Behind the Recipe: Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajita Burrito Bowls
- Dry Brining the Chicken
- What: Patting the chicken dry, coating the outside with salt and spices, and letting it sit, uncovered (if possible) in the fridge for an extended period of time.
- Why: Ingredients are minimal here, so giving time for the salt and spices to really marinate and diffuse into the chicken is key for maximum flavor. I suggest at least 3 hours, ideally 5-8 hours or overnight. It doesn’t actually take much time, just a bit of planning.
- Sauteing Peppers & Onions
- Pretty simple and basic, but a key point that is often overlooked: don’t stir that often! This helps get that perfect char. If you keep stirring, they will just be sweated down and not very browned.
Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajita Burrito Bowls
Chicken
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken breasts or thighs, (thighs cooked about 5 minutes faster)
- 1 teaspoon diamond kosher salt (if using any other salt, use half the amount)
- 1-2 tablespoons fajita seasoning, , I like the Siete seasoning
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 head garlic, , halved (skin/peel still on)
- 1 red onion, , cut into quarters
Peppers & Onions
- 2 yellow onion, , sliced
- 4 peppers,, , assorted colors and sliced
- 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fajita seasoning
- diamond kosher salt (if using any other salt, use half the amount), , to taste
Optional Sides:
- tortillas
- cooked rice
- avocado or guac
- shredded mexican cheese
Prepare the Chicken
- Pat chicken completely dry. Rub outside generously with salt and fajita mixture. Place chicken in fridge for at least 2 hours, up to 8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425 and remove chicken from fridge to get closer to room temperature.
- Prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper. Add halved garlic heads and red onion to a large sheet pan. Add chicken.Drizzle chicken, garlic, and onion with olive oil and season just the onion and garlic lightly with salt. Make sure the garlic and onions are generously coated in oil (the garlic in particular needs to be coated with olive oil or it will burn).
- Bake until chicken is fully cooked and have an internal temperature of 165 degrees, about 30-35 minutes. The thighs generally take about 30 minutes, the breasts 35 minutes.
- Let cool a few minutes before slicing chicken.
Peppers & Onions:
- Meanwhile saute peppers and onions. Heat the largest skillet possible over medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil and peppers and onions. It's okay if there's a bit of stacking, but you don't want a ton. Season with salt and add in fajita seasoning.
- Saute over medium heat, stirring just occasionally until wilted and lightly charred, about 15-20 minutes. Don't stir too much or they won't char! They will first reduce in size and then begin to char.
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