A very wise man (aka my best friend Matt) said that you cannot live your best life without guacamole. And I'm 100% on board with that. But also you really can't live your best life without salsa, cheese and fajitas so in honor of that.... let's make a Chicken Fajita Skillet Quinoa Bake! 
You guys know how much I love eating out of a bowl right? I mean I wrote an entire chapter on bowls in my cookbook for crying out loud! I have similar feelings about cooking everything in a big 'ol skillet and serving it straight outta the pan. It makes things easy and that's exactly what this Chicken Fajita Skillet Quinoa Bake is!
It's everything you love about fajitas, mixed with some quinoa (you could also use rice or pasta if that's more your jam, see cheesy chicken and rice casserole), doused with salsa, topped with plenty of cheese and then baked to perfection. It's PERFECT for any weeknight meal and it's incredible as leftovers! Top it with some guacamole and call it a day! If you're looking for something vegetarian, check out these quinoa stuffed peppers that are delicious!
Chicken Fajita Skillet Quinoa Bake
Ingredients
For the Fajita Mixture
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 poblano pepper medium dice
- 1 red bell pepper medium dice
- 1 yellow pepper medium dice
- 1 red onion medium dice
For the rest of it...
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups shredded cheese divided
- 1 ½ cups chipotle salsa
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- Finely chopped scallions as needed
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breasts into cubes, about 1 inch. Combine the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, cumin, chili powder and red pepper flakes in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the chicken and marinate for 1 hour.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chicken mixture, marinade included, and sauté until fully cooked. Using a pair of tongs, remove the chicken from the skillet and add the vegetables. Sauté until tender and charred. Add the chicken back into the cast iron skillet and toss to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cook the quinoa according to the package directions. Once cooked, remove from heat and transfer the cooked quinoa into a large bowl. Fold in the chicken fajita mixture, 1 ½ cups of the shredded cheese, and salsa. Season the entire mixture with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Lightly spray a large skillet with non-stick spray, and transfer the mixture into the baking dish. Top with the remaining shredded cheese and bake for about 20 minutes until the top layer of cheese is bubbly and melted. Remove the baking dish from the oven and garnish with green onions and serve.
Is the one cup of quinoa called for in the recipe, one cooked cup or the amount you get when you cook one cup?
uncooked - you cook it in step 3
This was easy & delicious! Looking forward to having the leftovers tomorrow night!!
This is delish. First time I made it I thought, oh boy this is a lot of chopping. So what I do now is roast the veg and prep the chicken in the marinade the day before. The day of, I cook the chicken, throw the veggies in and make the quinoa. Doesn’t seem quite as daunting for me when I break it up into 2 days. VERY VERY GOOD
This is a family favorite..I don’t always make it exactly the same, but it always turns out delicious!
So easy, so good. Did everything as directed. Added a dollop of sour cream at the end. A big hit at my house!
If we are dairy free, can we just omit the cheese and bake?
totally
My daughter can’t do dairy; I’ve made it with vegan cheese or no cheese and it still turns out yummy!
My family loved this meal, and the guys put it in a tortilla for more substance. Sooooo tasty
Yum! Instead of all the peppers, I kept the poblanos but subbed zucchini and mushrooms. It was great!
This was fantastic. I'd forgotten to pick up chipotle salsa at the market so I substituted a salsa verde and loved it. Can't wait to make this again!