{"id":2885,"date":"2019-03-26T05:34:13","date_gmt":"2019-03-26T05:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simpletasty.recipes\/?p=2885"},"modified":"2019-12-07T09:49:54","modified_gmt":"2019-12-07T09:49:54","slug":"12-tricks-for-preparing-the-best-chicken-fajitas-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simpletasty.recipes\/12-tricks-for-preparing-the-best-chicken-fajitas-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Tricks for Preparing the Best Chicken Fajitas Recipe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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We love ordering fajitas at a restaurant. There\u2019s something special about the waiter bringing your plate to the table and warning you that it\u2019s too hot to touch. You sit and stare at the delicious meal before you, your tongue salivating at the fragrant aroma of the meal wafting up to your nose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, you don\u2019t have to go across town to your favorite Mexican restaurant to enjoy fajitas. This meal is easy to make, and even unskilled chefs can make a tasty batch of fajitas without much experience. By the time you\u2019ve mastered the perfect fajita recipe, you\u2019ll be an expert at the dish and your favorite Mexican restaurant will be nothing but a fond memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We decided to help you out and give you 12-tips for cooking flavorful and tasty fajitas right in the comfort of your kitchen. DISCLAIMER: Your family may become addicted to your fajitas \u2013 don\u2019t say we didn\u2019t warn you.
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1.    It\u2019s All in the Ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Preparing the best batch of chicken fajitas you\u2019ve ever eaten, requires fresh, organic ingredients. Visit your local farmers market and get to know your butcher. Farmers markets supply fresh, organic produce that\u2019s free from pesticides and other toxic materials used in commercial farming. Organic veggies may cost a little bit more, but they are worth the extra money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The world eats plenty of chicken, and it\u2019s the second most popular meat on the market after beef. Unfortunately, commercial chicken farmers feed their birds growth hormones and antibiotics to speed up growth in the chickens and prevent outbreaks of disease. These chemicals find their way into the flesh of the birds, and eventually to your dinner plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using fresh organic ingredients creates a full flavor profile while increasing the number of nutrients available in the meal. Develop a relationship with the people that supply your food and understand the origin of your food from farm to fork.
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2.    Slicing and Marinating Chicken<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s nothing worse than dry chicken in fajitas. How you prep your meals matters as much as the ingredients themselves. We have a few tips for you to use to ensure that you come out with perfectly cooked fajita\u2019s. When preparing your meal, start with cutting the chicken breasts, slice them horizontally. Using this method ensures that your chicken remains tender and doesn\u2019t dry out in the cooking process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The marinating process is the next critical step in the recipe. We recommend you add your chicken breasts to a Ziploc bag, along with the marinade ingredients. Shake the bag to mix the chicken and the marinade, then store the Ziploc in the fridge overnight to allow the chicken to absorb all of the flavors in the marinade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our favorite marinade for chicken fajitas consists of chili powder, cumin, oregano, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, and garlic, with a cup of chicken broth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3.    Cooking and Resting Chicken<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After your chicken has time to soak up the marinade in the fridge overnight, it\u2019s time to get started with preparing the meal. Before you think of heating a skillet, take your chicken out of the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 15 to 20-minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Placing cold chicken cutlets or breasts on the skillet causes the surface of the meat to contract, making the chicken tough and chewy. Leaving the chicken to rest for a few minutes ensures that your fajitas have soft and flavorful chicken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When placing your chicken in the skillet, make sure you drip off all of the excess marinades before you put it over the heat. This strategy helps the chicken sear in the skillet, keeping all of the moisture in the meat. Turn the chicken every three minutes to ensure even cooking and cover the skillet to retain the moisture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After cooking, transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 5-minutes before adding to the fajitas. Resting removes the fluids from the chicken, leaving it soft and tender.
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4.    Oil and Cooking Vegetables<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Vegetables make the magic happen in a fajita. You can cook the chicken to perfection, but if you have the wrong vegetable medley in the tortilla, it ruins the meal. We like using vegetables that retain a bit of crunch in the fajita. Avoid using veggies like cucumber and tomato, as the high water content in these ingredients will turn your fajita to a sloppy mess. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When cooking your veggies, it\u2019s best to use vegetable oil. Many people make the mistake of cooking with extra-virgin olive oil. Olive oil has a low smoke point, meaning that it turns rancid when exposed to high heat. The heat breaks down the beneficial polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats into trans-saturated fatty acids which are terrible for your health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Always start with cooking the onions, the flavor seasons the skillet and enhances the taste of the other vegetables in the recipe. Reserve a little of the marinade and stir it into your veggies for additional flavor and texture in the meal.
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5.    Prep Ahead<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s fast-paced society means that most parents work during the day and then come home to their family responsibilities in the evening, which includes cooking a meal for the family. The next time you have a busy schedule, put fajitas on the evening menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fajitas are meant to be an easy meal to put together. A few easy-to-source ingredients and twenty minutes in the kitchen is all you need to make the perfect batch of fajitas. If you struggle to find the time in the evening to cook, fajitas are the ideal recipe for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speed up your cooking and preparation time by preparing your ingredients the day before and leaving them in the fridge overnight. Cut up your chicken breasts, make your marinade, trim your veggies, and walk away until tomorrow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With all of your ingredients prepared, it should take less than 15-minutes to cook the meal, that\u2019s faster than waiting for the pizza delivery guy to show up at your door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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6.    Use a Cast Iron Skillet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How you cook your chicken is as crucial as selecting the right ingredients. Mess up your cooking, and you\u2019ll ruin the meal. Chicken typically cooks slower than beef or fish, so you need to take that into account. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sear your chicken over high heat on a thick-bottomed cast-iron skillet. We like a skillet with grilling ridges on the base of the pan. These ridges allow you to char-grill your chicken and provide an excellent visual cue for knowing when to turn the chicken or remove it from the skillet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frying pans typically have thin bases, making them struggle to reach the same temperatures as a skillet. With a skillet, you can get the pan red-hot before you add the chicken for your fajitas. The sear is the most critical part of the cooking process, it locks in the moisture and flavor of the chicken, allowing you to cook the meat faster, and retain more of its juiciness.
