Grilled Chicken Fajitas
In my family there are a few dishes we fall back on when nothing else sounds good, it’s hot, or we don’t think my dad would be happy with anything else. Fajitas is one dish that satisfies when little else will and has the added bonus of being adaptable to just about any dietary restrictions that we might be dealing with at the time. There is an alchemy inherent in grilled chicken or beef and vegetables wrapped in a warm tortilla that makes the whole far greater than the sum of its parts and thus generally appealing in nearly any form. This simple marinade takes grilled chicken breast from plain to shining and balances very well with the flavors of the grilled veggies it accompanies.
This marinade recipe is as much for my mother as anything else. It came about when I needed a quick and delicious meal for my father that would not take a lot of time to throw together and used what I had on hand. The tequila in the marinade is optional, but I’d very much recommend using it if you have a bottle, even if serving to kids since the alcohol burns off when you grill. The extra agave note that the tequila gives lends itself well to the lime and garlic and helps keep the lime from turning the chicken into ceviche from the acid in the lime juice, for a while anyway. You could marinate this overnight, but the acid in the lime will turn the outside of the chicken white. This marinade works really well for when you haven’t planned half a day ahead and need to kick out a meal quickly. It would also work equally well for beef, shrimp or tuna steak, though you should only marinate for 10-15 minutes if you use shrimp or tuna steak.
The chicken and vegetables here are also excellent used on top of rice for knockoff fajita bowls or with a salad of beans, corn and tomatoes on top of a bed of lettuce for a quick lunch. You could easily marinate an extra piece of chicken in the bag to either serve another person or two or have some extra for leftovers.Also, do NOT skip the step of heating your tortillas. The number one mistake I see people make when making fajitas or anything else with tortillas at home is to use ice cold and brittle tortillas straight out of the fridge. Heat them and they’ll be a lot less prone to cracking when you roll them and taste better too.
Fajitas
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
Fajitas
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about a pound and a half)
2 bell peppers, any color
2 small or 1 large sweet onion
corn or flour tortillas
salsa
cheese
guacamole or sliced avocado
lime wedges (optional)
Marinade:
2 oz tequila (optional, recommended)
2 oz lime juice
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon course ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sriracha hot sauce (other types of hot sauce ok)
Directions:
Pound the chicken to a thickness of about half an inch in a large zip top plastic bag. Add the marinade ingredients, being sure to smash the garlic into mince, and smoosh the chicken around in the bag to distribute marinade. Seal bag and place in fridge to marinate for 30 minutes to two hours. While chicken is marinating slice peppers and onions into strips. Preheat a grill to medium heat and grill chicken for a few minutes on each side until it tests done (this usually takes about seven or eight minutes total on my grill). Grill onions and peppers separately in a grill wok or basket over low heat, keeping a close eye on the peppers as they are done well before the onions. If you do not have a basket, don’t cut the peppers into strips, just quarters, and grill directly on the rack, turning a few times to keep the skin from burning, grill onions in whole slices and slice both when done. Allow chicken to rest for a few minutes when it comes off the grill, then slice into thin strips. Assemble your chosen fajita toppings and heat your tortillas. Pass chicken, veggies and toppings around to serve, topping with a squeeze of fresh lime if so desired.
If you don’t have a grill: Sear the chicken and finish low in a heavy, pre-heated pan (cast iron is great here). Cook the veggies quickly over high heat in heavy pan as well and serve as usual.
