I had been craving some Texmex flavours for a while and in particular, fajitas were calling my name. The only trouble was that it was below freezing outside and everything had been covered in a foot of snow. Not to worry though as my trusty grill pan came to the rescue! The idea behind fajitas is pretty simple being grilled meat, most often beef or chicken, served in a tortilla. I most commonly associate caramelized onions and multi coloured peppers with fajitas and from there you can pretty much go with whatever you want from salsas, to guacamole, to cheese, to sour cream etc. I like to keep the meat simple and I marinate it in some lime juice, chili powder, cumin, oregano and garlic. In addition to using the marinade to season the meat, the onions and peppers also benefit from the additional flavours of the marinade making the fajitas even tastier.
Chicken Fajitas
ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts (cut into thin slices)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 lime (~2 tablespoons of juice and zest)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin (toasted and ground)
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 onions (sliced)
- 1 green bell pepper (sliced)
- 1 red bell pepper (sliced)
- 2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)
- 8 tortillas
directions
- Marinate the chicken in the oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper in the fridge for 30 minutes to a few hours.
- Grill the chicken over medium-high heat until cooked, about 2-3 minutes per side. (Reserve the marinade.)
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Saute the onions until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the peppers and the remaining marinade and saute until the peppers are tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Remove from heat and mix in the cilantro.
- Assemble fajitas and enjoy.
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Awesome pics! Great recipe!
I was thinking about Fajitas for dinner, and there it is. Sounds perfect. Thanks!
Looks like a nice kid friendly weeknight dinner too!
Kevin, I follow your post and your food is beautiful, especially this, a Texas food so close to my heart!
Those look so good! I love the simple marinade. This would hit the spot on a cold day like today!
Now I'm craving fajitas! These look delicious!
oh wow my mouth is watering, i love fajitas and your photos are beautiful, kevin! anne
These look absolutely mouth-watering! A great recipe.
We sold our grill when we moved in August and haven't bought our new one yet. These fajitas are making me anxious to start grilling again!!
a great way to warm up on a cold day! looks delicious 🙂 thanks for sharing
Mmmhhh, my favorite kind of food! So scrummy looking.
Cheers,
Rosa
Ellerinize, emeğinize sağlık. Çok leziz ve iştah açıcı görünüyor.
Saygılar.
Fajitas are my absolute #1 meal – but they are one which I rarely cook myself, I think it must be because my Mum does them so well that I'd rather take the trip across town than risk tainting my view of the dish with an inferior version which I might whip up!
Dammit man, you've got my mouth watering so early in the day – its only 9:10 here and I'm already hankering for lunch to come along.
These look pretty awesome Kevin!
Your blog makes me crave this.
I love fajitas and after a seriously mediocre batch I got at a restaurant the other day, i'm really craving them! These look wonderful!
i LOVE fajitas. You take great pictures… Do you make your own guacamole? I'd love the recipe for that!
These look so amazing! I miss summer grilling! The broiler pan just isn't quite the same but I'm gonna try these anyway.
These fajitas look fantastic! I've also been craving Mexican food lately, as is evidenced in my post for carnitas. I need to make your fajitas soon!
Love Mexican food Kevin. I'm curious what grill did you used? Your chicken turned out beautiful. It's cold here in Ottawa to BBQ outside.
A hunger inducing picture. This is definatley the way to eat,awesome recipe!
This recipe was super good! I made it with this taco salad!
http://www.fourgreensteps.com/community/recipes/53/478
One little suggestion from a fajita veteran to make things easier: marinate the chicken breasts whole, not sliced, and slice them into strips after cooking. They are easier to handle on the hot pan and they tend to stay juicier that way.
Either way I'm sure this is a delicious recipe.
Now I'M craving TexMex. Yum!
so i had to go to mucho burrito for lunch after seeing this post!
I love fajitas. You're right that they need to be kept simpple – otherwise it's really against what fajitas are all about.
