Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas (Low-Carb, Keto-Friendly, GLP-1 Approved)

Air fryer chicken fajitas from this recipe served on a plate with some chopped cilantro in the bottom corner in a dish

Ingredients

For the chicken

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast sliced into strips
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt

For the vegetables

2 whole bell peppers sliced into strips
1 large onion sliced into strips
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp salt

Instructions

Slice the chicken into strips. Thinner strips cook faster and pick up more marinade surface area.
Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add the chicken, toss to coat, and let it sit 15 minutes on the counter. Skip the fridge for this step, cold chicken cooks unevenly in the air fryer.
Toss the peppers and onion with oil and salt in a separate bowl. Keeping them apart from the chicken at this stage means you can pull the vegetables early if your air fryer runs hot.
Load the chicken into the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook at 400°F for 8 minutes.
Add the peppers and onion to the basket. Shake to combine with the chicken, then cook another 8 to 10 minutes, shaking once halfway, until the chicken hits 165°F internal and the vegetables have char on the edges.
Rest for 5 minutes before serving. The chicken keeps cooking slightly off heat, and the juices redistribute instead of running out onto the plate.

Notes

The seasoning. This is the same job a bottled marinade does, minus the sugar and preservatives. Five spices you likely already have. As always, season with your heart and with whatever pleases your ancestors. Try some Maggi or soy sauce for color and umami, or add a little monkfruit sweetener or allulose if your prefer the slightly sweet version.

The tortillas. I pair these with Banditeria zero-carb tortillas. They're not a whole-food ingredient and I won't pretend otherwise. My preferred brand at least keeps the seed oils and the carbs off the plate, even where the ingredient list isn't fully clean. That's the trade I'm making for a dish built around a tortilla by definition. Skip it entirely and everything below works straight over greens or in a bowl.

The peppers. Any color works. Red and yellow run sweeter, green runs more bitter and holds its shape a little better in the air fryer.

Nutrition