Chicken Fajitas

Over graduation, I was having a conversation with my aunt and a friend’s mother when the topic of my blog came up. Attempting to explain the subject matter (brevity is not one of my fortes), I told them of my ineptitude in the kitchen. My friend’s mother looked baffled – how did I not know how to cook? Did I never help my mother in the kitchen or make any meals as a child?

Now, I’m not going to claim that I was the golden child who always came to my mother’s aid in the kitchen. But I don’t think I was by any means the spoiled brat who expected her mother to do everything for her – such behavior would not have flown in my parent’s household. I think it was more that I actively rejected it. I did what was necessary to help – peeled potatoes, chopped onion, washed the dishes – and then quickly pushed anything I had learned in the process out of my mind. Men weren’t expected to know everything about a kitchen so why should I?

The ironic part is that all of the men in my life – Andrew, my dad, my brothers – are excellent cooks, while I’m the one who can barely make eggs for breakfast. Good thing I can now cook chicken fajitas…

I love the chicken fajitas at El Taco so I used them as inspiration for this recipe (but definitely didn’t do them justice).

Musical Inspiration: Fleet Foxes

Estimated Time: 30 minutes

Total Cost: $17

Servings: If you eat as much as Andrew and I, then 2; but if you eat like a normal person, 3-4

Ingredients:

• About a pound of chicken breast
• 1/2 of a red bell pepper
• 1/2 of a white onion
• 1 package of taco seasoning (I like Old El Paso)
• Cheddar cheese
• Guacamole (Don’t fret, I’ll post that recipe next)
• 6 flour tortillas

Tools:

• Knife
• Cutting board
• Large skillet
• Spatula

Step 1: I sliced the chicken breasts into cubes.

Step 2: I sliced up the red pepper and onion.

Step 3: In a large skillet, I drizzled some olive oil and threw the chicken in, cooking it over medium-high heat.

Step 4: After the chicken was almost cooked through (I cut one of the bigger pieces in half just to make sure), I threw in the peppers and onion.

[Look at me - I'm healthy - 45% less sodium! Baby steps...]

Step 5: I added the taco seasoning with half a cup of water. Arguably, I could have just used spices already in my cabinet. But for the extra 70 cents it costs for the packet, I think it’s worth the flavor.

Step 6: I stirred everything around with the spatula for about 5 more minutes. I also put the tortillas in between two wet pieces of paper towel and microwaved them for 20-30 seconds.

Step 7: I portioned out some chicken/peppers/onion onto each tortilla, sprinkled some cheddar cheese, and added a dollop of guacamole.

We loved this dinner so much that we ate all of it. Ridiculous? Yes. I felt so full I was going to burst, but it was worth it. Plus, I think this dinner falls into the category of being healthy in my book. (Maybe with less cheese…)