Real Easy Chicken Fajitas

Author: Barb Dyess

My adventure to enjoying Mexican food began as a child when my mom served tacos made with simple, wholesome ingredients: ground beef seasoned with chili powder and chopped olives. The meat mixture was served in corn tortillas warmed in oil, topped with cheddar cheese, tomatoes and lettuce. It was a simple dish which was enthusiastically devoured by my sister, brother and I; little did I know a whole world of Mexican foods awaited me beyond mom's mild, no-fuss tacos!

In my teen years, we lived in a town with a high Hispanic population where both friends and local eateries introduced me to wonderful entrees like burritos smothered in green chile, and little pockets of sweetened, fried bread, known as “sopapillas.”

I enjoyed introducing Mexican food to my southern husband—where the most south-of-the-border food he experienced was Taco Bell®. It was great fun to watch him test various dishes, most of which were too spicy for his traditional southern taste buds.

When we moved to Texas, I discovered Tex-Mex foods and learned to make family-friendly Mexican dishes that even young children would like—which meant pretty mild stuff.

When we were first introduced to fajitas I had trouble pronouncing their name. And, I couldn’t even fathom thinking I could ever cook them! The typical recipe called for skirt steak, which was out of our modest budget. It was also impractical to think of firing up a charcoal grill every time we wanted fajitas. So I forgot about making fajitas until I was browsing through a friend's cookbook one day. The recipe intrigued me, so off I went to adapt the recipe to our more affordable mainstay: chicken.

Since I had learned to sear my food as an alternative to grilling, a grill was no longer necessary. With a few changes to the recipe, I created "Real Easy Chicken Fajitas."

With a cast iron skillet, and a few helping hands, our family enjoys dinner in less than thirty minutes. I do the cooking, and the kids grate the cheese and put out the toppings, such as low-fat sour cream, salsas of various “heats,” and the olives—a tribute to my mom.

Real Easy Chicken Fajitas Recipe

Ingredients

1 ½ - 2 Lb. boneless, sliced, skinless chicken breasts
2 fresh limes
1 whole yellow onion
1 ½ C green, yellow, red peppers
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1 8 oz. can sliced black or green olives
2 whole coriander seeds, coarsely crushed
½ - 1 Tsp oregano leaves
Dash salt
Dash of black pepper
1 C low-fat sour cream
1 jar salsa
Flour tortillas

Instructions

Whisk lime juice, coriander seeds, oregano leaves, salt, and pepper in a glass/ceramic bowl.
Stir in chicken pieces until well-coated and marinade for 10-15 minutes.
Heat a heavy skillet on med-high heat. DO NOT add oil! Put foil-wrapped tortillas in 325 degree oven to warm for 10 minutes or so.
Dump chicken into hot skillet, marinade and all, spread it around quickly and let it sear. Do not stir for about two minutes while it browns.
Turn chicken over and let sear again.
Stir and let cook for about three more minutes.
Add onions and fresh peppers. Let them slightly, blacken on the edges, then stir together. (Add more lime juice, if needed for moisture.)
Serve fajitas in warmed tortillas with toppings as desired.

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