Here’s 5 fun highlights from my weekend: But now it’s back to real life. The rest of my family has today off of school and work for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. Not me. I still have a regular work day for my day job as a health and nutrition editor, so I’m gonna keep this short today and get right to the food, mkay?
This healthy chicken fajita casserole is an easy way to make oven baked fajitas. Everything is mixed together and put in the oven for a super hands-off dinner. It’s great for a weeknight but you can also prep this ahead and bake when you’re ready, so it’d be great to serve to a crowd. Plus it looks pretty with all those colors (If you are serving a bigger crowd, you can double the recipe and use a 9x13 pan or use two casserole dishes.) No sizzling skillet to deliver to the table, but all the great fajita flavors are here and accounted for.
Notes on healthy chicken fajita casserole:
The rice for this recipe needs to be already cooked, so please plan accordingly. (Here’s how I do my perfect steamed brown rice.) I like the long strips of onions, peppers and chicken — like you would see with regular fajitas — but you can dice them if you prefer more bite-size pieces. I use all cheddar cheese here but you could substitute some Monterey or Pepper Jack cheeses as well. You could add a can of black beans (rinsed and well-drained) if you wanted to bulk this up a little bit. You could also add in some diced green chilies if you have those on hand. The recipe card includes a mix of spices. You can use that or substitute 1 ½ tablespoons fajita seasoning, homemade or store-bought. You can spice it up with some jalapeño peppers or a pinch of cayenne pepper. And of course, serve with hot sauce!
Also, it helps to let the casserole sit for 5-10 minutes after it bakes to absorb some of the juices. (If yours has lots of juices, which can happen depending on how much moisture the veggies release, just use a slotted spoon to scoop it out and serve it.)
For serving, you can have it alone - this is gluten free as is — or you can use tortillas (like regular fajitas are served with) or even serve it over some baby spinach like a fajita salad. I usually do this. Add any of your favorite fajita toppings: shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream or Greek yogurt, avocado slices, etc.
Love these flavors? You may also like my easy skillet salsa chicken, a one-pan stovetop dish that’s ready in 25 minutes. Or this King Ranch chicken casserole that’s so cheesy and delicious! Have a great week friends and be sure to check back on Wednesday for a fun appetizer recipe and a collaboration with some other food bloggers on good eats for the big football game! XO, Kathryn
Rice: The rice for this recipe needs to be already cooked, so please plan accordingly. Cheese: I use all cheddar cheese here but you could substitute some Monterey or Pepper Jack cheeses as well. Seasoning: I’ve also made this using 1 ½ tablespoons of fajita seasoning in place of the spices listed above, and that works great, too. Spicy: You can spice it up with some jalapeño peppers or a pinch of cayenne pepper. And of course, serve with hot sauce! Rest time: It helps to let the casserole sit for 5-10 minutes after it bakes to absorb some of the juices. (If yours has lots of juices, which can happen depending on how much moisture the veggies release, just use a slotted spoon to serve this.)