I have mixed feelings about my grill pan i nwinter. Sure it gives me that great grilled taste, but the smoke in the kitchen drives me crazy. I end up opening the windows when it's freezing cold and snowing outside. 😀
I've been meaning to make enchiladas but always end up turning to fajitas because they tend to be easier. These fajitas look delicious!
irresistible dish! chicken never looked better! very warm and comforting dish. Would you like to enter this to my COMFORT FOOD event?
This looks really yummy.
I like how the chicken looks, reminds me of grilling on summer days.
My Lovely Vida: Caldo de Pollo on a Rainy Day!
Mexican food is the best, and things that you can wrap up and eat all together are always a winner in my opinion!
your chicken fajitas look good!
Love your recipes!! Thank you! They are a refreshing change from what I have been seeing
Made these last night, as written, except I did leave the chicken breasts whole and sliced them after cooking.
They tasted just fine, and the leftovers will be delicious in a salad today. Thanks Kevin!
Tip: the marinade makes more of a paste than a liquid. In order to add the remaining marinade to the peppers when sauteeing, I put the peppers into the ziplock bag I marinated the chicken in and shook it up until the peppers were coated. Worked fine, and the peppers taste great.
The term "fajita" actually refers to the cut of beef, the skirt steak. So to have "real" fajitas you need skirt steak as there is no such thing as a chicken fajita. But the word has been bastardized to be many things.
@ Michael
If you slice up the meat and then marinate it the marinade will come in contact with more of the surface of the meat and as such will be more flavo(u)rful. Always slice the meat before you marinade.
Tried cooking fajita first time…turned out great! and had eaten leftovers ( not a leftover fan) but couldn't wait to get home and to eat.
Thanks for the recipe…..will be trying it today… 🙂
Gotta love the trusty grill pan in the winter.
Isn't dangerous to reuse marinade that raw chicken was in? Couldn't you just make a little more of the marinade just for the peppers and onion?
Looks great otherwise.
Wow. How delicious does that picture look?! This is right up my alley Kevin. Thanks!
@ "anonymous":
Please don't say "always"!
I am born and raised in the southwestern US. I've cooked fajitas for a family and for a crowd. It's not always practical to grill pre-sliced chicken breasts. My suggestion is born of experience and is offered in the spirit of "you do it your way and I'll do it my way". Thanks for your input. Peace…
Always love for chicken and thanks for sharing your chicken recipe.
Can you sent me for other chicken recipes ? Thanks and appreciates for your blog.
Farida
http://foodgaden.blogspot.com
fashionfitnessfoodie: I make my own guacamole with the recipe here: guacamole
Anonymous: As long as it it thoroughly cooked it is fine but you are right in that it would be simple to make extra marinade and use that if you prefer.
@ Michael
I say always if you want the most flavor. If like your meat bland in the center then by all means keep it whole. The small amount of extra work involved is worth the return of having the marinade penetrate all of the meat.
@ anonymous:
Ok, anonymous, you seem to leave little room for anyone elses experiences, so from now on I'll be doing it your way. Happy? Goodness…
Those look so perfect! And delicious! It makes me crave Mexican food now!
@ Michael
You're so defensive. It's a simple scientific fact that the more surface area the marinade touches the more it will apply itself to the meat. Ergo it will be more flavorful, which is the whole point of the marinade. If you're going to give advice you need to have a thick enough skin to hear a counter arguement if someone (me) disagrees with your advice.
But I get what you are saying, you have a lot of meat to grill, and dealing with a hundred small pieces of meat is a pain. Which is why god invented the skewer. I really don't care how you cook your food, but if it's me, and especially if I'm cooking for others, I go the extra mile.
I have been following the closet cooking blog for many months now but this time, rather than drooling all over my keyboard, I decided I would actually start making some of the recipes. I used this fajita recipe the other night for my family and friends and it was great! The marinade for the chicken is delicious, and the flavors are especially good the next day. Thank you!
I live in Texas. I'm glad you made the distinction that this is TexMex food, as fajitas are NOT Mexican. Also technically speaking there is no such thing as chicken fajita. Fajita is the word for skirt steak, so it's a cut of beef. It's like if people started saying sirloin chicken. maybe a better name would be "fajita style chicken" but even here in Texas they misuse it also.
