Fajitas are really good eats, but guess what’s even better?! Grilled Fajitas- and summer is the best time to make those peppers and onions dance on the grill!!!
Last weekend, my best friend of all time, Elizabeth and her equally awesome fiancé, Dan, as well as her fabulous sister Ann Marie came over for a relaxing dinner. Elizabeth and Dan ventured into guacamole making territory, I made grilled fajitas and Ann Marie rounded out our meal with dessert. We all did a smashing job if I do say so myself 😉
Without further adieu here is my recipe for grilled fajitas. This makes plenty of marinade for 3.5 -4 pounds of meat. I divided it up between a 1.5 pound flank stead and 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts. But you can do all steak or all chicken, whatever you prefer.
Necessities:
Marinade
1/2 cup oil (you need to use a light oil, so I recommend light Olive oil, or Canola oil)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
1 Tablespoon salt (I prefer Kosher salt)
Peppers & Onions
4 large bell peppers (any colors you like)
1 large red or yellow onion (whatever you have on hand)
2 Tablespoons oil (again you need to use a light oil, so I recommend light Olive oil, or Canola oil)
Juice and zest of 2 limes
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
Method:
This recipe is super, super simple! Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until combined. You will end up with just under 1 cup of marinade.
Next prepare your meat by placing it in a shallow glass dish. I prefer to use a glass dish in lieu of a Ziploc bag because I think it helps to coat and marinate the meat more evenly. However, if you prefer to use a bag, go for it. In one dish I have 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and in the other I have a 1.5 pound flank steak. As I mentioned above, you could do all chicken or all flank steak, really whatever you prefer.
Divide the marinade between the 2 dishes, making sure to turn the meat so that it is coated on all sides. Next cover and place in the refrigerator for 4 hours or up to over night.
When it’s time to grill – make sure to preheat your grill and get it smokin’ hot to at least 400 degrees before putting the meat on. I honestly forgot to take pictures as I was grilling because I was too busy chit chatting – oops!
I may have forgotten pictures, but I do have a secret to share…a big trick of mine is grilling my chicken breasts whole – you may have noticed that I did not tell you to cut your chicken into little strips and then marinate it. Cooking it whole allows it to retain more moisture, which makes for a juicier more mouth watering fajita 😉
If you aren’t good with temping your meats (that just means knowing how long to cook your meats and to what temperature) use an instant read thermometer like this one to make sure you don’t under or overcook your chicken and steak. Chicken should be at least 165 F and steak should be at least 145 F.
Once cooked, remove form the grill and allow your chicken and steak to rest on a plate while you grill the peppers and onions.
Slice the peppers and onions and add to a large bowl and drizzle with the oil, lime juice, zest and salt and toss to coat.
Now go and put your grill pan on your grill – what is a grill pan you ask? It is a great little gadget that allows you to grill veggies, fish and other things that are often difficult to grill because they fall though the grates. Here is one that is very similar to mine.
Now toss your peppers and onions onto the grill pan and let them cook for 15-20 minutes, tossing them every few minutes. You want them to soften and get a nice char – a.k.a. black edges – that will give that authentic grilled flavor.
Once your peppers and onions are cooked they can join your chicken and steak and look all pretty for your guests, like this…..
Sorry, forgot to take a picture of the steak 😉 Next slice the chicken and steak at an angle, lay out on a platter and then it is chow time! We severed our fajitas on warm flour tortillas with Dan & Elizabeth’s homemade guacamole, sour cream, cotija cheese, cheddar cheese salsa and fresh chopped cilantro. Cervezas and Sangrias rounded out our meal and although it was a delicious meal, sharing it with the people I love is what made it a really memorable evening. And thanks to Dan, I remembered to snap a picture of my steak fajita before I gobbled it up! Until next time, happy cooking 🙂