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
