dear fellow crumbsnatchers,
growing up in texas, it's in your blood to eat tacos for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even a late night snack. i fancy myself a bean and cheese, potato and egg, spam and egg, or chorizo and egg breakfast taco any day of the week. carne asada, barbacoa, tacos al pastor... i just love tacos.
but are fajitas indeed tacos? fajitas refer to a type of meat and tacos refer to the food presentation. i feel like this is the square is a rectangle but a rectangle isn't a square discussion. so i guess you put fajita meat in a tortilla for a fajita taco? no matter what, i love to taco 'bout my love for tex-mex food, especially delicious fajitas.
i love to host dinner parties. nothing fancy, just good friends, good food and good drinks. i've been known to host many fajitas and margaritas nights over the years, combining my love for tex-mex food and patron tequila. since many of my friends prefer not to eat beef or pork, chicken became the group-friendly option. as i mentioned in a previous post, i spent summers working at camp oneka for girls. on my off days, known as a 24, i hung out with grandma gail and pop-pop at their lake house. like my yia-yia, grandma gail would find recipes in the newspaper like this one. this chicken fajitas marinade will always remind me of summers on fairview lake with grandma gail and pop-pop.
chicken fajitas recipe
crumb confession: i prefer steak over chicken, always. unfortunately, my doctor asked me to cut back on red meat so i have to prioritize what really needs red meat and make it count. there is nothing better than a smoked, charred ribeye steak from the manfriend. or marinated skirt steak or flank steak in my tacos. but if i have to choose, i'd rather replace the beef in my tacos or fajitas than my actual steak.
cuisine: tex-mex
prep time: 60 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes
serves: 4-6
ingredients
marinade:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup lime juice
1 small white onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
fajitas:
3-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large red onion
2-3 bell peppers
8 oz white button or baby bella sliced mushrooms, optional
2-6 fresh jalapeños, optional
vegetable or canola oil
optional garnishes:
shredded cheese
sour cream
guacamole
salsa
fresh lime wedges
hot sauce
directions
place chicken and white onions in a large bowl or gallon-size storage bag. add the remaining marinade ingredients to chicken. set aside in fridge for 30-60 minutes.
wash and prepare fajita vegetables. set aside.
cook chicken. we grill our chicken on our charcoal smoker but you can also cook on an electric griddle at 375 F or large skillet/cast-iron pan on medium-high heat on the stovetop. chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165F. set aside.
cook vegetables. we use our electric griddle with 1 tbs of oil to get the fajitas signature char. you can also cook on stovetop or grill.
slice chicken in strips and combine with vegetables. serve immediately.
flour tortilla recipe
crumb confession: the best flour tortillas are made with lard. there is nothing better than a fresh made flour tortilla. sprinkle a little bit of shredded cheese or smear a pad of butter on a warm tortilla - it makes me happy inside. heck, i'll even treat myself to a plain flour tortilla, they are that good! i've tried many flour tortilla recipes over the years - some use shortening, oil, baking powder, etc. - but this is my tried-and-true recipe. if i'm going to sacrifice carbs for a tortilla (or two), you better believe i'm going to take the time to make them from scratch. trust me, after trying this recipe, you'll never want to eat a store-bought tortilla again.
cuisine: mexican
prep time: 35 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
serves: 4-8
ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 tbs lard
1 cup warm water
directions
combine flour, salt and lard in a large bowl with a fork or by hand.
slowly add warm water until dough holds together. if dry, add more water. if wet, add more flour.
cover bowl with plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
divide dough into 12 balls (burrito size) or 16 balls (taco size).
heat electric griddle to 375F. you can also use a stove top griddle pan at medium high heat.
roll out each ball with rolling pin and place on griddle. cook on each side for 45-60 seconds until dough isn't translucent with golden brown spots.
keep tortillas warm in kitchen towel until serving.
to round out the meal, i served our chicken fajitas with black beans and cilantro lime rice. the leftovers make great burrito bowls for the week. so if you want to change up your end-of-summer, labor day celebration this weekend, make some fajitas and margaritas. salud para ti!
love and crumbs,
christina & gypsie
p.s. did you make this recipe? be sure to drop us a crumb on instagram at @crumbsforgypsie and hashtag it #crumbsforgypsie.
recommended equipment
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