Ingredients:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1-2 bell peppers
- 1-2 onions
- olive oil
- salt
- dried oregano (leaves are best, ground okay)
A skillet that can go both on the stove and in the oven (cast iron skillets work great for this, but steel is fine so long as the grip is all metal).
Set the oven for 350 degrees.
Rinse the chicken, pat dry, and salt the top. Pour a tablespoon or two of oil in the skillet and heat over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes. (Cast iron that’s warm enough will have a distinctive metallic smell when it’s ready.) If you have a vent with a fan, turn the fan on now.
Place the chicken in the skillet, salted side down. Salt the other side. Set timer for 3 minutes. DO NOT MOVE THE CHICKEN during this time.
When the 3 minutes are up, flip the chicken and cook for another 3 minutes on the other side. When these are done, remove the skillet (chicken and all) from the stove and place in the preheated oven. If you have a probe thermometer that you can set, use it, set to 165 degrees. If you don’t, then set a timer for 15 minutes.
Chop the veggies while the chicken is baking. Onions should be sliced in half lengthwise, then sliced thinly to make half-moon shapes. Bell peppers, slice into thin strips.
If you’re not lucky enough to have a probe thermometer, you’re going to have to check the chicken the hard way. Chicken is cooked at 165 degrees, or when you can cut into the flesh and it’s peachy white all the way through. Begin checking at 15 minutes. Cut at the thickest part if you must check it that way, as that will take the longest to cook.
When the chicken is done, remove from oven. Remove the breasts from the skillet to a cutting board. Place the vegetables in the newly vacated skillet, add some salt and oregano, and gently cook over medium-high heat until the onions are soft and the bell peppers are tender.
(Incidentally, the juices and brown bits left by meat in a skillet is called fond. Cooking veggies in it adds more flavor to the veggies, and scours it off the skillet.)
One the veggies are cooked, remove from heat. Slice the chicken breasts thinly, and place on top. Serve with tortillas, cheese, and any other toppings you prefer with fajitas.