Well, we are back from Las Vegas. Actually, we went to the Mexican restaurant there and these fajitas tasted BETTER than theirs. I kid you not. These fajitas are awesome and I can’t wait to have people over for dinner because this will definitely be one of my go-to recipes.
Notes: What I learned while grilling. Don’t grill whole wheat tortillas, or at least the homemade ones from Trader Joe’s. They turn to cardboard when grilled. And they also crack a lot when I use them for burritos, so they are getting frustrating. Better for you… but not very functional.
Also, as with most Mexican type food, don’t make a lot of extra food unless you need it. I find reheated Mexican food just isn’t as good as before.
Freezing Directions: Make the marinade in one baggie and put the chicken in another. Freeze. Thaw and marinade for 15 minutes before grilling. You can also freeze any of these veggies, but they will be soft once thawed out.
Grilled Chicken Fajitas
yield 4 servings
6 Tbs. vegetable or canola oil, divided
1/3 cup lime juice (or lemon juice in a pinch), you’ll need about 3 limes if you go the fresh route
1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded and minced (wear gloves if you are sensitive like me!)
1 and 1/2-2 Tb. minced fresh cilantro
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 Tb. Worcestershire sauce
1 and 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
salt and pepper
1 and 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast – pound to 1/2″ thick
1 large red onion, cut into 1/2″ rounds but don’t separate them!
2 large bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1/2″ rounds
8-12 flour tortillas (6″) or about 4-6 medium sized ones (don’t use whole wheat ones if you choose to grill them! They will turn to cardboard.)
1. In a ziplock bag or a container you can cover, mix up 4 Tb. of the oil, all the lime juice, jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, 1 tsp. salt and 3/4 tsp. pepper.
2. Put 1/4 cup of that marinade in another small bowl to set aside. Put the chicken breasts and 1 tsp. of salt in the rest of the marinade and allow to sit 15-30 minutes in the fridge. Flip them to redistribute the marinade about halfway through the time.
3. Meanwhile…. brush 2 Tb. of oil on the veggies (onions and peppers). Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
4. Heat the grill on high for 15 minutes. Clean your grates. Now put the center burner on medium-high and the sides on medium.
5. Grill the veggies on the medium side for about 12 minutes – flip every 3 minutes. Grill the chicken – smooth side first- on the hot middle until grill marks form – about 4-6 minutes. Flip and cook about 4-6 minutes or until the chicken is 160 degrees. After 12 minutes on hot if my chicken is still not done, then I put it on the empty medium side of the grill and continue to grill until cooked. Tent with foil once finished cooking.
6. Grill the tortillas about 30 seconds on each side. Keep warm in foil or a kitchen towel.
7. Now that you have everything cooked, take that 1/4 cup reserved marinade and pour half over the veggies and toss. Cut your chicken into strips (on the bias) and pour the other half of the marinade into the strips.
8. Add the meat, veggies into the tortilla.
Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook
