Wow, this was the best chicken fajitas I have ever made! I tried

orchid

Well-known member
this NYT recipe and it is really, really tasty. I made a couple of cooking changes though. I just cooked the breast without adding all the marinade. Rested them while I cooked the onions and peppers and then added a bit of the marinade to the vegies. Delicious!

Chicken Fajitas

Finely grated zest of 1 lime (about 2 teaspoons)

¼ cup fresh lime juice

Salt and black pepper

2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground

2 tablespoons adobo sauce from canned chipotles in adobo

1 chipotle chile in adobo, seeded and minced (optional)

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 large garlic cloves, minced or put through a press

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 large red or yellow onion, halved and sliced

2 red bell peppers (or 1 red and 1 orange or yellow), seeded and sliced about 1/4 inch thick

1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced about 1/4 inch thick

1 jalapeño or 2 serrano chiles, minced

¼ cup chopped cilantro

4 large flour or 8 corn tortillas

1 tablespoon grapeseed or canola oil (or use olive oil)

1 romaine heart, sliced crosswise

In a small bowl, combine lime zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, the adobo sauce and optional minced chipotle, 1/4 cup olive oil and half the garlic. Mix well. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the marinade.

Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in a resealable bag. Pour in the marinade and seal bag. Move chicken around to coat well, place bag in a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to 12 hours).

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When oil is hot, add onions and cook, stirring, until they soften and begin to color, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in bell peppers and chili and cook, stirring, until peppers begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.

Turn heat to medium, add remaining garlic and cumin and salt to taste, and cook, stirring often, until peppers are nicely seared, softened and beginning to caramelize, 5 to 8 minutes.

Pour in reserved 2 tablespoons marinade and scrape bottom of pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Add half the cilantro, and stir together. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat but keep warm.

Wrap tortillas in foil and warm in a low oven, or wrap in a towel and warm in a steamer or in the microwave.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy skillet. Remove chicken breasts from marinade, reserving marinade, and pat dry with paper towels. Add to pan, rounded side down, and sear for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly charred. Flip breasts over, pour in marinade, cover pan and reduce heat to medium. Cook 12 to 15 minutes, flipping over from time to time, until a thermometer registers 160 to 165 degrees when inserted into thickest part. Transfer to a cutting board and cover with foil. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes, then cut across the grain into 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick strips.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018100-chicken-fajitas

 
Hey Orchid? 1 request and 1 update

NYT is now locking access w/o registration. Will you please elaborate a bit more about why your fajitas were so tasty for those of us who are not registered?
Also, the Photobucket photo attached to your ID/name panel is no longer showing and requests a settings update.
Looking forward to following your fajitas method using just purchased Costco chicken smileys/wink.gif
Warm regards, Colleen

 
Here you go

NGREDIENTS
Finely grated zest of 1 lime (about 2 teaspoons)
¼ cup fresh lime juice
Salt and black pepper
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
2 tablespoons adobo sauce from canned chipotles in adobo
1 chipotle chile in adobo, seeded and minced (optional)
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced or put through a press
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 large red or yellow onion, halved and sliced
2 red bell peppers (or 1 red and 1 orange or yellow), seeded and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 jalapeño or 2 serrano chiles, minced
¼ cup chopped cilantro
4 large flour or 8 corn tortillas
1 tablespoon grapeseed or canola oil (or use olive oil)
1 romaine heart, sliced crosswise
Salsa fresca, for serving (see recipe)
Queso fresco, for sprinkling
PREPARATION
In a small bowl, combine lime zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, the adobo sauce and optional minced chipotle, 1/4 cup olive oil and half the garlic. Mix well. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the marinade.
Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in a resealable bag. Pour in the marinade and seal bag. Move chicken around to coat well, place bag in a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to 12 hours). Flip the bag over from time to time to redistribute marinade.
Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When oil is hot, add onions and cook, stirring, until they soften and begin to color, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in bell peppers and chile and cook, stirring, until peppers begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.
Turn heat to medium, add remaining garlic and cumin and salt to taste, and cook, stirring often, until peppers are nicely seared, softened and beginning to caramelize, 5 to 8 minutes.
Pour in reserved 2 tablespoons marinade and scrape bottom of pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Add half the cilantro, and stir together. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat but keep warm.
Wrap tortillas in foil and warm in a low oven, or wrap in a towel and warm in a steamer or in the microwave.
Heat grapeseed or canola oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy skillet. Remove chicken breasts from marinade, reserving marinade, and pat dry with paper towels. Add to pan, rounded side down, and sear for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly charred. Flip breasts over, pour in marinade, cover pan and reduce heat to medium. Cook 12 to 15 minutes, flipping over from time to time, until a thermometer registers 160 to 165 degrees when inserted into thickest part. Transfer to a cutting board and cover with foil. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes, then cut across the grain into 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick strips.
Arrange lettuce on a platter, then place chicken next to lettuce. Tip juices from cutting board over chicken and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve vegetables on the same platter or separately. Serve with warm tortillas, salsa and crumbled queso fresco.
Have you

 
Sorry Colleen, that's the recipe charley posted. I really can't

explain why it is so tasty, probably the adobo sauce. But it is. I hope you try it. Photobucket doesn't like that I use an ad blocker so it won't let me in. Oh well.....

 
I've never been able to get the intense flavor achieved by restaurants.

I think my pan doesn't get hot enough to caramelize things. Will give this one a try. Thanks, O.

 
Do you use a recipe that has soy sauce in it? It seems to be a secret of some restaurants. I

have a Kenji Lopez-Alt recipe for fajitas that uses soy sauce and I've noticed a lot of older recipes do, while some newer ones do not.

 
I think so, but I've never tried to make them again. I hate wasting meat when it doesn't turn out

Like I expected it to.

 
The first time I ever had fajitas was at Vail and it definitely had soy sauce. Years later

I posted using soy sauce in the marinade and really got ridiculed for using soy sauce in a Mexican recipe!! LOL
When I make them my family insists that the onions and peppers be REALLY caramilized. I put sour cream in with it all. Diced tomatoes too. I think when using chicken the marinade needs to be assertive.

 
Adobo sauce - the secret ingredient!

I have 2 cans in the pantry but have only used adobo once a very long time ago. I will try adding to fajitas. I believe that I can freeze any adobo sauce that is leftover. Colleen

 
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