Today we’re mostly skipping the backstory that you don’t need because you just want to know how to make the damn dish, not a life story.

These chicken fajitas are made entirely on the stove, they’re easy, and they taste good. Also, if you need exact measurements, this isn’t for you.

Buy a bag of frozen chicken tenders and keep them in the freezer. They make for easy meals.

Estimated prep and cook time: 25 Minutes

Ingredients:

• Chicken Strips / Tenders (Unbreaded/Uncooked) – You can make as many as you want, but figure two or three good sized tenders per person
• Stick of Butter (Real butter, not margarine)
• Minced Garlic
• Fajita Seasoning
• Onion Powder
• Cheddar Cheese (Get a block and grate it yourself for best results)
• Refried Beans
• Olive Oil
• Homestyle Mission Tortillas

If you’re not picky like me, then sweet onion and bell pepper as well. For a nice kick, go with a poblano pepper instead.

Utensils:

• Big skillet
• Pot (You can put the refried beans in the microwave, but I don’t use a microwave because it takes up space and doesn’t taste as good)
• Oven Pan (Optional)
• Two table spoons
• Tongs
• Small knife

This is the way:

Set your cheese and thawed tenders out. If you have onion and bell pepper, chop those up. Put the skillet and pot on the stove. Pour just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot, then put your refried beans in. Leave the burner turned off for the pot. Put the stick of butter in the skillet and turn it on low.

While the butter is melting, grate your cheese. By the time everything is done cooking, the cheese will be room temperature and will melt more easily. Don’t worry about grating too much cheese, just put the leftovers in a container and stick it in the fridge.

Once the butter is completely melted, put a tablespoon of minced garlic into the skillet, and turn the heat up to a little less than medium. If you have numbers on your dial, it’s going to be 4. Stir occasionally for a few minutes as it simmers, then lightly sprinkle onion powder uniformly across the skillet, followed by fajita seasoning. Put the chicken in and spoon the butter sauce over the top of the chicken. After about two minutes, turn it over. Spoon more butter sauce over the chicken then apply another light sprinkle of fajita seasoning. Wait about two more minutes and then turn the chicken back over. Use the spoon that you sauced the chicken with the turn the pieces over. There’s no point in getting more dishes dirty.

Let the chicken slightly brown, then turn it back over again to let it slightly brown on the other side. Raw meat cooks at its own pace every time, it’s done when it’s done, so relying on time won’t always get you the best results. The more you cook, the better feel you’ll have for when food is fully cooked. That being said, it’ll cook for roughly 5-7 minutes on each side. Once the chicken has slightly browned on both sides, turn the burner off, move the skillet to another burner, and let it rest for about two minutes. If you aren’t confident enough about the chicken being done, find the biggest piece and cut it in half before taking it off the burner. If there’s no pink, then all of the chicken is done.

The spoon you used to turn the chicken with? Rinse and put it in the sink, otherwise you risk contamination from any potential raw chicken juice still on the spoon. Use your tongs from here on out for the chicken.

Turn the pot of refried beans on low. Stir occasionally to ensure it heats evenly. You’ll know it’s ready once the beans are in a semi-liquid state. If desired, put your tortillas on a pan and stick them in the oven under low heat so they will be warm once you’re ready to eat.

As the beans are heating, begin slicing up all of the chicken into bite size pieces and leave it in the skillet, tossing it afterwards. If you have onions and peppers, put the skillet back over medium heat after slicing and tossing the chicken, then once the skillet is hot again, remove the chicken and place it into a bowl to help it retain heat. Saute the onions and peppers in the leftover butter sauce until you reach your desired consistency.

That’s it! Wrap it all up in a tortilla with your favorite salsa.

Remember to clean as you go, it makes life in the kitchen much easier!