Recipe- Chicken Fajitas

Turn an ordinary day into a fiesta with these healthy, delicious chicken fajitas!

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

Directions:

1 Cut thick chicken breasts in half, horizontally: If chicken breasts are more than half a pound, slice horizontally so that each slice is between ½-inch and ¾-inch thickness. (Note: Don’t pound chicken breasts with a meat tenderizer, as this adversely affects the texture of the meat.)

2 Marinate chicken: Mix marinade ingredients together in a glass or plastic container. Add chicken, mix thoroughly, cover and let marinate at room temperature for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours in the fridge.

3 Wipe off most marinade, sprinkle chicken with salt: Remove the chicken from the marinade. Wipe off most of the marinade and sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt.

4 Sear chicken on high heat: Heat a large cast iron frying pan on high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add a tablespoon of canola oil to the pan.

As soon as the oil begins to smoke, place chicken breast pieces in the pan. Depending on the size of the pan, you may have to work in several batches.

Let chicken cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes, until you have a good sear. Once seared well on one side, turn pieces over and cook for another 2-3 minutes until well seared on the second side.

5 Stack seared breasts, cover with foil and let rest: Once seared on the second side, remove to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil to rest for 5 minutes.

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 Sauté peppers and onions: 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 and serve: Slice the chicken across 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.

Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes  Cook Time: 10 minutes  Serves 4