Chicken Fajita Bowls with Cauliflower Rice

Let's Cook

1. 1Step 1

   5 min

   In a bowl, toss the chicken thighs with the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, and several grinds of pepper until every piece is coated. Do this first, even if you're rushing — the salt needs a few minutes on the meat while you slice the vegetables.

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   Thighs over breasts here, and it's not close — they have enough fat to sit in a screaming-hot pan and come out juicy, while breasts turn stringy in the time it takes to build that crust.

2. 2Step 2

   5 min

   Slice the peppers and onion. Keep the strips roughly the same thickness so they cook at the same rate, and don't worry about making them pretty.

3. 3Step 3

   5 min

   Set a large skillet (cast iron or stainless if you have it) over high heat with 1 tbsp oil. Wait until the oil looks thin and shimmery and a drop of water skitters and pops — a lukewarm pan is where this dish goes wrong.

4. 4Step 4

   10 min

   Lay the thighs in the pan in one layer, not touching, and leave them alone for 5 minutes. When a piece releases from the pan without tugging and the underside is deep brown in patches, flip and cook 4 to 6 minutes more. Cook to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part; move the chicken to a cutting board.

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   If the chicken sticks when you try to flip it, it isn't ready. Give it another minute and it will let go on its own. Stirring. Beginners see a dark spot forming and immediately move things around, which drops the pan temperature and turns searing into simmering — those black-edged bits taste like fajitas, and they only happen if you leave the food alone. A ripping-hot dry pan browns the outside of the chicken and peppers faster than the inside can steam, so you get deep roasted flavor in minutes instead of watery, gray fajita filling.

5. 5Step 5

   8 min

   Add another 1 tbsp oil to the same pan, still on high, and dump in the peppers and onion with a pinch of salt. Spread them flat and let them sit 2 to 3 minutes until you see black-edged blisters, then toss once and repeat until the peppers are floppy but still have some snap, 6 to 8 minutes total. Scrape them into a bowl.

6. 6Step 6

   6 min

   Turn the heat to medium-high, add the last 1 tbsp oil and the cauliflower rice with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring every minute or so, until the moisture has cooked off and the grains smell toasty and look dry rather than wet, 4 to 6 minutes. Frozen will take a couple minutes longer and will spit — that's just the ice.

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   Don't skip drying out the cauliflower rice. Underdone, it weeps water into the bowl and everything tastes thin; toasted, it actually holds up as the base.

7. 7Step 7

   5 min

   Slice the chicken across the grain into strips. Divide the cauliflower rice among four bowls, pile on the chicken and peppers, add avocado slices, and squeeze a lime wedge over each bowl right before eating.