Grilled Chicken Fajitas with Cilantro Rice

So last night I made fajitas.  I was incredibly hungry when I got home from school so I wanted something that was fairly quick to make.  The rice takes the longest to cook... and that was good enough for me.  I've made this before and the thing I struggle with the most is waiting long enough for the peppers and onions to be completely soft.  So I started those right away so that I had to wait to eat for the chicken and rice to be cooked.

These have a nice spicy flavor and don't use many ingredients that most people usually have on hand.  At least I always have these spices and ingredients around.  You can certainly add other toppings like guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.  But Jeremy and I just put the chicken, peppers, and onions into whole wheat flour tortillas and ate them.  And they're tasty that way.  The only thing missing was a nice margarita.

We just put the rice on the side to make it a more substantial meal since I only made 1 chicken breast.  But this recipe can easily be multiplied to feed any number of people. This can also be made with beef or grilled fish.  I make this with beef (or deer) on occasion and it's also tasty - with different cuts you just have to pay attention to how you're cooking it to make sure the meat stays tender.



Fajitas:
1 large chicken breast, butterflied
salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper

2 medium bell peppers, sliced into 1/4" pieces
1 large onion, sliced into 1/4" pieces
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large saute pan with a lid, heat 2 tbs. vegetable oil.  Add peppers, onion, and salt and pepper.  Saute for 10-12 minutes until soft (I covered it with a lid to trap the steam and move them along quicker).
2. While peppers and onions are cooking, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle spices over chicken breast on both sides.  Lightly oil the grill pan with vegetable oil.  Grill the chicken 4-5 minutes on each side until cooked through. Slice into 1/2" strips.
3. Add cumin and cayenne to peppers and mix thoroughly (You can add a couple tbs of water if needed to help it mix).
4. Serve.

Rice:
1 1/2 c. water
3/4 c. rice
1 tbs. margarine
1 tsp. dried cilantro

1. Place water, margarine, and cilantro in a small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil.  Add rice. Cook for 15-18 minutes until water is absorbed.
2. Fluff rice with a fork. Serve.