My Chicken Fajitas

One of the few restaurants that we have in our small town is a Mexican restaurant. My family and I love the food, but going out to eat with a family of five doesn’t always fit into the budget—especially if we want fajitas (one of the most expensive things on the menu). After much trial and error, we finally came up with a tasty solution…cumin! Yes, that ground, green spice is a wonderful thing. I’d had it so many times and didn’t realize what it was until a couple of years ago. It was the missing link.
1 lb. uncooked chicken breast, cut into chunks or strips
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 medium onion, cut into strips
1 (8oz) pkg. mushrooms
olive oil
red wine vinegar, optional
ground cumin
chili powder
garlic powder
onion powder
tortillas
salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese

FIRST, in a small bowl, mix about a tbsp. olive oil with approximately 2tsp. cumin, 2 tsp. chili powder, 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, and 1 tsp. onion powder. Add more or take away according to your tastes. You may choose to add salt here but I don’t because of the BP. This is also where the vinegar comes in. Sometimes, I shake approximately 1 tbsp. vinegar in with the chicken, oil and spices for more flavor. Mix well and let it sit in the refrigerator until you are ready to add it to the pan.
SECOND, heat a large skillet on medium and add about a tsp. to a tbsp. of olive oil. Add peppers and let them sauté for a couple of minutes.
THIRD, add mushrooms. Let them cook a couple of minutes.
FOURTH, add onions. Let them cook a couple of minutes and then remove all veggies from the skillet onto a large plate or medium bowl.
FIFTH, add the chicken to the already heated skillet. Let it cook until the outside is not pink.
SIXTH, add the veggies back to the skillet with the chicken.
SEVENTH, warm tortillas (The last time I made these, I just put the tortillas on top of the fajita mixture in the skillet and put the lid on the skillet for a couple of minutes.) Put the tortilla on the plate and add the chicken and veggies to the tortilla and top with any of the accoutrements you want.
Goes well with black beans, refried beans, or Spanish rice—or even just a simple salad. This is one of my all-time favorite meals .

NOTES:

• You may add more chicken—just add a little more spices. Of course, the more veggies, the merrier. Sometimes in the summer we will add a fresh tomato cut into strips.
• It is important to this recipe that you cook the veggies in the order given. Peppers take a little longer to soften than mushrooms and onions do (onions go fairly quickly)
• It is important to this recipe that you start the veggies and chicken separately. I tried to cook them together the first few times I made this, but the veggies either over-softened or the mixture had more liquid than I wanted.
• This makes a great freezer meal. To freeze, I fix the chicken through step 1. I put it in a freezer bag, get as much air out as possible, label, and store. When I want fajitas, the chicken is already cut and marinaded—all I have to do is thaw and add the veggies!

ENJOY!!