By Four weeks into the school year and this is what a Tuesday looks like: alarm at five, coffee, pack the bag (I batch-packed it Sunday, so the packing takes three minutes), drive to the school by seven, unlock Room 108, fill the snack basket, run the morning circle at eight-fifteen, small-group reading from nine to eleven, lunch, afternoon activities, three-fifteen dismissal, twenty minutes of documentation, drive home to Pilsen in the early evening, make dinner, write lesson plans, in bed by nine-thirty. Repeat. I love every minute of it.
The kid who walked in alone the first day — I will call him T. — has started talking to me. Short exchanges, direct, eye contact brief but present. He told me this week that he had read the book in the basket on the first day and it was "not as good as the one at home." I said "What's the one at home?" He said the title. I ordered it from the school library on my lunch break. It arrived Thursday. He saw it in the basket on Friday and sat down at his desk and started reading it without being told. That is the whole job right there.
September 14th is this Friday. I will drive to Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Worth after school. I will bring the sunflowers, which have been on my counter all week. I have been thinking about what to say. I always think about what to say. Then I get there and I just say whatever comes out, which is usually the true thing, which is always: I miss you, and I'm still here, and something happened this week that I wanted to tell you.
Made enchiladas this week — chicken, from the rotisserie chicken I bought at Aldi (five dollars, multiple meals), shredded and mixed with green chiles and cheese, rolled in corn tortillas and covered with red sauce from a can and more cheese, baked at 375 for twenty-five minutes. Under five dollars for a pan that fed me three nights. Tuesday night enchiladas. Wednesday lunch enchiladas. Thursday "I am very tired and the enchiladas are right there" enchiladas. All three were good.
The enchiladas that got me through the week were a reminder that the best weeknight cooking isn’t about ambition — it’s about having something warm and reliable waiting for you after a long drive home from Pilsen. These Baked Chicken Fajitas live in that same spirit: sheet pan, oven, done. They come together fast enough for a Tuesday and reheat well enough that Wednesday-you will be grateful Thursday-you already thought ahead. If you’ve got a rotisserie chicken on the counter or peppers in the fridge that need using, this is exactly where they belong.
Baked Chicken Fajitas
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 small flour or corn tortillas, warmed
- Optional toppings: sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, lime wedges, fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat. Heat your oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a large rimmed sheet pan or 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Season. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken strips, sliced peppers, and onion. Toss everything together until evenly coated.
- Arrange. Spread the chicken and vegetable mixture in a single layer across the prepared pan. Try not to crowd the pan so everything roasts rather than steams.
- Bake. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature 165°F) and the edges of the peppers and onions are lightly caramelized.
- Warm the tortillas. While the fajita filling finishes baking, wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30–45 seconds, or warm them directly over a gas burner for a few seconds per side.
- Serve. Scoop the chicken and peppers into warm tortillas and add your toppings of choice. Leftovers reheat well in a skillet over medium heat the next day.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 390 | Protein: 36g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 520mg