Chicken Fajita Tacos & Spanish Rice
Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast
Corn Tortillas
Bell Peppers
Onions
Avocado
Olive Oil
White Rice
Diced Tomato w/ Peppers
Tomato Sauce
Chicken Broth
Corn
Garlic Salt/ Pepper
Slice vegetables and chicken into desired form. I prefer to cut into them into long, thin strips.
Pictured here, I've cut 1 green and 1 red bell pepper, 2 yellow onions, and 4 boneless/skinless chicken breast. Set aside.
Lightly coat the bottom of a shallow pot with olive oil, heat on a medium-high heat, and saute rice to a golden brown. Doing so helps the rice to fluff when cooked. Once rice is browned, add your liquids at the usual 2-1 ratio. 2 cups liquids for every 1 cup of rice.
Pictured, I'm browning my white rice with additional ingredients ready to add.
Remember to keep the temperature on a medium-high heat because once the rice is browned and all our liquids are added, we want to bring it to a boil before simmering.
I first add 1 can of diced tomato with green chilies. The pan is Hot, so it will boil upon initial pour. Then add tomato sauce and chicken broth. I Typically use a 50/50 mix, unless I'm preparing a large batch like I am here. This particular night, I prepared 2 1/2 cups of rice, requiring a total of 5 cups of liquids. To prevent an overpowering tomato flavor, I used 2 cups broth, 2 cups tomato sauce and 1 cup of water. With a sliced onion, 2 cups of frozen corn and of course, garlic salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 mins.
One year, I received an electric skillet as a gift from my Pops and let me tell you, as much as I advocate grilling, I have prepared more meals for my family with one than any grill. It has served us well!
Now, with 20 mins until the rice is done, we have plenty of time to fry up some fajitas! With our skillet lightly coated with olive oil, start with the vegetables. Chicken breast being a white meat will cook quickly before the veggies have enough time to cook down. Once the bell peppers and onion become tender, add your sliced chicken breast. See all the steam in the picture? We are not cooking with a low heat so be sure to keep it turned up. I had my skillet around 400 degrees.
There are several seasoning options at this point. The easiest is a prepackaged fajita seasoning mix. For that option, I recommend you use much less water than the directions call for. Doing so will allow for more flavor and less liquid, which in a taco, will make a mess. Many times I use nothing more than the fluids cooked off of the meat and/or veggies. Works great and you can always add water if needed.
For this recipe, I kept it very simple. I love salsa! There are so many ingredients and flavors that, when cooked, believe it or not, salsa makes a great seasoning. When thrown into a mix like this at those high temps... Oh! So Good!
Doesn't that look good?! The finished spanish rice and chicken fajitas are ready to serve. I'm a simple man and I prefer warm corn tortillas. You, like some of my family, might want hard shell tacos so be sure to fit that into your cooking time. Enlist the help of the kids. I have discovered that not only are we able to spend some quality time, but they are just as willing to learn to cook as I am to teach them. Plus, its a blast to ask them, "Why you crying?", while they are cutting the onions. Lol!
Topped with grated cheese and a dollop of plain yogurt... Dinner is served!
Click to discover all of ~My Alternate Personalities ~ Thank you for stopping by and don't be shy to leave a comment , some feedback, experiences, or just a hello. About me... I am a single father of two amazing teenage boys and on schedule to be married to my love Donna after a short 5 years together. I love my trade as a Meat Cutter but realize it won't last forever. So I have ventured into affiliate marketing and my blog. Check back in a few months and lord willing we'll still be here doing great. Until next time. Grill On! ~FABIAN
