Call Me Mrs. Rapp: Chicken Fajitas

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Chicken Fajitas

Open-faced fajita

I consistently salivate over one of my student's lunches each day. While all their lunches are made with love - and hunger-inducing! - Ellis's lunch is usually leftovers from delicious dinners that make my mouth water. Ellis often bring's his mom's chicken fajitas for lunch, and one day I broke. I told him I would come to his house for dinner to taste them and told him he had to have his mom give me the recipe. My little Ellis did not disappoint. The next morning I had a sweet email from his wonderful mother, who gave me the recipe for her awesome - and healthy! - chicken fajitas. I made a few modifications for our lifestyle, but let me tell you, these were awesome. After having two huge fajitas John declared he was too full for more. Within 30 seconds he declared they were too good to not have one more. :)

Ingredients:
*whole wheat tortillas (or regular flour tortillas will work fine)
*2 (or more) chicken breasts
*low sodium chicken broth (or regular)
*seasoning (I used Montreal because it's what I had but you can use cajun or whatever you like!)
*fajita filling: I used...
-1/2 onion chopped roughly
-1 can diced tomatoes (I didn't have any to use the second time I made these so I just skipped it!)
-1 zuchinni, chopped
-1 red bell pepper, jullianed (aka sliced thinly)
-1 green bell pepper, jullianed
-1 yellow bell pepper, jullianed
-1/2 bag frozen corn, defrosted/cooked in microwave
*shredded cheddar cheese (optional filling)
*light sour cream (optional filling)
*guacamole (optional filling, click for recipe)
*queso (optional filling, click for recipe -- 1 can Campbell's nacho fiesta soup, 1/4 can filled with milk, 1/4 can filled with heavy cream - for extra thick queso - and shredded cheddar cheese)

Preparation:
*In the morning, place chicken in a slow cooker. Fill with chicken broth, about halfway up chicken breasts. Season with your preferred seasoning. It will be SO juicy when it is done! (Original recipe calls for doing this but cooking in oven on 200 degrees all day. Since I work I didn't want to leave the oven on while I was gone, but I'm sure this way is great too.) Set on low for 6-7 hours, depending on how well you like your chicken cooked. (I cooked them for 7 hours the first time and only 6 the second time.)

*When you're ready to prepare dinner...Pour some olive oil on a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Combine vegetables (peppers, corn, zuchinni, onion and diced tomatoes) and pour onto skillet. Allow them to cook for as long as you'd like. I left mine on for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally and covering occasionally. It all depends on how you like your vegetables.

*If you're making queso, put it on the stove.

*Take the chicken out of the slow cooker (or oven). Slice it and shred it to your preference. Place it in a glass bowl, and place the bowl back in the slow cooker (on warm) to keep it warm. For extra juicy chicken, spoon some of the broth into the bowl with the chicken.

*If you're making guacamole, prepare it now.

*When the vegetables are done, spoon them into a bowl or serving dish. Warm tortillas and place sides (queso, guacamole, vegetables, cheese, sour cream) and chicken on a serving dish and enjoy your easy, yummy meal!