Chicken Fajitas – Kid Approved

Tonight I made one of our favorites, chicken fajitas. There are so many different ways to make something like chicken fajitas, but my kids do not like spicy foods. This chicken fajita recipe offers great flavor (especially with the right pairings), but not enough heat to make my kids not want to eat it. It’s the perfect balance, and any heat that you desire can be added through different toppings, which is what is so great and versatile about this recipe!

We chose to pair this with a side of simple Mexican street corn (recipe here) to top it all off, it was a great and simple dinner that used up a lot of our extra’s laying around.

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The first step for these chicken fajitas is to get the chicken marinating! For the marinade you will need:

• Oil
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Basil
• Sugar
• Chili Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sliced chicken in strips

You’ll want to mix all the marinade ingredients together, except the chicken. Once mixed, slice your chicken into strips and add it to the bowl with the marinade. Stir it very well to coat all the chicken pieces and allow to marinade for at least 1 hour.

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While the chicken is marinating, you can prep the toppings that you selected, and slice up some veggies for roasting to add on top! Typically, for vegetables, you will want to have at least bell pepper and onion. We really enjoy throwing in some poblano peppers for some smoky mild heat. The vegetables we used:

• Orange Bell Pepper
• Red Bell Pepper
• Vidalia Onion
• Poblano Pepper

This is also a great time to prep any fresh veggies you might want for toppings, such as lettuce, tomato, avocado, fresh onion, jalapeno, cilantro (whatever sounds good to you).

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Once the chicken has marinated for at least one hour, you can start preparing for cooking. I recommend lining sheet pans with foil to avoid stuck on marinade during the broiling process. Use tongs to remove the chicken from the marinade to avoid getting too much liquid on your sheet pan (you want to BROIL the chicken, not BOIL the chicken). Once all the chicken has been removed from the marinade, throw all the vegetables for roasting into the marinade and toss them to coat and separate.

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Turn your oven onto the Broil option, and place one sheet pan at a time of the chicken directly under the broiler, opting for as much coverage as possible. When broiling, you will want to broil the chicken approximately 10 minutes per pan, or until the edges of the chicken pieces start to turn a little brown.

Once you have completed the chicken, place it on a plate and use the same sheet pan for the peppers and onions. Again, using tongs to remove to avoid too much marinade building up on the pan. Broil the peppers and onions for about 10 – 15 minutes, or until they get a nice golden char on top.

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While your chicken and vegetables are broiling, you will want to fry some yellow corn tortillas. This seems like a step you could skip to save time or effort, but I promise you, it is definitely worth it! The flavor and texture that frying the corn tortillas provides is hands down the best for this recipe.

Use a small frying pan and coat the entire bottom in oil (we prefer olive oil as our oil of choice). Take small sized yellow corn tortillas and cook them in pre-warmed oil over medium-low heat for about 10 – 15 seconds per side (it will start to bubble very slightly in the middle, and the edge on the bottom will have a slight golden brown). Once both sides have been cooked in the oil, transfer the shell to a plate with paper towel. When transferring, immediately fold the tortilla in half so it takes on the shape of a taco.

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Place your chicken and vegetables inside a tortilla, top with your desired toppings, and enjoy this wonderful treat!

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Topping Suggestions (I have stared my favorites):

• Roasted peppers and onions*
• Roasted poblano*
• Avocado/guacamole
• Cilantro*
• Sour cream
• Lime crema* (recipe to come)
• Hatch chili sauce*
• Verde salsa*
• Regular salsa
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Fresh onion
• Spanish rice/mexican rice
• Cotija cheese or queso fresco*
• Jalapeno (or quick pickled jalapeno… recipe to come)
• Fresh lime juice*

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