Spicy Chicken Fajita with crunchy vegetables
With tender chicken, crunchy vegetables and a hint of spice, this is a quick lunch or light dinner that you can easily rustle up in a few minutes…
This dish takes minutes to prepare, which means that it’s perfect for when I need to get something on the table quickly after Lyle has spent the morning training. If I’m cooking it for the whole family then I keep the spice levels fairly low because Ollie isn’t too keen on spicy food. I’d up the quantities of spices if I was just cooking it for myself.
I used smoked paprika in my fajitas, which made the kitchen smell like chorizo, but you could use regular paprika if that’s what you have in your cupboard.
The chicken is rich in lean protein and niacin (vitamin B3), important for the release of energy from glucose stored in the body. The fajitas are also packed full of crunchy, colourful veg and topped with avocado, which is a great source of potassium, heart-healthy fats and a host of other nutrients.
And all of this goodness is bundled up in a wholegrain wrap to provide carbohydrates.
Chicken Fajitas (Serves 4)
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 10-15 mins
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
450g chicken breast
1 red onion
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
4 wholewheat wraps – you could use corn tortillas if you prefer
1 avocado
1 lime
Sour cream to serve
Method
In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, cumin, and coriander.
Thinly slice the red onion, peppers and chicken – you want the slices of chicken to be just a few millimetres thick so that it cooks quickly. Peel the avocado and slice ready for when the fajitas are cooked, sprinkle it with lime juice to stop it going brown.
Heat a wok or large frying pan over a medium/high heat, and when it is hot, pour the oil into the pan.
Add the chicken slices, and stir fry until the chicken is no longer pink. If you have sliced it thinly enough, this should only take 3-4 minutes. When the chicken is cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove it from the pan.
Add the red onion to the pan, and stir fry for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic and spices. This will help to prevent the garlic from burning. Incidentally, I always keep a tube of garlic puree in the fridge, for times like this when I just need a little bit of crushed garlic.
Next throw in the sliced peppers, add a couple of teaspoons of water and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes so that they are cooked but still crunchy.
Return the chicken to the pan and cook for 2 further minutes, stirring frequently so that nothing burns. Squeeze over the juice of half a lime just before serving.
Serve on the wraps or tortillas, topped with avocado and sour cream if you wish.
Sally Akins
Hi, I'm Sally Akins and this is my travel and lifestyle blog. I love exploring new places, good food, high thread counts and the sea, and I write about them all here on the blog.
I'm not travelling so much at the moment, but you'll often find me out and about in my beautiful home county of Shropshire.