Chicken Fajitas

It seems like forever since I made fajitas. In fact, the last I checked it was sometime in 2008! I have made quite a few chicken tacos a few times a year, but in an effort to switch things up, I decided it was definitely time for Chicken Fajitas. The beauty of cooking is that there will always be an abundance of recipes to try. From Food & Wine, I found a really good recipe that I adapted to my tastes. It was flavorful, colorful and best of all, easy! There's no need to run out and get a package of fajitas seasoning mix because you most likely have all the spices already in your pantry...

I'm an advocate of stocking your pantry with spices. Aside from being economical, you can fore go buying pre-packaged seasoning mixes. They tend to have more sodium in them, not to mention some have MSG. But I digress. Having a stocked pantry of common spices allows you to make seasoning mixes to fit your tastes. Such is the case for these chicken fajitas. The seasoning is a combination of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin and cornstarch. That's it!

These spices are combined with chicken broth and oil to create a marinade for the chicken. After a few minutes of chilling, you're ready to sauté and your fajitas will be done in no time! We enjoyed our fajitas with some sour cream and a sprinkle of shredded cheese. To pair with the fajitas, I served them with Mexican rice.

Chicken Fajitas

recipe adapted from Food & Wine

1 teaspoon pure chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup chicken broth or stock
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch strips
1/4 green bell pepper—cored, seeded and cut into thin strips
1/4 yellow bell pepper—cored, seeded and cut into thin strips
1/4 red bell pepper—cored, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
8 flour tortillas, warmed in the microwave

For serving: (optional)
Shredded lettuce
Shredded cheddar cheese
Salsa
Sour cream
Guacamole


In a resealable plastic bag, combine the chili powder with the salt, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, cornstarch, chicken stock and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the chicken, bell pepper and onion, seal and knead gently to coat. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet until shimmering. Empty the contents of the bag into the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice.

Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a large bowl and serve with the warmed tortillas, lettuce, cheese, salsa, sour cream and lime wedges.