Friday, January 31, 2014

Chicken Fajitas {Freezer Meal}



There is an adorable little Mexican place right by our house, complete with twinkly strings of lights and colorful mosaic tiles. There are only about 15 tables and the joint is always packed. The servers know us and always greet us with genuine smiles, which says a lot considering our kids somehow manage to get more food on the floor than in their mouths. We often find ourselves there on Dollar Taco Night, and although the dollar tacos are delicious, my very favorite thing to order are the fajitas. 

Nothing quite beats a skillet of sizzling fajitas. I mean, when you can hear your food before it gets to your table, that's a party on a plate. With this recipe you can throw your very own fajita party at home, and by assembling fajita meal kits for your freezer, the party hits your plate even faster at dinnertime!


To begin prepping the fajitas, take 2 to 3 large chicken breasts and fillet them so that each breast becomes 2 chicken cutlets. Do this by placing the breast on the cutting board and with a long sharp knife, cut through the side of the breast from top to bottom, parallel to the cutting board. 


You want your chicken pieces to be thin because the dry rub includes sugar and when you go to saute your chicken breasts, the sugar will start to burn if the chicken cooks too long, which will cause a bit of smoke and then the fire alarm will go off and all the children will scream and the chicken will turn black and no one will eat it and you will be forced to go a cute little Mexican restaurant for dollar tacos instead. Which, all in all, is not a terrible way to spend the evening, but definitely a horrible waste of a freezer meal. SO SLICE YOUR CHICKEN THIN, YA'LL!

Anywho, on to the dry rub which includes a mix of brown sugar, chili powder and cumin.

Throw it all together in a large baggie with the chicken and coat the chicken thoroughly.

Now slice up the peppers and onion and place them in a separate baggie. Truth be told, I actually prefer fresh veggies to use on the night I make the fajitas. They are slightly more flavorful and crisp. But to save time, freezing your veggies works well too.  

Add a package of tortillas and shredded cheese and you have an entire meal kit ready to go!

Discover that your child has colored his entire face while you were distracted prepping freezer meals. 


When it is time to cook your fajitas, thaw the chicken, cheese and tortillas, BUT NOT THE VEGGIES! If you thaw the veggies, they will become colorful blobs of mush and no one will eat them and then you will have to eat plain fajitas or just give up and go eat dollar tacos. SO KEEP THE VEGGIES FROZEN, YA'LL!

Now, heat up a bit of olive oil in a skillet and saute the beautifully marinated chicken for a few minutes on each side.


Remove the chicken and add the frozen veggies. Stir them around to pick up all the spices and leftover goodness and cook through.


Now slice the chicken and you can even throw it back in the pan to recreate that sizzling fajita skillet!


I will say that these homemade fajitas beat dollar tacos hands down. Now that's a party on a plate.

¡OlĂ©!


CHICKEN FAJITAS
Serves 4-6
  • 2-3 large chicken breasts
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp cumin 
  • 1 medium onion, sliced 
  • 1 green bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • package of (8) tortillas
  • olive oil
To ensure a quicker cooking time, fillet each chicken breast by placing the breast on the cutting board and with a long sharp knife, cut through the side of the breast from top to bottom, parallel to the cutting board. You should now have 2 chicken cutlets from each chicken breast.

In a ziptop baggie, combine brown sugar, chili powder and cumin. Add the chicken breasts and coat thoroughly. Place onion and peppers in a separate baggie. (You could also opt to use fresh veggies instead of frozen when you cook the fajitas.) Place the cheese in another baggie. Combine all the baggies and the package of tortillas in a large gallon bag - now you have a Chicken Fajita meal kit! Freeze entire bag.

When you are ready to cook the fajitas, thaw all ingredients EXCEPT FOR VEGGIES. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a couple tablespoons olive oil and saute chicken breasts for a few minutes on each side, until cooked through. Remove the chicken from pan and add frozen onions and peppers, stirring to absorb all the spices and oil from the chicken breasts. Cook for a few minutes until veggies are heated through. (Alternately, you can substitute fresh veggies here). Slice chicken breasts and serve with taco accompaniments!


**If you like the Chicken Fajitas, try Southwest Flank Steak!

7 comments:

  1. From what I've seen in prepping freezer meals, most say to blanche the veggies. You didn't mention it. Just wondering if you could taste the difference or not in the veggies?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have never blanched the veggies and they have always turned out fine, not as good as using fresh veggies, but onions and peppers are pretty sturdy and hold up well. I've heard good things about blanching veggies beforehand - it's on my list of things to try!

      Delete
  2. My husband and I made these last night- very good! The brown sugar adds just the right amount of sweet, and even our three-year old loved them, (minus the onions and peppers)! Thanks for the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for the feedback! Glad you enjoyed them!

      Delete
  3. Found this recipe on pinterest! it was a hit! thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tina Sandoval SchockSeptember 7, 2015 at 9:17 PM

    Can you cut the chicken up first before you freeze? I'm looking for easier at the cooking end, more at the prep end.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've never made it that way, but I'm sure you could! Go for it!

      Delete