Bake and Scoop Chicken Fajitas

I love getting fajitas in a restaurant.  As a matter of fact, I like when ANYONE gets fajitas in a restaurant.  The smoky, sizzling drama of it all – “Be careful!!” Very Hot Plate!!” – in combination with the spicy deliciousness of it all is just plain delicious in every way.  However, the thought of recreating the smoky sizzling part at home seems like a direct invitation to my over-zealous smoke alarm to do its thing, and so I came up with a little less dramatic, still just as delicious version of fajitas…a version that bakes up in the oven and lets you scoop it right out of the baking dish into your tortilla.  Bake and scoop fajitas!

This is a great way to use up leftover chicken, and if you are craving tortillas and don’t have any leftover chicken, grab a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket and it will work just fine.  Tear the cooked chicken into strips and either let it come to room temperature or warm it up a little on the stovetop in a little chicken broth.

Next, grab a sweet onion and cut it up into slices,  Saute it in a little olive oil just until it is tender, about 10 minutes or so.  Now pop the chicken and onions into a shallow baking dish, and pour on your favorite salsa.  I used a mango lime salsa from Stonewall Kitchen (click here to take a look at THAT deliciousness) but whatever your favorite salsa is will be just fine.  Cover the whole thing with some finely shredded cheddar and jack cheese and into the oven it goes until it is warm and the cheese is a melted wonderland.

While the fajitas are baking, warm up some tortillas.  You can use either flour or corn – I used corn tortillas because we still had about 10,000 leftover from our fish taco adventures.  You can wrap them in foil and put them in the oven with your fajitas, or if you like a little char on your tacos and and you have a gas range, put them right on the burners with the gas on low, and flip them with tongs after about 30 seconds or so,

Now!  Gather your diners around the table, put the fajita dish in the center, along with the warmed tortillas.  Say “Be careful!!” Very Hot Plate!!”  and let folks scoop the cheesy deliciousness onto their tortillas.  I like to have bowls of guacamole and sour cream and extra salsa for adornment, along with some fresh lime wedges.  And a bottle of siracha sauce, because siracha makes everything better.

And there you have it – all of the deliciousness, some of the drama, and none of the smoke alarm!

Bake and Scoop Chicken Fajitas

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• Yield: 4 servings, can be increased or decreased as needed! 1x

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Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked chicken, torn into strips and warmed or at room temperature
• 1 large sweet onion, peeled and sliced into strips
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 cup salsa, plus extra for serving
• 2 cups finely shredded cheddar and jack cheese
• 8 small tortillas (either flour or corn is fine)
• Your choice of toppings, including sour cream, guacamole, lime wedges or whatever else you like!

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until onion is tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Place chicken and onion together in a shallow casserole dish. Top with salsa and give it a stir. Cover the whole thing with cheese, and bake until cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, warm the tortillas by either wrapping them in foil and putting them in the oven with the fajitas, or charring them slightly by placing them on your stove’s gas burners for about 30 seconds per side and flipping them with tongs.
5. Put out dishes of your toppings in the middle of the table (if you have a Lazy Susan, now is the time to break it out!). Place the casserole in the middle, warning folks to be careful because it is hot, along with the tortillas. Provide a few spoons for scooping and tell folks to dig in!

Kate Morgan Jackson

Hi there!  I’m Kate, and I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover.  I started Framed Cooks in 2009, and my mission is to create and share family-friendly recipes that make cooking both easy and fun…yes, I said FUN!  My kitchen is my happy place, and I want yours to be that place too.  Let’s cook together!