How to Make Easy Chicken Fajitas with Homemade Seasoning

Prep. Time: ~45 minutesCook Time: 30 minutes

Introduction

Chicken fajitas are a type of Tex-Mex food that typically contain small strips of meat and various vegetables. Some form of fajitas has been around since the 1930s, but they started to become a common and popular dish in the 1980s. A common way of cooking the chicken is to either grill it or sauté it on the stove. The vegetables are also typically sautéed on the stove as well. When the food is sautéed, you need to constantly watch over the pan and stir the vegetables or flip the chicken. This can take a decent amount of time and you might not have the time to do that. For this reason, I like to cook my fajitas in the oven, which allows you to walk away while the food is cooking so you can get other things done. As a college student in a difficult major, this is a very convenient way of cooking. I can put the food in the oven and go get 30 minutes worth of schoolwork done. If I were to sauté the food on the stove, I would lose this productivity time. The fajitas that I make also provide a tasty way to get a lot of nutrients, which can be hard to come by as a college student.

WARNING: The knife/knives used to make the fajitas are very sharp. Make sure you are careful when using them. Children under 14 should be supervised by an adult.

Materials

Small pan Spice grinder Cutting board 2 glass casserole dishes Chef's knife Large mixing spoon Large container

Ingredients

Fajita Seasoning

1 tbsp. cumin 1 tbsp. coriander 1-2 chipotle chile peppers

Fajitas

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 2 bell peppers (doesn't matter what color they are) 2 sweet onions Vegetable oil Crushed red pepper flakes (optional) Seasoning Tortilla shells Cheddar cheese (optional)

Making the Seasoning

1. Place a small pan on a burner on the stove and turn the heat to medium-low.2. Measure out approximately 1 tbsp. of cumin and place it in the pan.3. Measure out approximately 1 tbsp. of coriander and place it in the pan. 4. Add 1-2 chipotle chili peppers to the pan. 5. Toast the spices for ~3 minutes, until they start to get brown and smell toasty.6. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the spices into the spice grinder.7. Leave the lid to the spice grinder open and allow the mixture to cool for 5-10 minutes.

8. Grind the spices until they are very finely ground. 9. Put the seasoning aside for later use.

Figure 1. Showing the onions and peppers I used for ingredients.

Figure 2. A picture of coriander seeds.

Figure 3. Displaying steps 1-5.

Figure 4. A picture showing the spices cooling off.

Figure 5. A picture displaying the result of step 8 in making the seasoning.

Making the Vegetables

1. Wash the vegetables thoroughly with water.2. Slice the onions into eighths, medium sized pieces, with the Chef's knife.3. Place the onions into one of the glass casserole dishes.

4. Slice the peppers length-wise into pieces that are approximately 1 cm. thick.5. Place the peppers into the same glass casserole dish that the onions are in.

6. Drizzle a small amount of vegetable oil over the peppers and onions. 7. Sprinkle some of the fajita seasoning (it's up to you how much you want) on top of the peppers and onions.8. Add crushed red pepper flakes to the vegetables if you want to add heat (extra spice) to your fajitas. 9. Stir the vegetables well with a mixing spoon.10. Set the vegetables aside while the chicken is being prepared.

Making the Chicken

1. Take all four pieces of chicken out of the packaging and place them evenly apart in the second glass casserole dish. 2. Drizzle a small amount of vegetable oil over the chicken.

Figure 6. The result of step 2 in making the vegetables.

Figure 7. Displaying the result of step 4 in making the vegetables.

Figure 8. The vegetables after they have been prepared.

3. Sprinkle some of the fajita seasoning (it’s up to you how much you want) on the side of the chicken that is face up. 4. Add crushed red pepper flakes to the chicken if you want to add heat (extra spice) to the fajitas.5. Flip each piece of chicken over and repeat steps 3-4 for the other side.6. Set the chicken aside while the oven is preheating.

Making the Meal

Serving Size: Makes ~12 medium sized fajitas.

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and wait until it is preheated.2. Place the glass casserole dishes containing the chicken and vegetables in the oven.3. Cook the chicken and vegetables for ~15 minutes.4. Flip each piece of chicken over and stir the vegetables. 5. Cook the chicken and vegetables for an additional 15 minutes. The chicken and vegetables should be slightly browned when done.6. Remove the casserole dishes from the oven and place them on top of the stove. 7. Take each piece of chicken and cut it from left to right (or right to left) along the length of the chicken. This should produce bite-size pieces of chicken.

WARNING: Consuming raw or under-cooked meat can increase your risk for foodborne illness. Make sure that the chicken is completely white when you cut into it.

8. Place the cut-up chicken and the vegetables into a separate container and stir.9. Toast a tortilla shell in the oven or toaster oven on low for a few minutes.10. Place the tortilla shell on a plate and spoon some of the fajita mix onto the shell. 11. Grate some cheddar cheese over the fajita.12. Serve and enjoy your rare nutritious college meal. Hopefully you'll find it as irresistible as my roommates do.

Figure 10. A picture of the result of step 7 in Making the Meal.

Figure 11. All the ingredients together after step 8 in Making the Meal.

TIP: Chips, salsa, and/or guacamole go well with fajitas as a side dish.

Troubleshooting

1. If you want a milder version of the fajitas, do not add the crushed red pepper flakes and only toast 1 chipotle chile pepper for the seasoning.2. Leftover fajitas can be stored in an airtight plastic container for up to 4 days. 3. The fajitas can either be reheated in a pan on the stove, or they can be microwaved.4. Store-bought fajita seasoning can be used if you do not have the ingredients or the time to make the homemade seasoning. Don't feel guilty for doing this, I do it all of the time.