Chicken Tender Wraps -- Four Kids, Four Fajitas, One Kitchen Contract

May. Two months into the pandemic, and the routine has hardened into something that resembles normal, the way a cast hardens around a broken bone — it is not the original shape but it holds, and the holding is the function. The kids do school. I drive. Dave works. Gayle sits alone in her house and watches Wheel of Fortune and eats the dinners I leave and calls me every night at seven, which is when Larry used to call her, and I have taken Larry's time slot the way someone fills an empty chair — not replacing the person, just occupying the space so the space does not echo.

Mother's Day is next Sunday. The kids cannot take me anywhere. The restaurants are closed. The world is closed. But the kitchen is open and the house is full and the children are alive and fed, and that is the gift, the only gift, the gift that every Mother's Day boils down to when you strip away the brunch and the flowers and the cards: my children are alive. I am their mother. The rest is decoration.

I hauled to Kansas City and back, two days. The loading dock in KC has temperature checks now — a woman with a thermometer gun pointed it at my forehead and said ninety-eight point four, and I said thank you, and she said have a safe trip, and the transaction was new and strange and already routine, because routine absorbs everything, even the things that felt impossible last month.

I made chicken fajitas — sliced chicken breast, peppers, onions, fajita seasoning, cooked in a hot skillet until charred. Flour tortillas, sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa. The kids built their own, which is the fajita contract: I provide the components, you build the architecture, and the architecture is your problem. Tyler's fajita was the size of a football. Justin's was precise and tight. Amber's was vegetable-forward. Josie's was cheese with a tortilla wrapper. Four children, four fajitas, four personalities expressed in flour and filling.

The fajita contract has always worked in this house — I handle the components, they handle the architecture — and these Chicken Tender Wraps are the recipe that formalized that agreement. When I need dinner to hold four different personalities without complaint, I come back to this one: strips of seasoned chicken, warm tortillas, and a counter full of toppings where everyone gets to make their own choices. After a week of hauling freight and making sure Gayle’s porch had a meal on it, handing the kids something they could build themselves felt less like a shortcut and more like the whole point.

Chicken Tender Wraps

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast tenders (or boneless chicken breast cut into strips)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 4 large flour tortillas, warmed
• 1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
• 1 avocado, sliced (optional)

Instructions

1. Season the chicken. In a bowl, toss chicken tenders with olive oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
2. Cook the chicken. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook 4—5 minutes per side, until cooked through and lightly charred at the edges. Transfer to a cutting board and slice into strips if desired.
3. Cook the vegetables. In the same skillet, add the bell peppers and onion. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 5—7 minutes until softened and slightly charred. Season lightly with salt.
4. Warm the tortillas. Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30—45 seconds, or warm individually in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds per side.
5. Set up the wrap bar. Lay out the chicken, peppers and onions, cheese, sour cream, salsa, lettuce, and avocado in separate bowls. Let everyone build their own wrap with whatever combination they want.
6. Wrap and serve. Spoon fillings down the center of each tortilla, fold in the sides, and roll up tightly. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 620mg