Air Fryer
Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas
Charred chicken and peppers in 15 minutes, all in one basket. Why everything gets sliced to the same size, and why you stir it twice rather than once.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, sliced into strips
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow pepper, sliced
- 1 green pepper, sliced
- 1 brown onion, sliced
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 soft flour tortillas, to serve
Method
- Slice the chicken breasts lengthways into even finger-width strips.
- Slice the peppers and onion into strips the same size as the chicken.
- Toss everything in a bowl with the oil, then the smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, chilli powder and salt, until evenly coated.
- Tip into the air fryer basket and spread out into a single layer.
- Air fry at 200°C (390°F) for 15 minutes, stirring twice during cooking.
- Check the thickest piece of chicken reads at least 75°C (165°F). Serve straight into warm tortillas.
Notes
- Slice the chicken and vegetables to the same size. This is the whole reason fajitas go wrong in an air fryer — thin pepper strips turn to mush long before thick chunks of chicken are cooked.
- Stir it twice rather than once. Everything sits in one layer and the pieces nearest the element char while the rest steam if you leave them alone.
- Three colours of pepper is not just for looks — green peppers hold their bite while red and yellow go sweet and soft, and you want both textures.
- Neither source gives spice measurements, only a list. The proportions here are ours: 2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp chilli. A 30g shop-bought sachet does the same job.
- Marinating for an hour first makes a noticeable difference if you have the time, but it works straight away.
- Air fryer models vary. Treat the times as a guide, go by colour and crispness, and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Watch it
More Air Fryer Chicken
Air fryer models vary in power and basket size, so treat the times here as a guide — go by colour and crispness rather than the clock, and adjust the seasoning and glaze to your taste.
Recipe source: Method from Air Fryer UK (airfryeruk.com): 2 chicken breasts sliced into strips with 2 mixed peppers and 1 onion sliced to the same size, tossed in oil and fajita seasoning, air fried at 200°C (390°F) for around 15 minutes, stirred twice, to an internal 75°C (165°F). Corroborated against Maggi UK, who preheat to 190°C (375°F) and cook 15-18 minutes turning 2-3 times. Neither source gives spice measurements — both say 'fajita seasoning, shop-bought or homemade', listing smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder and chilli. The blend proportions given here are ours, not theirs.