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7.    Add Bell peppers, Limes, and Pineapple<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are hundreds of combinations for fajita fillings. Our favorite vegetables and fruits for your fajitas are bell peppers, pineapple, and lime juice. These three ingredients provide a blend of sweet and sour, with plenty of nutrients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pineapples contain beneficial digestive enzymes that assist with the digestion of the meal. We love cubing pineapple into small chunks and add it to the fajita for a tropical flavor that tastes fantastic. Take this idea to the next level and flash-fry the pineapple in the skillet after you\u2019re finished cooking the chicken. Bell peppers are a rich source of vitamins and minerals, and lime juice brings a citrus tang to the dish, along with more Vitamin C. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can use any veggies you like, but remember to stick to firm, crisp, and fruits that provide a crunchy texture to the fajitas. There\u2019s nothing worse than biting into a mushy fajita, filled with wet ingredients.
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8.    Substitute Chicken with Shrimp<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fajitas are such a versatile meal \u2013 you can swap out the ingredients and replace them with anything you like. One of our favorite chicken replacements is shrimp. We love using shrimp because it cooks so quickly, making an easy-to-prepare meal even easier to put together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pick up a pound of shrimp from your local supermarket or fishmonger. Ask the fishmonger to remove the shells and devein the shrimp for you to save time, or buy a brand that offers deveined shrimp. Never eat the shrimp vein, it contains significant amounts of toxins that can make you sick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marinate your shrimp for 15-minutes at the most. The shrimp absorb the marinate quickly, and if you over-marinate, you won\u2019t be able to detect the flavor of the shrimp. Cook them in a sizzling skillet with 2-tablespoons of canola oil. The shrimp take about 5-minutes to cook, and they\u2019re ready for the fajitas when they turn light pink.
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9.    Create a Spice Mix<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Seasoning makes the meal. Without spices and salt, your chicken will taste reasonably bland, and absorb the other flavors, leaving you thinking that you\u2019re eating a vegetarian wrap. We like spicy food, so we enjoy adding spices with heat. Enhance the spice mix with earthy flavors from cumin, onion, and garlic to round out the taste experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We want to share our secret recipe for the best fajita spice with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4-teaspoons Chili Powder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2-teaspoons smoked paprika.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2-teaspoons crushed Himalayan pink salt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2-teaspoons brown sugar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1-teaspoon garlic powder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1-teaspoon onion powder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1-teaspoon cracked black pepper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1-teaspoon Mexican oregano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1-teaspoon cumin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

METHOD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Place all of the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Store your seasoning in an airtight container in the back of your fridge. Use 2-teaspoons of the seasoning for every pound of chicken. Rub the spice mix into the chicken 5-minutes before cooking, or add it to the marinade mix.
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10.    Fajitas Toppings
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Our favorite toppings for chicken fajitas include salsa verde and sour cream. The creamy texture combined with a refreshing taste goes so well with warm chicken and vegetables. Make your topping using any ingredients you like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we feel like impressing our family or friends with our fajita recipe, we like to include chopped cilantro, Chipotle lime crema, and a dash of chipotle spice to our sour cream \u2013 it provides an additional flavor that makes the meal taste fantastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other ingredients for toppings worthy of mention include;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022    Guacamole or sliced avocados.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022    Pepperdews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022    Sliced Jalapenos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022    Pico de gallo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022    Hot sauce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022    Sliced Kalamata olives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best thing about fajitas is the flexibility with the recipe ingredients. Experiment as much as you like and ask your family what kind of spices they enjoy. Be a real chef and ask your family for critique after they finish the meal \u2013 feedback will help you understand how you can improve your recipe the next time.
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11.    Sides for Chicken Fajitas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fajitas are the star attraction of this meal, but what about the sides? Sides make the meal, and you can select from a wide variety of tasty treats to add to your meal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We enjoy cilantro lime rice or Mexican-style rice, with a grilled corn salad for our ideal fajita sides. However, please don\u2019t take out word for it, choose any side you like. Some other tasty options bursting with flavor that perfectly compliment the meal are; <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022    Sweet and spicy Southwest salad with a cilantro and lime vinaigrette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022    Get adventurous with a fruit salad and raw honey dressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022    Fresh garden salad with chopped walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When selecting your sides, try to stick to salads and rice, they provide the best complimentary flavors to the fajitas, and they don\u2019t take long to make. If you still have room left after your fajitas, finish the meal off with churros for dessert.
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12.    Serving Chicken Fajitas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The traditional method for serving fajitas is with a tortilla, but if you feel like doing something different, try out these ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chicken fajita burritos \u2013 Take a large tortilla and wrap the veggies and chicken with black beans, cilantro lime rice, guacamole, and sour cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chicken fajita salad \u2013Take a large salad bowl and add the chicken along with some corn, bell peppers, black beans, and drizzle with cilantro lime dressing. Toss to combine and coat evenly. Add sunflower seeds and shredded Colby-Monterrey Jack cheese if you want to get fancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chicken fajita tacos \u2013 Fill hard-shell corn tacos with chicken, top with shredded cheese and layer with pinto or black beans, fresh guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. Top with shredded Colby-Monterrey Jack cheese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chicken fajita nachos \u2013 Grab a bag of tortilla chips and pile on some shredded cheese and beans \u2013 then bake in the oven until the cheese melts. Remove from the oven and top with fajita chicken, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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