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Friday, October 29, 2010

Chicken Fajita Chili

This chili really does taste like fajitas and goes so good with chips!

After seeing this recipe repeatedly in one of my Cooking Club magazines, I decided to give it a go. It looked so good and the only thing off-putting was the fajita seasoning mix. Getting past that, I finally prepared the chili.

The recipe called for 8 thighs, but I had a 1.61 lb package of chicken consisting of 6 thighs. I rolled with it. Other than that, the only thing I changed was substituting fire-roasted crushed tomatoes with more fire-roasted diced tomatoes.

Chicken Fajita Chili
from Cooking Club of America

1.5 lbs or 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed (3/4 inch)
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 sweet onion, halved, sliced lengthwise (1/4 inch)
2 tsp minced garlic
2 1.12-oz. packages fajita seasoning
3 14.5-oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 15-oz. can pinto beans, undrained
1 c chopped roasted red and/or yellow bell peppers
1/3 c chopped cilantro

Place chicken in resealable plastic bag; add 2 tablespoons of the oil, lime juice and crushed red pepper. Massage bag to coat. Refrigerate 2 hours.


Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in large pot over medium-high heat until hot. Cook chicken 8 to 10 minutes or until browned on all sides, stirring frequently. Remove chicken.

Add onion to pot; cook 3 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 30 to 60 seconds or until fragrant.


Stir in fajita seasoning to coat onions. Return chicken to pot.
 
The fajita seasoning mix is scary looking and is not due to my poor lighting and photography skills.

Stir in all remaining ingredients except cilantro; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes to blend flavors.
 

Stir in cilantro.



Yep, this is good food. I'm glad I made it. I look forward to eating the remaining 7 servings! If you like fajitas and chili, this is a perfect combination. You get the hearty chili feel with fajita flavor. It was so enjoyable that I didn't even think about the fajita packet gunk it contained.

The two hour marinating time is convenient as it allows for mise en place including roasting the pepper. Oh, and outside of marinating time, it took me about 1.25 hours to prepare this chili.

Cost:

  • chicken: $4.03
  • onion: $0.31
  • fajita seasoning: $2
  • tomatoes: $4.17
  • beans: $0.89
  • bell pepper: $1.50
  • cilantro: $0.15

Total: $13.05 or a $1.63 for each of 8 servings.

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