Chicken Fajitas

It’s Taco Tuesday, and, really, what are fajitas if not tacos with attitude! I love fajitas.  When we eat out, I order fajitas just so I can have them brought to me sizzling on the hot plate and assemble them myself.  I’m always disappointed after that though.  I mean, so much opportunity for flavor and most often it’s just wasted.  Most fajitas I order out come to me barely even dusted with salt and pepper.  So, I make them at home.  They sizzle on my stovetop in my cast iron skillet and always pack way more flavor that the bland food that passes for fajitas at the restaurant.

I start by finely slicing an onion and a bell pepper.  I like my bell pepper strips smaller, so I cut my pepper into quarters and then cut strips across the short width.

Also, if you leave the root end on your onion, it is way easier to slice it.  You don’t have to worry about the layers slipping around as you get closer and closer to the end.

You could use any color bell pepper, I just like the way the red looks.  Aren’t they pretty?  Don’t forget to keep those trimmings in a freezer bag for the next time you make stock!

Next I mix up my spices and paste my garlic.  Take your garlic and mince it.  Then, sprinkle your salt over the minced garlic and use the flat part of your knife to smash it.  Press down on the garlic and salt then, while still applying pressure, drag the knife toward you.  Keep doing this a few times until you’ve got a paste like this.

Slice up your meat.  Toss your meat, onion/peppers and spices (including garlic paste) together and add all the juice from one lime (2 if you don’t get much juice).  Heat up some oil in a cast iron skillet until it is smoking hot (seriously, you definitely want your oil to be rippling).  Carefully add in your fajita mixture.

Sizzle until the chicken is done and the peppers and onions are tender.  Serve on warm flour tortillas with your favorite toppings.

Recipe:

1 bell pepper

1 medium onion

3 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chile powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

juice of 1 lime

1 pound chicken or beef

1 Tablespoon oil

Flour Tortillas

Remove the seeds and ribs from bell pepper and slice into thin strips.  Remove the skin from the onion and slice into thin strips.  Peel garlic and mince.  Paste garlic and salt together using the flat part of your knife blade.  Add garlic paste, paprika, chile powder ,cumin, black pepper, ground coriander oregano and lime juice to a bowl with your peppers and onions.  Slice meat into thin strips and add to peppers, onions and spices. Toss to coat

Heat oil in cast iron skillet over high heat until ripples appear.  Carefully add meat mixture to hot skillet.  Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and peppers and onions are tender.  Serve on warm flour tortillas with your choice of toppings.