One of my favorite ways to use chicken is for a skillet dinner such as this Chicken and Peppers (Fajitas) recipe. The strips of chicken cook up in no time, and using two pans for this dish, cuts down the cooking time – if you feel like being a multi-tasker – however, I gave instructions here using one skillet.

I love using boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe as I can find them on sale at my local market often. They are usually on the large side too, so if you split them, you will have enough for a meal another day.




Ingredients


Vegetable or olive oil
2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 large multi-colored bell peppers
1 large or 2 medium onions, sliced
2 packages chicken fajita mix
1 1/3 cups water
Fresh cilantro leaves (garnish)
Green onions, sliced
2 limes, cut into wedges
Flour tortillas, sour cream, guacamole
or sliced avocados


Method

1. Slice the chicken breasts into thin strips. If the chicken breasts are huge, cut them length ways first. TIP: freezing the chicken for 15 - 20 minutes makes it easier to slice them extra thin. Set aside.

2. De-seed the bell peppers and slice into them into thin strips, then rinse. Heat a little vegetable or olive oil over a medium high flame and cook the bell peppers and the onions until they start to get a little color. Reduce the heat to medium and add half of one seasoning packet to the veggies, tossing to coat, along with approximately 1/3 cup of water. Mix well and cook a further five minutes. Set aside.

3. In the same skillet over a medium to high heat, add enough oil to coat the pan. Add the chicken strips and cook until they are no longer pink, stirring often. Add the remaining packet and a half of seasoning mix, coating the chicken well along with approximately 1 cup of water. Mix well and cook, uncovered until most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

To finish the dish, you can do one of two things - add the veggies to the chicken and heat them through for a couple of minutes - or place the peppers and onions on a platter and arrange the chicken on top, garnishing with a few fresh cilantro leaves and a few squirts of lime juice.

Serve with warm tortillas, sour cream, guacamole or sliced avocados, extra cilantro and lime wedges.

Serves 6