Camping Recipe: Canned Chicken Fajita

Have you ever wanted to spice up your back country or camping menu with a little south of the border flavor? We've discovered a way to cook chicken fajitas on overnight backpacking, camping, or canoeing adventure that doesn't require toting a refrigerator in your backpack and it sure beats Ramen noodles every night. I've given the estimated proportions below for one person, but you can multiply the proportions to meet the need of the number in your group. The only cooking essentials that you will need are a non-stick frying pan and a plastic spatula.

Oil - about 4 tablespoons

Can Chicken - 8 to 12 oz

Seasoning - 1 pack of fajita seasoning

Red Pepper - about 1/4 of a medium red pepper

Green Pepper - about 1/4 of a medium green pepper

Onion - 1/4 of a small white or yellow onion

Tortillas - 3 to 4 per person

Cheese - shredded cheddar or pepper jack

Salsa - any brand or even salsa packs from your favorite Mexican fast food restaurant

Guacamole - if you like it and you feel that it's worth the trouble

Sour Cream - again, if you like it and you feel that it's worth the trouble

For starters, slice the red and green peppers as well as the onion into thin slices and place them in a zip-lock re-sealable plastic bag. Add 1 teaspoon of the fajita seasoning and 2 tablespoons of oil. Shake the bag and mix the contents thoroughly. Over medium heat, cook the peppers, onion, oil and seasoning until the onion is translucent and/or the peppers are soft. In the mean time, drain all of the water out of the canned chicken and place the chicken into the plastic bag. Again, add 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 teaspoon of seasoning. Mix the contents of the bag thoroughly and then add the chicken, oil and seasoning to the frying pan along with your vegetables. As the chicken is already cooked, you only need to heat the chicken or if you like, char the meat slightly (it is always better to use a non-stick pan as the chicken is generally pretty tender and comes apart easily if it sticks to the pan).

We like to heat up our tortillas over the fire (on a grate or using a "Y" shaped stick). We then add the fajita meat and vegetables, cheese, salsa and toppings of choice. This goes great with a can of refried beans and some tortilla chips and is complimented nicely with some cinnamon and sugar bannock bread for desert. Enjoy the recipe and remember to leave no trace.