Easy Chicken Fajitas

These fajitas were SOOOO yummy and so easy and fast. I made them with chicken thighs (far superior in texture and taste to breasts). I also didn't do nearly as many peppers and onions as she called for. The marinade was top-notch.

Easy Chicken Fajitas

from Spend with Pennies

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts approximately 1 pound
• ▢1 medium onion
• ▢1 lime
• ▢3 bell peppers red, yellow, green or orange
• ▢3 tablespoons olive oil divided
• ▢1 teaspoon chili powder
• ▢¾ teaspoon salt divided, more to taste
• ▢½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢½ teaspoon onion powder
• ▢½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢½ teaspoon cumin

• Cut onion into slivers & slice peppers.
• In a separate bowl, combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, juice of ½ lime, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, pepper, cumin and ½ teaspoon salt. Cut chicken into strips ( I cut the chicken after I cooked it) and toss with the spice mixture.
• Preheat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high. Add ½ of the chicken and cook until just cooked, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat with remaining chicken.
• Set chicken aside and add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, add the onions and cook 2 minutes. Add in sliced peppers and season with remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. Toss and cook for an additional 2 minutes or just until hot. Add chicken back to the pan and stir to combine.
• Squeeze additional lime overtop and serve over warmed, cheese-topped tortillas with sour cream, lettuce, etc. 

The Best Chicken Tacos Ever

 

I looked up the best chicken taco recipe and this came up and it did not disappoint. They are so easy and fresh-tasting. I used chicken breasts, not thighs, but either would be great. The topping is a MUST. Also, I used the keto street taco tortillas (Mission brand) and they are the yummiest, and carb free!

The Best Chicken Tacos Ever

From Bless this Mess (Melissa Griffiths)

Ingredients 

For the chicken:

• ▢1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
• ▢1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢1/2 teaspoon cumin
• ▢1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• ▢1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢Juice of 2 limes
• ▢1 tablespoon olive oil

For the topping:

• ▢1/3 cup finely chopped red or sweet onion
• ▢1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
• ▢1 finely chopped jalapeño
• ▢Juice of 1 lime
• ▢Salt and pepper, to taste
• ▢1 lime, cut into 8 pieces
• ▢16 small corn tortillas for serving

Instructions 

• In a large zipper-topped plastic baggie or in shallow dish, add the chicken, all of the spices, lime juice, and oil. Close the bag and use your hands to mix everything together. If you are using a shallow dish, use tongs to work the spices evenly into the chicken. You can let this rest for up to a half-hour or work with it right away. I like to let it rest a minute to increase the flavor.
• Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and then add the chicken. Cook for 12 to 14 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest for 10 minutes. If you have an extra-large chicken thigh, you'll need to cook them longer, so turn down the heat to medium and cook them until no longer pink (could take up to 25 minutes or 12 minutes per side).
• While the chicken cooks, stir together the chicken taco topping by placing the chopped onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and the juice of one lime in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
• While the chicken rests, wipe your skillet clean with a warm rag or paper towels, and place the skillet back on the heat over medium-high to high heat. Place two tortillas (still stacked together) on the skillet and cook until the underside starts to char. Flip over and cook the other side (so the middle of each tortilla won’t be cooked against the skillet but it will get warm all the way though). Repeat with remaining tortillas.
• Chop the rested chicken into small pieces.
• To serve, place 1/8 of the chopped chicken in each set of tortillas (still two stacked together) and top with 1/8 of your onion mixture. Serve each taco with a wedge of lime to squeeze over the taco just before serving.

Mexican Carnitas

 Wow, these carnitas are SO good and contain no sugar or weird ingredients. Slap these babies on some tacos, burritos, or nachos, or just eat straight from the slow-cooker.

Carnitas (Mexican slow-cooker pulled pork)

recipe adapted from www.recipetineats.com

Ingredients

▢3-4 lb pork shoulder (pork butt) , skinless, boneless 

▢2 1/2 tsp salt

▢1 tsp black pepper

▢1 onion , chopped

▢1 jalapeno , deseeded, chopped

▢4 cloves garlic, minced

▢3/4 cup juice from orange (2 oranges)

RUB

▢1 tbsp dried oregano

▢2 tsp ground cumin

▢1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

1. Rinse and dry the pork shoulder, rub all over with salt and pepper.

2. Combine the Rub ingredients then rub all over the pork.

3. Place the pork in a slow cooker (fat cap up), top with the onion, jalapeño, minced garlic (don't worry about spreading it) and squeeze over the juice of the oranges.

4. Slow Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 7 hours. Pork should be tender enough to shred. Remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly. Then shred using two forks.

