Fajitas - with the Chicken

My junior and senior year of high school I worked at McDonald’s. While I worked at McD’s I was usually stationed in the drive-thru. From time-to-time we had pranksters come through and try to be funny through the speaker. Sometimes it would crack me up and give me inspiration.

Inspiration led to some obnoxious drive-thru behavior on my part. One restaurant I did like was Taco Bell (I know, I know). I used to go through drive-thrus and make weird requests just to hear the pause. A favorite request of mine was a chicken fajita minus the chicken with extra cheese. Sure enough a long dialogue would happen, and I would have to drive to the window to finish placing my order while trying to keep a straight face.

Now that most of those childish behaviors are behind me, and I now avoid Taco Bell, I have learned to make some pretty great tasting chicken fajitas with the chicken. Chicken fajitas are such an easy, versatile meal, and they take very little time to make. This recipe is also a great way to use leftover chicken.

Chicken Fajita Recipe

Makes 16 fajitas

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch strips

(or already cooked bone-in breasts, shredded)
1 bell pepper, sliced

1 onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T taco seasoning
2 T cooking oil, divided (recommend oil with a high smoke point - like avocado or coconut oil)

- Place bell pepper, onion, and garlic in large frying pan with 1 T of oil, and put the temperature of the burner to medium heat. Cook until onions are transparent.

Directions for raw chicken tenders:

- Place the raw tenders and seasoning in a bowl to coat. It is best to let the chicken sit for at least an hour, but is not totally necessary.

- Put 1 T of oil and the raw chicken tenders in a separate frying pan, and cook on medium-low heat until the chicken is fully cooked and slightly browned.

- Once chicken is cooked add to the pepper, onions and garlic and mix well.

Directions for shredded, cooked chicken:
- Add the shredded chicken to the pepper, onion, and garlic mix as you start to see the onions turning transparent.
- Add taco seasonings to pan along with ¼ cup of water.
- Cover deep frying pan with a lid, and let simmer for 10 minutes to allow the seasonings to absorb

Serving Suggestions:
- Place in whole wheat, corn or flour tortillas. A grain-free option is to try using romaine lettuce leaves in place of the tortillas. The romaine leaves add a very fresh taste to the recipe, and kids think it is fun.
- Serve with slived avocados, cheese, sour cream, salsa, fresh diced cilantro, or pineapples!
- Enjoy!

Cost:

Rosie's Organic Chicken Breasts (Sprouts): $6

Onion: $.33

Organic Bell Pepper: $1.50

Avocado: $.50

Total: $8.33 (Far cheaper than my old Taco Bell visits at $.52 per serving - not including any toppings or wraps you may want)