Chicken Fajitas

We had fajitas fairly often growing up because it was something my parents could keep warm on the stove and Michael and I would be able to eat in the 10 minutes we had between practices. We also usually grilled a london broil on the weekends for my family and my grandparents and this was a good use of our leftovers. My parents' recipe uses soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, lime juice, and salt and pepper to marinate the meat, onions, and pepper but because I don't have soy sauce or worcestershire sauce I put together a recipe of things I did already have.


Ingredients:
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole skinless, boneless chicken breast (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 bell pepper—cored, seeded and cut into thin strips
1 jalapeno pepper (optional)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 lime squeezed for lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
8 flour tortillas, warmed in the microwave
Optional: Shredded lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, salsa, avocado, cilantro and sour cream, for serving


Directions:

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the chile powder with the salt, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, cornstarch, water and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the chicken, bell pepper and onion, seal and knead gently to coat. Refrigerate for 15 minutes

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet until shimmering. Empty the contents of the bag into the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice.

Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a large bowl and serve with the warmed tortillas and fixins'.


Notes: These fajitas were really really good. There are simpler fajita recipes out there but I had all of these but the tortillas already. The marinade had so many spices in it that I couldn't imagine adding salsa to this dish. I like limey fajitas so I added a lime to the marinade recipe.

Don't cut the onions too thinly. I'd recommend cutting them the same size as the peppers as some of the smaller pieces of onion burned.

I don't know if everyone warms up their tortillas this way, but this is how my family does it. Take a paper towel and sprinkle some water on it. Wrap the tortilla with the paper tower so that the paper towel is on the outside. Microwave them together for about 15 seconds. The water from the paper towel steams the tortilla enough that it doesn't dry out in the microwave.