Meal-Prep Air-Fryer Chicken Fajita Bowls
These bowls are how I keep future-me fed. You toss fajita chicken and peppers into the air fryer, char them up, and build them over rice and beans into containers for the week. The flavor is straight-up fajitas, but the format holds for days, and reheated it still has those crispy charred edges instead of turning to mush. Keep the avocado and cheese separate until you eat, squeeze on fresh lime, and lunch is handled before the week even starts.
Why this one is so easy
One cook gives you four dinners, all crispy-edged and charred instead of sad and steamed.
It is the fajita flavor you love, built into a rice bowl that holds up for days.
Everything comes off pantry and produce staples, no special trip required.
Della's tips
Slice everything uniformly so the chicken strips and peppers cook at the same rate.
Cut the peppers and onion a little thick so they stay tender and do not scorch before the chicken is done.
Do not overcrowd. A fairly even layer chars, a deep pile steams, so batch it.
Finish with fresh lime at serving. It brightens the whole bowl.
Make it your own
+ Protein swap: steak strips, or shrimp with a much shorter cook, about 6 to 8 minutes.
+ Base swap: cauliflower rice, brown rice, or a bed of greens for low-carb.
+ Loaded: add corn and extra beans seasoned with cumin for a Chipotle-style bowl.
If you are out of something
A store-bought fajita or taco seasoning packet in place of the homemade blend.
Any neutral oil, like avocado, canola, or vegetable.
Pinto beans for black, or skip the beans and add more veggies.
This is built for meal prep. Batch-cook the chicken and peppers, then portion them over rice and beans in four airtight containers. Cooled and sealed, they keep three to four days in the fridge. Keep the avocado, cheese, sour cream, and cilantro separate and add them after reheating. Reheat in the microwave 2 to 3 minutes in short bursts, stirring, with a splash of water on the rice. The cooked chicken and veggies freeze for up to three months.
Ingredients
Steps
Toss the chicken, peppers, and onion in a big bowl with the oil, all the spices, and the lime juice until everything is coated.
Spread it in the air fryer basket in a roughly even layer. This is a lot of food for a 6-quart basket, so for real char cook it in two batches. Piled deep, it steams instead of browning.
Air fry at 380F for about 15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway, until the chicken hits 165F and the peppers have a few charred edges.
Build your bowls over rice and black beans. For meal prep, portion the chicken and veggies over rice and beans in containers and keep the fresh toppings separate.
Add avocado, cheese, cilantro, and salsa when you eat, with a fresh squeeze of lime.
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Questions, answered
Three to four days in an airtight container, cooled first.