When a friend gives you a variety of beautiful freshly picked peppers from her garden, you highlight them in a quick and easy fajita dish. Yesterday, I was given some roulette habaneros and a variety of banana peppers and it also happened to be “taco Tuesday.” We never need an excuse to eat Tex Mex in this house and I have a staple of seasonings that I use to throw together an easy skillet stir fry to be put in any vessel.
Taco or Fajita Seasoning Blend:
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Freshly ground salt and pepper (about 1/2-1 tsp each)
Fajita Ingredients:
1 lb uncooked sliced chicken breast or thighs in bite sized pieces
1 cup of sliced peppers
Additional veggies of your choice
For fajitas, I slice an onion and usually about 1 cup of sliced peppers. Because I had a good variety, I used that but you can use any type of pepper (bell peppers, poblano, and anaheim are great)...just be careful using ones that are too spicy! Some of the banana peppers I used in this meal were hot so I was sure to scrape the seeds out. First, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter to a skillet on medium heat, add your sliced onions and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and start to sweat them. Next add your seasoning blend and release the aromas. Add your peppers and any other vegetables you are including. I like to add mushrooms when I have them. Stir occasionally. When the vegetables have started to soften move them to the outer edges of the pan and add your chicken a little bit at a time so that the meat can sear for a minute or two before you incorporate it with the vegetables. Slowly mix all of the ingredients, stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked through. It usually takes about 10 minutes. It should be easy to tell when the chicken is finished, but I always like to use my spatula to cut a piece in half and check. Serve on warmed tortillas with pico del gallo, guacamole, sour cream, or any toppings of your choice.
