Dishin' It Out: Chicken Fajita Braid

I saw this recipe a while back on Life as a Lofthouse's blog. I had to try it. It was super easy to make. Chicken, onion, peppers, salsa, and cheese...oh my! You can speed up the process and use a refridgerated pizza crust from the store, like the original recipe, or you can be cool like me and use a homemade crust. It makes all the difference in the world.

the crust recipe I used- NOTE, this makes enough dough for 3 pizza crusts. I divided the dough into 3 sections, used one for this fajita braid, and froze the other 2. You want to freeze dough before it rises. so once you knead the dough, this is when you will want to separate it into portions and wrap it up for the freezer. When you want to use a frozen dough, you can either take it out of the freezer the night before, and let it defrost in the fridge all day, (make sure to let it sit out at room temp for about 10 min before you use it), or take it out of the freezer and sit it out on the counter with a towel over it for about an hour and a half.

4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon brown sugar

3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

4 tablespoons olive oil

6 1/2 - 7 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Leave it alone for 10 minutes.
Stir the salt, garlic powder, oil, and 5 cups of flour into the yeast mixture.
Turn the dough out onto a clean floured surface and knead in the remaining flour until it's no longer sticky. (divide into portions and freeze here)
Place the dough into a well oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let the dough rise until doubled, about an hour.
Punch the dough down roll into a ball. Let rest for 10 minute before rolling out.

For the Fajita Braid-
one pizza dough (can use pillsbury can dough)
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into small strips
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red and/or green pepper
1/4 cup salsa
2 cups shredded cheddar/jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375.

Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray and roll out your dough onto the sheet. Cut strips all along the sides of the dough..these will be braided over the chicken mixture.

In a large skillet, heat your oil and add the chicken, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.