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Chicken fajita casserole with a creamy sauce and a dollop of sour cream in a cast-iron skillet.

Chicken Fajita Casserole

40aprons.com/chicken-fajita-casserole/
Chicken, bell pepper, onions, and a delicious fajita cream sauce. Serve it over rice or in tortillas for an easy, family-pleasing meal!
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 35 minutes
Total 50 minutes
Recipe Makes (Approximate): 6 servings

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Large cast-iron skillet or other large oven-safe skillet
  • Tongs
  • Large plate
  • Silicone spatula
  • large mixing bowl

Ingredients

For the Chicken Fajita Casserole

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or olive oil, or canola oil; divided)
  • 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
  • 2 medium bell peppers (cores removed, thinly sliced; see Notes)
  • 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into thin strips or bite-sized chunks)
  • 1 8-ounce block cream cheese (at room temperature)
  • 1 ½ cups shredded cheese (Mexican cheese blend preferred, divided)
  • 1 tablespoons fajita seasoning (or taco seasoning, store-bought or make your own)
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)

Suggested Toppings (All Optional)

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • sour cream
  • pico de gallo
  • guacamole (store-bought or make your own)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
  • Heat cast-iron or other oven-safe skillet on stovetop over medium heat. When pan is warm, add 1 tablespoon avocado oil. Swirl or tilt skillet to distribute oil across entire surface, and continue heating skillet until oil is hot and shimmery.
  • When oil is hot, add sliced onion and bell peppers to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender and softened, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer sautéed peppers and onions to large plate and set aside.
  • Add remaining 1 tablespoon avocado oil to skillet and swirl pan to coat. Heat pan until oil is hot and shimmery, then add chicken to skillet. Cook chicken 3 to 4 minutes, stirring once or twice, until chicken is opaque and lightly golden in spots.
  • While chicken cooks, add cream cheese, ½ cup shredded cheese, fajita veggies, and fajita seasoning to large mixing bowl. Stir ingredients together until well incorporated. Set bowl aside.
  • Add minced garlic, smoked paprika, and salt to skillet and stir to incorporate. Cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is fragrant, approximately 30 to 60 seconds.
  • Transfer chicken and garlic mixture to bowl with cream cheese mixture. Stir to fully incorporate ingredients, then transfer mixture into same cast-iron skillet. Spread mixture out into one even layer, covering bottom of skillet completely.
    Chicken fajita casserole mixture in a cast-iron skillet.
  • Top chicken mixture with remaining 1 cup shredded cheese, spreading cheese out into one even layer.
  • Place skillet in preheated oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly and chicken is cooked through.
  • Carefully remove skillet from oven and set aside to rest 3 to 5 minutes. Top casserole as desired, divide into portions, and serve warm over rice, in tortillas, or as-is.

Recipe Notes

  • If you don't have a cast-iron or oven-safe skillet, you can prepare all of the stovetop steps in a regular skillet, then transfer everything to a baking dish to finish the recipe.
  • Bell Peppers: I like to use a red and a green bell pepper just for a little extra color, but you can use any you like.
  • Make it Lower Carb: Use green bell peppers (they have the fewest carbs!) and make sure you're using a fajita or taco seasoning with no added sugars or sugar substitutes. My keto taco seasoning works great here. You can also use just half an onion instead of a whole one, and use cheese you shred yourself rather than pre-shredded cheese with added fillers.

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 407calProtein: 34gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 684mgPotassium: 550mgTotal Carbs: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gNet Carbs: 5gVitamin A: 574IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 185mgIron: 1mg
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
https://40aprons.com/chicken-fajita-casserole/