Optional: Skim off the fat from the juices remaining in the slow cooker and discard. 

If you have a lot more than 2 cups of juice, then reduce it down to about 2 cups. The liquid will be salty, it is the seasoning for the pork. Set liquid aside - don't bother straining onion etc, it's super soft.

TO CRISP:

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large non stick pan or well seasoned skillet over high heat. Spread pork in the pan, drizzle over some juices. Wait until the juices evaporate and the bottom side is golden brown and crusty. Turn and just briefly sear the other side - you don't want to make it brown all over because then it's too crispy, need tender juicy bits.

2. Remove pork from skillet. Repeat in batches (takes me 4 batches) - don't crowd the pan.

3. Just before serving, drizzle over more juices and serve hot, stuffed in tacos 

Serve with guacamole, cheese, salsa, cilantro, or whatever your heart desires.

Mom's Famous Freezer Bean and Beef Burritos

 With my kids being home all day every day, we have been going through food at an incredible rate.  Why is everyone so hungry all of the time?!  Add soccer practices right at dinnertime to the mix and I had to come up with a fast and hearty meal that everyone would love.  MKC is always my trusted source for meals that everyone in my house can get on board with and this one was no exception.   I just bought the Cilantro Lime Crema Dressing from Costco and it was so good drizzled on top.  I added some riced cauliflower at the end and it bulked up the burrito mix and added nutrition easily making 40 burritos.  Lastly, I bought these pre-cooked tortillas from Tortilla Familia and they worked great, saved time, and are delicious.

pic courtesy of MKC

Mom's Famous Freezer Bean and Beef Burritos 

Mels Kitchen Cafe

• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey/beef (I used 1 pound of each so it made a lot more)
•  1 cup chopped onion
•  1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
•  1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I use coarsely ground pepper)
•  3 cans (16 ounces each) refried beans- I used Trader Joe's
•  3 cans (4 ounces) green chiles (mild, medium or hot, depending on preference)
•  1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) green taco sauce or green enchilada sauce 
•  1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) red taco sauce or red enchilada sauce
•  1/2 cup (4 ounces) salsa, green or red
•  1 teaspoon ground cumin
•  1 teaspoon chili powder
•  1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
•  1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• Frozen riced cauliflower, optional (adds zero flavor, but bulks it up and doesn't have texture once it heats so you can't see or taste it- I probably put 1 1/2 cups in)
•  6 to 7 cups shredded cheese (I prefer using a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack)
•  20 10-inch tortillas or 30 8-inch tortillas (I used these and they're delicious)
• 
  

1. In a large saucepan, brown the ground beef and onion with the salt and pepper until cooked through, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Drain excess grease.
2. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the cheese and tortillas) and mix to combine. Heat through, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
3. Let the mixture cool slightly. Spread about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the filling on each tortilla (depending on the size of the tortilla and how stuffed you want them). Sprinkle about 1/4 cup cheese (or so!) on the filling. Fold in the sides and then roll the burrito closed (see pictures in the post for a visual).
4. I roll all the burritos and place them on a large sheet pan. After they are all rolled, I wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and then put them in gallon size ziploc bags and freeze.
5. To reheat, unwrap burrito from plastic wrap and microwave for one minute. Poke holes in the semi-thawed burrito with a fork or cut the burrito in half and microwave for 1-minute intervals until heated through. They'll be piping hot! Eat carefully. 🙂

Mexican Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

courtesy

This was another true favorite on Whole30.  The chicken had a delicious flavor, but what really sealed the deal was this avocado jalapeno sauce....amazing.  I could have put it on all of the things!  I served over diced and roasted sweet potatoes and the kids ate it rolled up in a tortilla.

Mexican Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

40 Aprons

SWEET POTATOES

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, diced
• olive oil, salt and pepper

CHICKEN

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 10-oz. can tomatoes with green chiles, undrained, any variety
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/46653/taco-seasoning-i/

AVOCADO-JALAPEÑO SAUCE

• 1 avocado, peeled and seeded
• 1 jalapeño, stemmed
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Cook your sweet potatoes: Placed diced potatoes on cookie sheet tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast for 15-20 minutes on 425.
2. Make your shredded chicken: combine chicken breasts, taco seasoning, and can of tomatoes with green chiles (undrained) in the pot of an Instant Pot. Do not add water. Secure lid and cook on Manual, high pressure for 20 minutes. Quick release pressure and remove chicken breasts from the pot. Shred with two forks then return to pot. Stir on Sauté mode a few minutes until sauce is absorbed. 
3. Meanwhile, make your sauce: combine all avocado-jalapeño sauce ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. 
4. Serve chicken on top of sweet potatoes and dress with sauce and guacamole.