Nice recipe though!
I made these last week and my whole family loved them. Great addition to my recipe box.
They look succulent – the chopped garlic should really bring out the flavour in the chicken!
This was delish!! Simple too..next time I'll make Shrimp version as well for double delight!
I JUST ate these fajitas and they are THE BEST fajitas I've ever made!! MAJOR HATS OFF to Kevin and the creator of this recipe!!! I grilled em outsied though. It IS Texas in september after all. And i didnt use any leftover marinade(too nervous about getting sick). So i just sauteed in a pan and halfway thorugh, i added the seasonings and right at the end of sauteeing, i put in fresh lime juice. I nixed extra garlic in the pan though, but used it in the marinade. SO GOOD!! I INHALED those fajitas!! All that was missing was a frozen margarita!! 🙂
Thanks again!!
This looks amazing and can't wait to try this!!
I love your website
be sure to bring the reserved marinade to a good boil for a bit, after chicken has been soaking in it. otherwise, not a good idea to use it.
So simple but so tasty! I'll have to make this sometime, because I am often pressed for time, and this looks so easy and quick
Tried this last night and it was amazing!!
I found this recipe and I decided to make it for girls dinner in and was delicious. I'm hosting a friends birthday and she requested it again
This is a delicious recipe. Its very savory specially with a salsa on top
I'm not the same Anonymous, but there is no difference in using heat to kill the bacteria off the marinade used for the chicken as it is for the vegetables. good lord
just made this for my husband and myself. was absolutely delicious. will be making this in Logistics for Search and Rescue personal.
I can't make this dish look as good as the pictures! Not even close!!! But, still delicious! Thanks again for another great recipe!
These look great! Although it is definitely superior, limes can be so expensive where I live; so I sometimes substitute cider or red wine vinegar with a little pinch of Sucanat or sugar. It is almost as good, but a lot cheaper and then I can make them when I want because we always have a vinegar in the cupboard.
This has become my go-to chicken fajita recipe. I have made it at least a dozen times and it always turns out great. Making it tonight actually, per my better half's request. I buy the boneless skinless chicken tenders and cut them in half. We make it in a large stainless steel grill basket on our gas grill and it works out great.
Anonymous: I'm glad you like it! A grill basket would be perfect!
Thank you Kevin, looks yummy can't wait to try, and I'm a Texan
I get loads of good ideas from your recipes! Beautifully photographed. My own personal comment – but I know every one is different – too much cheese and too many "wraps"
Nice Ric fajitas are german made in newyork around 1970 or 71 .
Whole breast! Cut the breast up! Good Grief! Why don't you just pound the chicken down to a uniform thickness, about 1/2 inch thick, then marinate it? That way it is thin enough to absorb the marinade all the way through, or at least enough so you won't know the difference, and then they will cook quicker and more evenly without part of it getting overcooked, (whole – some thick, some thin) and then you can cook it and slice it a “Whole” lot easier!
I also prefer my onions and bell peppers sauteed in butter with a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste! You have enough fajita flavor in just the meat!
Spread some re-fried beans on a tortilla, some guacamole, sour cream, layer sauteed onions and peppers, the fajita meat & pico de gallo! A Tex-Mex sandwich you can't beat!
El Chico's restaurant in Waco, TX is the first place, and the BEST place I've ever had fajita's! That was in the mid to late 70's.
My favorite fajita recipe! I probably make this at least 2 times a month, if not more. The other day was the first time I actually used my grill to cook it, usually I use my cast iron grill pan. I use the copper sheets on my grill so I was able to caramelize the onions and cook the peppers on the grill as well. We only put some guacamole on the fajitas with the onions and peppers. The only change I do is to leave out cilantro, I’m one of the “it tastes like soap” people. 😂
I have in my recipe program a tag for closet cooking, since I save so many of your recipes. They are always great. Keep up the great work!