Skip to main content

Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more

Discover what this means

Make campfire fajitas

Try cooking up these fun fajitas for your next camp meal
Plan a session with this activity

Back to Activities

You’ll need

  • Campfire or stove top hob
  • Cast iron frying pan
  • Spatula
  • Mixing bowl
  • Sharp knife
  • Chopping board
  • Ingredients (see ingredients list)

Before you begin

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Additional help to carry out your risk assessment, including examples can be found here. Don’t forget to make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help if you’re short on helpers
  • Remember to check for allergies, eating problems or dietary requirements and adjust the recipe as needed. Make sure you've checked everyone's dietary requirements and allergies then adapted the recipe as appropriate. This may include ensuring no cross-contamination during food preparation, too. 
  • Check if there are any items of food (or packaging) that people can’t touch or be near to or if there are items that people might not be comfortable using in the activity. 
  • Some people may not like certain food textures or tastes and that’s OK. Try to find an alternative for them. No-one has to use all the ingredients or be made to try foods if they’re not happy, comfortable or don’t want to. 
  • Build and light a fire before starting this activity. Our activities, Campfire admirers or Construct a campfire, can help you to do this.  
  • You’ll use the hot embers to cook on, so the fire will need enough time to die down before cooking.  All the fires need to burn down to hot embers before they can start cooking. This decreases the chance of carbon monoxide being present and also gives the best cooking heat. We have more guidance on different cooking methods.  
  • You could run our fire safety activities, Fuel air ignition and Sitting safely by a campfire, prior to running this session.  
  • Make sure that everyone’s fires have been built outdoors in clear, open areas, with plenty of ventilation, and away from any areas where people will be sleeping.  
  • Remember to have a hand washing station and take extra hygiene precautions when handling food. Look at our guidance on food preparation.
  • Make sure you have all the ingredients ready.  

Getting ready to cook

  1. Gather everyone together in a circle and tell them you’re going to make Campfire Fajitas. 
  2. You may want to run a fire safety talk or show people how to use the equipment safely, such as for cooking on a campfire or chopping ingredients. 
  3. Ask everyone to wash their hands before cooking, then collect the ingredients. People can get into groups or pairs, as needed. 

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken breasts 
  • 2 red onions
  • 4 assorted peppers
  • 2 red chillies (adjust to taste)
  • 2 packets of fajita seasoning
  • 6 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 lime 
  • 16 tortillas
  • Lettuce 
  • Salsa (optional) 

Prep time: 5-15 mins 

Cook time: 10-20 minutes 

Serves: 8 

Get cooking!

  1. If they haven’t already, everyone should wash their hands.
  2. Wrap your tortillas in foil. With adult supervision, using heatproof gloves and heatproof tongs, carefully place the tortillas on the side of your fire to heat through. You may also want to warm them in a microwave or oven. 
  3. One person should finely slice your chicken breasts and place them in a mixing bowl, then wash your hands, the knife and the chopping board.
  4. Next, someone should finely slice onion, the chilli and the pepper. When chopped, put them into the mixing bowl too.
  5. Sprinkle your fajita seasoning over the ingredients, then add in your lime juice and olive oil.
  6. Using a wooden spoon, mix everything well, making sure all the chicken and vegetables are coated in the seasoning.
  7. Next, with adult supervision, heat your pan until it is smoking hot. When ready, with an adult, gently and carefully add the chicken and vegetable mixture into the pan. Remember to wear heatproof gloves and use heatproof tongs. 
  8. Someone should thoroughly wash the bowl that the raw chicken was in while people are cooking.
  9. Wear heatproof gloves and use heatproof tongs, keep moving your mix around the pan until you get a nice, charred effect.
  10. When it’s ready, take a clean serving bowl. With adult supervision, wear heatproof gloves and use heatproof tongs to take the cooked mixture off the fire and place it into the bowl.
  11. Again, with adult supervision and wearing heatproof gloves, use heatproof tongs to remove the tortillas and place them on a baking tray to cool down. The foil will be very hot. 
  12. People may want to prepare any other items, such as lettuce. 
  13. Allow the tortillas and fajita mix to cool to room temperature before serving.
  14. When ready, serve with your warm tortillas, fresh salad and tomato salsa. 
  1. Once everyone has finished using the fire, no-one should add any more wood. The fire will slowly begin to die down. Ask young people to step away from the fire while it’s put out. 
  2. Use a stick, but not one that’s been in the fire, an adult should carefully spread out the wood and embers, so they cool down quickly. 
  3. An adult should slowly pour water over the smouldering wood and ashes to make sure they’re fully extinguished. Use a stick to mix the water through the ashes. 
  4. Young people should work together to clear up quickly and efficiently. Each group needs to wash up their utensils, then dispose of any rubbish. Any leftovers could be taken home to avoid waste. 

