This is one of the recipes I got from Budget Bytes that inspired me to create this blog. It's simple, cheap, and delicious. With recipes like this, there's no excuse to dine out for every meal.

There are lots of ingredients here, but the spices should be leftovers from all the other cooking you've been doing, so you should just have to pick up some chicken, an onion, and some bell peppers. Different colored bell peppers are differently-priced, who knew?

Ingredients

Spices

• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 Tbsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 Tbsp corn starch

Fajitas

• 1 medium red onion
• 3 medium bell peppers (mix up the colors if you want)
• 1 lb. chicken breast or thighs
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp cilantro
• 8 flour tortillas

Mixins

• Sour cream
• Cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°. Mix the spices together in a small bowl and set aside. Slice the onion into medium bits. Quarter the peppers, and cut into 1/4"-wide strips. Finally, trim any excess fat off the chicken, and cut into strips.

Combine vegetables and chicken into glass baking dish. Sprinkle spice mix over the top. Add vegetable oil and stir until combined. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

When complete, sprinkle cilantro on top. Serve with sour cream and cheese.

Images

First, mix all the spices together with the corn starch.

Set aside for later, we've got lots of cutting to do.

I did the chicken first. I recommend doing the vegetables first.

Trim the excess fat off the chicken. Breasts may not have that much, but thighs, like these, probably will.

Then slice it into 1/2" thick slices.

Place the chicken in a glass baking dish.

Here's the reason to do the chicken last: These knives must be cleaned well before they can be used again to avoid cross-contamination. Since I only have one cutting board, I have to wash that too. (note to self: get a set of 3 cutting boards)

We want to end up cutting this pepper into strips along its side.

To start, cut out the stem from the top. Pull it out, and all the seeds should come with it.

Next cut the bottom off. Those little black specks are mold. Since they aren't big, we can just throw them away. I lived to write this, so I'm fine (though another pepper I had was not so appealing when I opened it up...)

Now quarter the pepper down from the top. Finally, slice each quarter into strips from the side.

Add the peppers to the pan.

And add some more peppers too while we're at it.

To cut the onion, first split it completely in half.

Next, cut it up to, but not through, the root.

Finally, slice it across to finish it.

Add the onion to the pan.

Sprinkle the spices over the top of the chicken and vegetables.

Add the oil on top.

Stir the mix together. I've found it's easiest to do by hand, especially considering how full the pan is by now.

I could do without getting messy, but it's delicious enough that I'll get over it.

Put the pan in the 400° oven for 45 minutes. After 25 minutes, give it a good stir. If you want to add rice to make it a burrito, start the rice about 15 minutes before the timer is done.

After it's done, add the cilantro over the top.

Now we can assemble a burrito.

Start with a bed of rice.

Add the fajita filling.

Add some sour cream.

And cheese. The first time I made these, I didn't add cheese, and they were still delicious, so if you're on a budget or a diet, you can leave this out.

I would not add any salsa, the spice mix is spicy enough, though other mixins might do well (pico de gallo or corn perhaps).

Wrap it up by folding up the bottom first, folding in the sides, and then rolling it up.

And there it is!