Two Recipes, Under $5: Must-Try Chicken and Jackfruit Fajitas

Here at Thrive Market, we love national food holidays. National Fajita Day, on August 18, is right up our alley—only one pan needed, fewer than five ingredients, and costs less than $5 per serving. Fajitas are traditionally made using animal protein, assorted vegetables, and seasonings. We’re mixing things up and providing two alternatives that will give you fajita dishes all year round.

What are Fajitas?

If you’ve ever been to a Mexican restaurant, chances are that you’ve heard the sizzling sounds and seen the plumes of steam billowing from a black cast iron skillet, filling the air with a savory (and sometimes sweet) aroma. There’s nothing subtle about fajitas—and for good reason. They are easy and expensive to cook, making them ideal for a weeknight dinner meal. In fajitas, skirt steak usually mingles with grilled or sauteed peppers and onions, all cut into similarly sized strips. Toppings can be whatever you choose—salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, you name it.

Under $5 Chicken Fajitas Recipe

For the meat eaters out there, this fajita recipe is for you. We recommend topping your fajitas with Thrive Market Salsa and fresh lime juice. And while this recipe tastes delicious on its own, many people will also use corn or cassava tortilla to form tacos. But first, the math:

Thrive Market Pasture-Raised Chicken Bundle
This bundle costs $119.99, which includes 15.5 pounds of assorted chicken cuts. This breaks down to $7.74 per pound. If we consider a half-pound to equal one serving, 2 servings per pound comes out to $3.87.

Thrive Market Avocado Oil
This product costs $8.99 and promises 33 servings at 1 tablespoon per serving. This calculator to $0.27 each use.

Thrive Market Fajita Seasoning
This incredibly cost-effective season packet offers four servings for only $0.74. Sprinkle four teaspoons of this spice blend, and you’ll only spend $0.36.

One Red and One Yellow Bell Pepper
The price of these fresh vegetables will depend on your local grocery story. Typically, they’re around $0.45 to $0.75 each. For this recipe, that would total approximately $1.20.

The total price for two servings? $5.70. Per serving? Only $2.85. Now let’s get cooking!

Yield: 2 servings
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 lbs. Thrive Market Pasture-Raised Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1 tsp Thrive Market Avocado Oil
4 tsp Thrive Market Fajita Seasoning
1 red bell pepper, halved lengthwise, seeds and stem removed
1 yellow bell pepper, halved lengthwise, seeds and stem removed

Instructions

Remove chicken from the package and place on a plastic cutting board, skin side up. Dry chicken skin with paper towels. Cut chicken crosswise into ½-inch thick strips and pound each piece to ¼-inch thickness. Lightly season with fajita seasoning.

On a separate cutting board, slice the bell peppers lengthwise so that they’re similarly sized to the chicken. Set aside.

Warm a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Drizzle in the avocado oil, then add sliced bell peppers. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes, until soft. Add in the chicken for 5-7 minutes, or until cooked through.

Under $5 Jackfruit Plant-Based Fajitas Recipe

Vegans, rejoice! This fajita recipe is loaded with flavor, sans meat. You’ll be using the same ingredients from the above recipe, but swapping the pasture-raised chicken for Upton’s Naturals Original Jackfruit. The price breaks down to:

Upton’s Naturals Original Jackfruit
There are four servings in each package, meaning that this dish costs $1.24 per serving, totalling $2.48.

Thrive Market Avocado Oil: $0.27

Thrive Market Fajita Seasoning: $0.36

One red and one yellow bell pepper: $1.20

The total price for two servings? $4.31. Per serving? Only $2.15.

Ingredients

1 10.6 oz package Upton’s Naturals Original Jackfruit
1 tsp Thrive Market Avocado Oil
4 tsp Thrive Market Fajita Seasoning
1 red bell pepper, halved lengthwise, seeds and stem removed
1 yellow bell pepper, halved lengthwise, seeds and stem removed

Instructions

Slice the bell peppers lengthwise. Set aside.

Warm a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Drizzle in the avocado oil, then add sliced bell peppers. Saute for one to two minutes, until soft. Sprinkle the fajita seasoning into the pan. Remove jackfruit from the package, add to the pan, and cook for five to seven minutes.