Sunday, July 3, 2011

Grilled Chicken Fajitas



I'm back! This cutie has been keeping me very busy the past few months, along with the fact that we're moving across the country in a couple weeks, so I apologize for the lack of blogging!

But I've still been cooking! Mostly I've been doing the tried and true recipes I know and love (and can whip up easily), but occasionally I've branched out to try something new. This was one of those times, and oh my did it pay off! These fajitas are sooo delicious! We've been grilling a lot this summer. We decided everything tastes better on the grill. These fajitas have so much flavor and the onions and peppers add such a delicious sweetness. We've made them twice in the last month and I'm excited to make them again!

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

1/3 c. freshly squeezed lime juice
6 T. olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1 jalapeno, seeded, ribbed, and diced
1 1/2 T. fresh cilantro, minced
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied (6 halves total)
1 large red onion, sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices, rings not separated
2 large bell peppers, stemmed, quartered, and seeded
8-12 (6-inch) flour (or corn) tortillas

In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, 4 T. oil, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, jalapeno, cilantro, salt and pepper. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade; set aside. Place the chicken breast halves in the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Brush both sides of the onion rounds and peppers with the remaining 2 T. oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, fire up your grill. For a gas grill*, light all burners on high, cover and heat grill until hot. Leave one burner on medium-high and turn the rest down to medium/medium-low.

Remove the chicken breast halves from the marinate and transfer to the hotter side of the grill; discard the left-over marinade. Place the onion rounds and peppers on the cooler side of the grill. Cook the chicken until it is well browned, 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken and continue grilling until it is no longer pink inside. Meanwhile, cook onions and peppers until spottily charred and crisp-tender, about 8-12 minutes, turning once or twice as needed. When the chicken and vegetables are done, transfer them to a large plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Warm your tortillas, either on the grill or on the stove or oven, and wrap them in a clean kitchen towel or foil (I like the ones from Costco that you cook yourself).

Separate the onions into rings and place them in a medium bowl. Slice the bell peppers lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips and add them to the bowl with the onions. Add 2 T. of the reserved unused marinade and toss well to combine. Slice the chicken into 1/4-inch strips and toss with the remaining 2 T. of reserved marinade in another. Serve with the warmed tortillas and additional toppings of your choice (sour cream and additional cilantro are our favorites, with some grilled pineapple on the side. Yum!).
Source: Annie's Eats

*For a charcoal grill, ignite 6 quarts of charcoal briquettes and burn until fully ignited, about 20 minutes. Empty the coals into the grill, spreading them into a single layer. Place an additional 20 unlit coals over the lit coals on one side of the grill to create a two-level fire. Place the grill grate over the coals and allow to heat for 5 minutes. Scrape the grate clean with a grill brush.

2 comments:

Joyful Noise said...

Happy, happy, happy! He is sooo cute!

Elaina said...

I made these last night and we LOVED them! Mark asked me if I could make a big batch and bring them to work to share with all his colleagues. That's the first time he has ever asked me to do that. If that doesn't show true love for this food then I don't know what does. :)