Cheap and Easy Chicken Fajitas

I heard somewhere that the French do not "eat," they "dine."  I always liked that saying...  There's no reason why you can't "dine" on less than $5 a day.

I'm going to assume that most of you know your way around the kitchen an have at least two frying pans and two kettles with lids.  I'll start with some easy dishes that anyone can do, even if you don't have all the "basics" in the kitchen like I do.  I've been cooking for myself for years and have all the standard herbs, spices, oils, etc. that someone who cooks regularly has.  If you don't--that's OK!  I'll tell you how to build your pantry on a budget as well.


Chicken breasts were on sale a few weeks ago at Jewel (my local store) for $1.99 a pound.  I bought three and sliced each breast up thin for a total of 9 servings, bagged them, and put them in the freezer.  Each serving came out to be around 83 cents.  In the morning or the night before, I take a serving out of the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge to be cooked later.




The salsa:  One tomato ($1.99 a pound, so 50 cents), cilantro (50 cents a bunch, 5 cents), red onion (the whole onion was 70 cents, and this is 1/8 of it for the salsa and fajitas), lime juice (the bottle was $1.99, this uses about 2 T.), and salt.  Optional are jalapeno (14 cents each, used half) and cumin (can't remember how much it was, used about 1/2 tsp.).  Chop and mix.

The trick to chopping a jalapeno is to use a small, separate cutting board and a disposable glove.  That way the juice doesn't get everywhere and inevitably, in your eyes.  Because it will.  Slit the pepper 4 times lengthwise about half way up (see pictures).  Then, slice the pepper up to where the slits end and there you have it!  Easy chopping.  As you remove the disposable glove, grab it from the wrist and turn it inside out so it (and all those hot juices) stays safely contained on what is now the inside of the glove.  Toss in the fridge to be used in the next 2-3 days.  Rinse off the knife well.  If you don't have a separate cutting board, WASH the one you used for the pepper.  Scrub it well to get all the oils off or they will get in your eyes.  Trust me.

Slice up the rest of the veggies (red, orange, and green peppers were 88 cents each, using 1/4 of each) and put some oil in the pan.  Or spray it.  Whatever you have.  While that heats, grab the little cutting board that you sliced the pepper on and cut up the chicken.  If you don't have a separate board, that's OK.  I just like to keep meat (especially chicken) separate from what I cut veggies on.  Just make sure your cutting board that touches meat is WELL washed and raw chicken doesn't splash anywhere.


Cook the chicken strips on medium to medium high heat until golden brown.  Should take a few minutes depending on the thickness.  Remove them from the pan onto a serving plate.  Leave the juices and oil.  Throw in the onions and mushrooms.  Stir occasionally.  While those are cooking...

BUDGET TIP:  If you don't have herbs and spices, don't worry!  These instant seasoning packets are amazing!  Grab one or two when they are on sale for around $1.00 each and keep them in your spice rack or drawer.  Mix about 1/2 teaspoon or so with 3-4 Tablespoons cold water in a small water glass or measuring cup.  Set it aside.  The rest of the pack will get you through 3-4 more meals and last forever or until you use it.

Toss in the peppers or whatever other veggies you like and mix.  Let cook for 2 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.  Add in the cooked chicken.  

Pour on the spice mix liquid.  Stir constantly until well coated.  The mix will thicken instantly.  You can remove from heat now if you like your veggies crisp or keep cooking to soften them a little more.  

Scoop onto a plate, add salsa and whatever toppings you like and you're done!  

I picked up some free cheddar cheese at Jewel because of my earned rewards (more on that at a later time) so I sprinkled some on the dish.  You can add sour cream, guacamole, or whatever else you have.

This mixture is big enough to make two servings if you add tortillas and/or rice.  I am trying to keep carbs out of my diet unless they are in fruits and vegetables, but you can easily make burritos or other wraps or serve with beans.  All three of these foods are very inexpensive and enable you to stretch this dish out over 2-3 servings.  

The leftovers keep for 2 days or so, but I never have leftovers of this longer than the next day's lunch.

Enjoy!