Chicken Fajitas
Chicken fajitas! So
easy to make, and so quick. A little bit of back story. The word “fajita” means
“little belt” from “faja” for strip or belt, and the diminutive “ita”. It
describes a skirt steak, and fajitas were traditionally made with grilled skirt
steak, though now they can be made with chicken, shrimp, you name it. The
method is to quickly sear the meat on a griddle or grill, slice and serve with
quickly seared peppers and onions and flour tortillas
Ingredients:
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken
breasts
Salt
2 Tbsp canola, safflower, peanut or grapeseed oil (a
high smoke point oil)
1 large onion, sliced lengthwise (root to tip) into
1/4-inch strips
3 bell peppers of various colors, sliced into 1/4-inch
strips
Marinade
2 Tbsp lime juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Extras
8-12 flour tortillas
Salsa
Sliced avocado
Sour cream
Thinly sliced iceberg lettuce dressed lightly with
salt and cider vinegar
Method:
1.
Chicken breasts come in different sizes. If you
have chicken breasts that are around a half pound each or more, you will want
to slice them in half horizontally, so that the center thickness is around
1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick. (We do not recommend pounding the chicken breasts,
doing so will not result in the right texture/consistency for fajitas.
2.
Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a
glass or plastic container. Add the chicken, mix well, cover and let marinate
at room temperature for 1 hour. (You can marinate them in the refrigerator for
up to 8 hours, but remove them an hour before cooking so that they can come
closer to room temp.
3.
Remove the chicken from the marinade. Wipe off
most of the marinade and sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt.
4.
Heat a large cast iron frying pan on high heat
for 1 to 2 minutes. Add a tablespoon of canola oil (or other high smoke point
oil) to the pan. As soon as the oil begins to smoke, lay the chicken breast
pieces in the pan. Depending on the size of the pan, and if you have had to cut
the chicken breasts, you may have to work in batches. Let the chicken cook
undisturbed for 2-3 minutes, until you have a good sear. Once seared well on
one side, turn the pieces over and cook for another 2-3 minutes until well
seared on the second side.
5.
Once seared on the second side, remove to a
cutting board and cover with aluminum foil to rest for 5 minutes. Here's a tip.
Stack the seared chicken breasts and then cover them in foil. Together they
will retain heat better as you cook the peppers and onions. If you want to test
for doneness, cut into one piece with the tip of a sharp knife. It should be
just done, if not, you can put it back in the hot pan for a minute or two.
6.
While the chicken is resting, cook the onions
and peppers. Add another tablespoon of oil to the frying pan. Heat on high. As
soon as the oil is hot, add the onions and peppers to the pan. Use a metal
spatula to scrape up some of the browned bits from the chicken and stir to coat
the onions and peppers with the oil and brown bits. Spread the onions and
peppers in an even layer in the pan. Let them cook undisturbed for 2 minutes.
You want them to sear with some blackening. Stir the vegetables and continue to
cook for another 2 minutes.
7.
Slice the chicken against the grain into
strips. Serve at once with the peppers and onions, some warm tortillas, and
sides of shredded cheese, salsa, guacamole, and/or thinly sliced iceberg
lettuce dressed with vinegar and salt.
