Classic Fajitas

Fajitas are one of my favorite meals for so many reasons!  In the summer they can be prepared entirely on the grill.  No pots and pans to clean up afterwards. The meat is not the central item of the meal.  It is easy to pack your tortilla with veggies and other proteins (cheese & beans).  This helps to save a bit in the meat department on your grocery bill.  Finally, this meal can be completely prepped, left in the fridge for the day and then prepared when you get home.

Fajita meat is great as a carry-over ingredient in the fridge.  Grill extra meat to put in a taco salad later in the week or add with cheese and tortillas for quesadillas.

If you buy your boneless-skinless chicken in bulk when it is on sale, make up the marinade recipe; add it to the chicken in a quart zip-top bag before you put your chicken in the freezer.  Defrost when you are ready for it and you will have marinated chicken ready to go!

This week I made our fajitas with chicken, but you can also make them with your favorite grilling beef.

Classic Fajitas

Ingredients

1 batch of Fajita Marinade (below)

1-2 pounds boneless/skinless chicken breast

2-3 Bell Peppers, sliced

2 small Sweet Onions, sliced

3 cups Shredded Lettuce

3 cups Diced Tomato

1 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese

½ cup Sour Cream

½ cup Salsa

2 cups (or 1 can) Black beans, Refried beans or Pinto beans (optional)

1 package of your favorite burrito-size tortillas

Fajita Marinade:

3 Tablespoons Lime Juice

1/3 cup Water

1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic

½ teaspoon Liquid Smoke

1 teaspoon Cumin

¼ teaspoon Chili Powder

¼ teaspoon Black Pepper

¼ teaspoon Salt

Directions: Whisk the above ingredients together and add to meat for 4+ hours.

Directions:

Preparation

1.  Place chicken and marinade in a zip-top bag and allow it to marinate at least 4 hours


2.  Create a foil packet (like we did with the potatoes) for the sliced onions and peppers.  Add a bit of olive oil or spray the bottom foil with non-stick spray to keep them from sticking to the foil.


3.  Prep your toppings: dice the tomatoes, shred the lettuce, grate the cheese, and put salsa and sour cream in serving dishes if you wish.



4.  Put beans in a microwave dish to prepare for heating at the last minute.

Cooking
1.  Start your grill and bring to medium-low coals or heat
2.  Place meat and veggie packet on the grill
3.  Cook until meat is done appropriately. (Chicken cooked to 170°F, beef at least 145°F.)
4.  Remove meat and veggie packet from the grill.
5.  Microwave beans and tortillas to warm them up while you slice the meat.
6.  Place veggies and meat slices on the serving platter or bowl of your choice and serve with all of your prepared toppings.  Enjoy! (sorry for the poor picture - at this point we were too focused on eating!)










Spanish rice or chips and salsa are great side dishes along side fajitas, but this time around, we just had straight up fajitas – grilled in the rain – but no less delicious!

Click Here for a printable version of this recipe.

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