CHICKEN FAJITA BOWLS
~ serves 4; gluten-free option
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
- 3 large natural, raw chicken breasts or 8 raw chicken breast tenders (~12 oz)
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- 1 medium green bell pepper
- 1 large yellow onion
- ½ cup plain goat cheese
- 2 TBSPs extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup hot water
- 1 ½ teaspoon tapioca flour or arrowroot powder
*optional: whole wheat or gluten-free tortillas
To make the homemade fajita seasoning mix (makes about 6 TBSPs worth):
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 TBSP salt (preferably ground Himalayan salt, a salt that goes through less processing and has more minerals)
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 TBSP dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
Combine all spices in a small glass jar or container (or small bowl). Mix the spices together well or simply shake them together by capping the container/bowl (this makes for an easy way to store the remaining seasoning as well - just label the jar).
First, wash the bell peppers and peel the onion and rinse it. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise, de-seed them and cut off the top stems. Slice the peppers thinly. Cut the onion in half and then slice the onion thinly (you want the onion and pepper slices to be 2-4 inches in length). Next prepare the chicken breasts by cutting them into small strips (2-3 inches in length and 2-3 cm wide). Place a medium skillet and large skillet on two separate burners on the stove. Heat them both to medium heat and add 1 TBSP of olive oil to both skillets.
Place the chicken breasts into the medium sized skillet and the peppers/onions in the large skillet. Saute the peppers and onions over medium heat, tossing every minute. Likewise, saute the chicken breast strips in the olive oil, flipping every two minutes. After 6 minutes turn the chicken breast skillet down to low heat and add 2 TBSPs of the homemade fajita seasoning mix to the chicken. Stir to combine. Stir the vegetables and turn the heat down to medium-low if they are getting soft. Next, add 1 ½ teaspoons tapioca flour to ½ cup of hot water and whisk together. Pour this thickened water to the chicken skillet and mix everything together well. Transfer the seasoned chicken to the large skillet with the peppers and onions. Mix everything together and continue to heat over low heat for an additional 4 minutes.
Serve the fajitas by placing 1 serving (1 ½ cups) into a bowl and top with ¼ cup goat cheese. I like to mix everything together as the goat cheese adds a creamy texture like sour cream. If opting to use tortillas, place ¾ cup of the fajitas on 1 warmed tortilla and sprinkle with ⅛ cup goat cheese, fold and enjoy!
