Fajita Seasoning

Skip the store-bought packets and make your own homemade Fajita Seasoning! It’s incredibly simple and can be mixed together in minutes (and you can reduce or omit the salt and the sugar if you want to).

Recipe ingredients

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

• Paprika: Both sweet and smoked paprika work here.
• Sugar: Leave this out if you want to.
• Cayenne pepper: Add more if you like spicy food, omit entirely if you don’t.

Instructions

• In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon), and salt to taste (I like 1 teaspoon). Store in an airtight container.

Recipe tips and variations

• Yield: This recipe makes ¼ cup fajita seasoning which is enough to season 4 pounds of beef, chicken, or shrimp.
• Storage: Store this spice blend covered in the pantry for up to 6 months.
• Making chicken fajitas:
  1. In a plastic bag, add 2 pounds chicken (breasts or thighs), ¼ cup minced cilantro, 3 tablespoons lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of fajita seasoning. Mash until evenly coated. Marinate at least 30 minutes (room temperature) or up to 1 hour (refrigerated).
  2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until crispy and browned on one side, about 8 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the second side and chicken registers 160 degrees, about 8 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before cutting into strips (do not discard fat in skillet).
  3. Meanwhile, to the skillet with the fat over medium-high heat, add 3 bell peppers (sliced) and 1 red onion (sliced) and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Push peppers and onions to one side and add sliced chicken back to skillet for serving. Serve with tortillas, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream (or your favorite toppings).

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Fajita Seasoning

Skip the store-bought packets and make your own homemade Fajita Seasoning! It's incredibly simple and can be mixed together in minutes (and you can reduce or omit the salt and the sugar if you want to).

Author: Meggan Hill

5 from 289 votes

ReviewPrint

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Servings 4 tablespoons

Course Pantry

Cuisine Mexican

Calories 24

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 4 teaspoons chili powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ▢ 2 teaspoons paprika (see note 1)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons granulated sugar (see note 2)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ cayenne pepper to taste (see note 3)
• ▢ salt to taste

Instructions 

• In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon), and salt to taste (I like 1 teaspoon). Store in an airtight container.

Recipe Video

Notes

1. Paprika: Both sweet and smoked paprika work here.
2. Sugar: Leave this out if you want to.
3. Cayenne pepper: Add more if you like spicy food, omit entirely if you don’t.
4. Yield: This recipe makes ¼ cup fajita seasoning which is enough to season 4 pounds of beef, chicken, or shrimp.
5. Storage: Store this spice blend covered in the pantry for up to 6 months.
6. Making chicken fajitas:
   1. In a plastic bag, add 2 pounds chicken (breasts or thighs), ¼ cup minced cilantro, 3 tablespoons lime juice, and 2 tablespoons of fajita seasoning. Mash until evenly coated. Marinate at least 30 minutes (room temperature) or up to 1 hour (refrigerated).
   2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until crispy and browned on one side, about 8 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the second side and chicken registers 160 degrees, about 8 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and rest for 5 minutes before cutting into strips (do not discard fat in skillet).
   3. Meanwhile, to the skillet with the fat over medium-high heat, add 3 bell peppers (sliced) and 1 red onion (sliced) and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Push peppers and onions to one side and add sliced chicken back to skillet for serving. Serve with tortillas, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream (or your favorite toppings).

Nutrition

Serving: 2teaspoonsCalories: 24kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 36mgPotassium: 89mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1098IUCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg

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Meggan Hill

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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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