Chicken Fajita Casserole -- When One Pan Teaches You Everything You Need to Know

Mid-January means the channel analytics reset for the new year and I've been watching the first weeks of 2019 build. The videos from the fall are still drawing steady traffic — the chicken soup especially — and new subscribers are coming in at a rate that surprises me each week. I crossed 30,000 this week. I keep trying to find the right way to hold that number: big enough to take seriously, small enough not to lose perspective.

I had a conversation with my therapist about the YouTube thing. She noted that I'd started talking about it the same way I talk about the workshops — as a form of care, not performance. I thought that was exactly right. I'm not trying to impress anyone. I'm trying to fill gaps. The camera is just a longer reach than the classroom.

This week's video was about sheet pan dinners — the concept, not just a recipe. How to think about them: protein that takes longer goes on first, vegetables cut to similar sizes so they cook evenly, something acidic and something fatty in the seasoning. I showed three variations: chicken thighs with root vegetables, salmon with asparagus, sausage with peppers and onions. Practical and fast and winter-appropriate.

Mason has started requesting recipe categories for my videos. He came home from school Tuesday and said, "Mom, you should do a whole video about breakfast for dinner." He's not wrong — breakfast-for-dinner is one of those reliably joyful meals and I haven't covered it yet. I put it on the list. The eleven-year-old is now my most useful editorial consultant.

The sheet pan video this week was really about a way of thinking — protein first, uniform cuts, acid and fat in the seasoning — and this Chicken Fajita Casserole is exactly that philosophy made delicious. It hits every note I talked about: chicken that goes in early, peppers and onions cut to cook evenly alongside it, and bold seasoning doing all the heavy lifting. Mason approved the concept before I even told him what was in it, which is the highest editorial endorsement I can get right now.

Chicken Fajita Casserole

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced into half-rings
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 packet (1 oz) fajita seasoning mix
• 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
• 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Optional toppings: sour cream, sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, warm flour tortillas

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Season the chicken. In a large bowl, toss chicken strips with olive oil, fajita seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper until evenly coated.
3. Layer the casserole. Spread the sliced peppers and onion in an even layer in the prepared baking dish. Scatter the drained diced tomatoes with green chiles over the vegetables, then lay the seasoned chicken strips on top.
4. Bake uncovered. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 25–28 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender with slightly caramelized edges.
5. Add the cheese. Remove the dish from the oven, sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top, and return to the oven for 5–7 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
6. Rest and serve. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon into bowls or scoop into warm flour tortillas and finish with your preferred toppings.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 12g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 680mg