I remember, growing up, that chicken fajitas were a big deal. Not only were they a welcome break from the Hamburger Helper lasagna, meatloaf, and grilled chicken (all of which I love, by the way), but when mom made chicken fajitas, we felt like royalty. Now that I’m (sort of) all grown up, I enjoy this sizzling entree at restaurants from time to time, but every once in a while you gotta MAKE something that just says, “WOW! We are special.”
Serve with spicy cheesy refried beans and a garden salad.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- Salt
- 2 T 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 T lime juice
- 3 T 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
- Taco sauce
- Sliced avocado
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheese
- Thinly sliced iceberg lettuce dressed lightly with salt and cider vinegar
Combine the marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Add the chicken, shake well to cover, and let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour. This can be prepared in advance and marinated in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours, but allow to sit at room temperature for an hour before cooking.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and wipe off excess marinade. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt.
Heat a large cast iron frying pan on high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add a tablespoon of canola oil to the pan and, once the oil begins to smoke, carefully add the chicken breast pieces. Work in batches, if necessary. Allow the chicken to sear for 2-3 minutes then turn the pieces over and allow the second side to sear for another 2-3 minutes.
Stack seared chicken on a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil to retain heat and finish cooking as you saute the peppers and onions.
Add another tablespoon of canola oil to the pan and, once the oil begins to smoke, carefully add the onions and peppers to the pan. Using a metal spatula scrape up the leftover browned bits from the chicken and stir to coat the onions and peppers with the oil and brown bits. Evenly spread the onions and peppers in the pan. Leave them to sear undisturbed for 2 minutes, allowing them to blacken a bit. Stir and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

If chicken is not quite cooked through, place it back in the pan for a minute or two. Slice the chicken against the grain into strips and serve at once with the peppers and onions, some warm tortillas, and your favorite toppings. I opt for diced tomatoes or a good pico de gallo, guacamole and shredded cheese.
Recipe inspired by simplyrecipes.com
Photos by me, My Little Food Spot
Tags: Avocado, Cheese, Chicken, Chili powder, Cilantro, Cumin, Garlic, Lime, Onion, Peppers, Sour cream, Tortillas