Reflection

This activity helped the group value the outdoors and experience the differences between cooking inside in a kitchen and outside, using a fire. Did they enjoy cooking and eating outside? Did it have any extra challenges? Everyone should think about any changes they’d make to the recipe next time, such as adding different vegetables, or using a different spice mix. Part of the fun of campfire cooking is eating outdoors, the group should stop and think about the unique sights, sounds and smells. 

Everyone had to be a team player, so they should consider how well they worked with other people to make your fajitas. Were the tasks divided up or did they try every step of the recipe? How did they make sure everyone got involved? Did one person in each group lead or several people?    

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Flammable items

Always take care when using flammable items, especially if you’re near fire. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and guidelines.

Food

Remember to check for allergies, eating problems, fasting or dietary requirements and adjust the recipe as needed. Make sure you’ve suitable areas for storing and preparing food and avoid cross contamination of different foods. Take a look at our guidance on food safety and hygiene.

Fires and stoves

Make sure anyone using fires and stoves is doing so safely. Check that the equipment and area are suitable and have plenty of ventilation. Follow the gas safety guidance. Have a safe way to extinguish the fire in an emergency.

Cooking

Teach young people how to use cooking equipment safely. Supervise them appropriately throughout. Make sure it’s safe to use and follow manufacturers’ guidelines for use.

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a serious risk, so make sure you cook or use appliances in a properly ventilated area. If you need a sheltered cooking area, consider an open sided gazebo, dining shelter or a marquee that has sufficient air circulation and ventilation. Take a look at our further guidance on carbon monoxide. 

Hot items and hot water

Kettles, cookers and microwave ovens produce a lot of heat by the very nature of them. Caution is needed when in contact with items that have been heated and young people should use them under adult supervision. Use on a suitable surface, protecting it if necessary. Never leave hot items unattended and make sure there’s a nearby first aid kit, with items to treat burns/scalds.

Sharp objects

Teach young people how to use sharp objects safely. Supervise them appropriately throughout. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.

Outdoor activities

You must have permission to use the location. Always check the weather forecast, and inform parents and carers of any change in venue.

Visits away from your meeting place

Complete a thorough risk assessment and include hazards, such as roads, woodland, plants, animals, and bodies of water (for example, rivers, ponds, lakes, and seas). You’ll probably need more adult helpers than usual. Your risk assessment should include how many adults you need. The young people to adult ratios are a minimum requirement. When you do your risk assessment, you might decide that you need more adults than the ratio specifies. Think about extra equipment that you may need to take with you, such as high visibility clothing, a first aid kit, water, and waterproofs. Throughout the activity, watch out for changes in the weather and do regular headcounts. 

Adults and young leaders can support people with chopping and mixing, but they should encourage everyone to try the different steps. 

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Scouts Outdoor Challenge Award
Explorers Camper Activity Badge
Scouts Camper Activity Badge

If you enjoyed this, try other backwoods cooking recipes. Make two more dishes – one sweet, and one savoury – to meet the fourth requirement of your Cook Activity Badge.