the chicken broth or water. Then, without stirring the ingredients, secure the Pressure-cooker lid. Make sure the pressure release valve is set to SEALING.
- Press PRESSURE COOK (or MANUAL) and cook on high for 6 minutes. Once cooking is complete, do a Quick Release. Once all of the pressure has been released and the pressure release valve is all the way down, carefully open the lid.
- You may have some excess broth or water. Simply drain out excess liquid if necessary. Then serve the chicken fajitas in tortilla shells, over rice or a salad.
Notes
Pressure-cooker: We use either the 8-quart Pressure-cooker Duo or the 8-quart Pressure-cooker Deluxe XL multicooker to make these chicken fajitas. You can use any 6 or 8 quart electric pressure cooker that you have. Do NOT attempt to make this recipe in a smaller, 3-quart Pressure-cooker. Fajita seasoning: you can make your own fajita seasoning using the homemade fajita seasoning recipe. Or, use any store-bought fajita seasoning. You could even use taco seasoning in a pinch! Make ahead: you can slice the chicken the night before, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also slice the bell peppers the night before and store in a separate airtight container. Meal plan: This is a great recipe for meal planning. Cook the chicken fajitas completely, then divide into separate food containers. Add tortillas, rice, or salad greens to each container. Allow the chicken fajitas to cool completely before placing the lids on the containers. Store in the refrigerator to enjoy for the week ahead! Storage: Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.Nutrition
Calories: 241 kcal, Carbohydrates: 6 g, Protein: 33 g, Fat: 9 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 97 mg, Sodium: 180 mg, Potassium: 751 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 3 g, Vitamin A: 1948 IU, Vitamin C: 116 mg, Calcium: 20 mg, Iron: 1 mgNutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.