Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 cups assorted sweet bell peppers (I used miniature)
- 1 cup yellow onion
- 1 poblano pepper (next to bell peppers in grocery store) or sub a large green pepper
- 1 small jalapeno, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup regular white rice
- 3 cups water or chicken broth
- 1 package (1.12 ounces) fajita seasoning mix
- 1 and 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
- Optional toppings: sour cream, chopped cilantro, freshly diced tomato or avocado, lime juice
Preparation
Step 1
Bring a large pot of water or chicken broth to boil (The broth gives the chicken much more flavor. I used chicken bouillon powder or cubes and water for this broth -- use about 6 cups)
Remove any fat from the chicken breasts and cut them into 2 inch pieces. Place the chicken pieces in the boiling water and cover the pot. Allow to boil for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is all the way cooked through.
Drain water from the chicken and shred it with 2 forks. Return the chicken to the pot
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Remove stems and/or seeds and thinly slice lengthwise the sweet bell peppers, yellow onion, and poblano pepper. Remove seeds (or leave them in if desired) from the jalapeno and finely mince.
Add all the sliced vegetables and minced garlic to the pot with the drained and shredded chicken.
Pour in the olive oil and saute until the vegetables are mostly tender, about 6-8 minutes.
Add in the white rice and continue to saute for 1-2 more minutes. Then pour in the 3 cups chicken broth or water. Add in the fajita mix and stir well.
Bring the mixture to a boil on high heat and then reduce the heat to medium low (a little bit above low temperature) and cover with a lid.
Everyone's stove is going to cook a little differently so watch the pot. If the rice isn't cooking quick enough, maybe increase the heat a little and if the water is evaporating before the rice is cooked, add a little more chicken broth or water and stir occasionally so the rice doesn't stick to the pot. Mine takes right around 10 minutes when I make this meal.
When all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked through, turn off the heat and stir in the freshly grated cheddar cheese.
Season with salt and pepper if desired and then dish up.
Top each plate with desired toppings: a dollup of sour cream, some freshly chopped cilantro, a diced tomato, avocado, and/or a squeeze of lime juice