Fajita Skillet Without the Sheet Pan
Freeze-dried chicken, dried peppers and onion, and a cumin-chili mix. Rehydrates into fajita filling in one pot.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 138
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 14 min
- water
- 400 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried chicken | 1.5 oz | or a foil pouch of chicken, heavier but cheaper |
|---|---|---|
| Dried bell peppers | 1/3 cup | a mix of red, yellow, and orange if you have them |
| Dried onion slices | 2 tbsp | |
| Ground cumin | 1/2 tsp | |
| Chili powder | 1/4 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1/8 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Flour tortillas | 2 small | |
| Lime powder or a wedge | 1/4 tsp | optional, but it does the work the fresh peppers used to |
Method
- Put the chicken, peppers, onion, and all the spices in the pot with 400 ml of water. Stir once.
- Bring it to a boil, then cut the heat to a simmer for eight minutes. Lid on.
- Check a pepper. If it still snaps, add a splash of water and give it three more minutes.
- Kill the heat and stir in the oil. Let it sit two minutes so the liquid pulls into the vegetables.
- Spoon it into the tortillas. Whatever runs out, eat with the spoon.
The original is a sheet pan in a 350-degree oven, which is not a thing you have. The method translates anyway, because roasting peppers and onions is mostly about driving water out of them, and dried vegetables arrive at camp with that already done. Adding a measured amount of water back and simmering it off gets you to roughly the same place in one pot.
The seasoning ratio is the part worth keeping intact. Cumin leads, chili powder is a quarter of it, and the garlic and salt are small. Dump in more chili powder and it turns into generic taco filling. The oil goes in at the end rather than the start: added early it just floats on the simmer water, added late it coats the vegetables and carries the spice.
No tags for vegetarian or gluten-free here. There is chicken in the pot and wheat tortillas in the bag.
Packing
Chicken, vegetables, and spices go in one bag. Tortillas ride flat against the back panel of the pack or they come out as chips.
Variations
- Skip the tortillas and stir in instant rice at the simmer step for a gluten-free bowl. Add another 100 ml of water.
- A packet of taco seasoning replaces the four spices if you would rather not measure.
- Dried black beans that have been cooked and dehydrated add bulk and about 8 g of protein.
https://domesticsuperhero.com/sheet-pan-chicken-fajitas-with-meal-prep-options