Chicken Fajitas
505kcal39g protein23.3g fat36.9g carbs~$1.95/ serving*Estimates computed from the ingredient list; cost uses average US supermarket prices. Not a substitute for packaging measurements or your receipt.
sometimes contains gluten — check the label · only in an optional ingredient: dairy
Restrictions
Sometimes contains — check the labelgluten (chili (powder), guacamole, tortillas)Some brands have it, some do not. The recipe cannot tell, so this is the one you check yourself.
Only if you add itdairy (cheese monterey jack, cream, sour)Leave that ingredient out and the dish does not have it.
Diets
No porkNo alcohol
Worked out from the ingredient list. It knows nothing about brands, shared equipment or cross contamination, and it is not a certification — if you have an allergy, you still have to read the label.
Ingredients
Servings:
| 1 lb |  chicken (thighs, boneless, sliced in 1/2 inch strips) |
| 2 unit |  pepper (bell, mixed colours, sliced thick) |
| 1 unit |  onion (large, sliced thick pole to pole) |
| 3 tbsp |  lime (juice) |
| 2 tbsp | vegetable oil |
| 1 ½ tsp |  cumin (ground) |
| 1 ½ tsp |  chili powder |
| 1 tsp |  paprika (smoked) |
| 4 clove |  garlic (minced) |
| 1 tsp |  oregano (Mexican, dried) |
| 1 ½ tsp | salt |
| 8 unit |  tortillas (flour or corn, warmed) |
Optional
Not counted above. The dish works without them.
| ½ cup |  cream (sour, to serve) |
| ¾ cup | guacamole (to serve) |
| ¼ cup |  cilantro (chopped) |
| ¾ cup |  cheese (monterey jack, grated) |
| 1 unit |  chili (chipotle in adobo, minced, in the marinade) |
Steps
- Marinate25 minlime, half the oil, spices and garlic; 25 minutes to 4 hours, refrigeratedchicken + lime juice + 1 tbsp oil + cumin + chili powder + smoked paprika + garlic + oregano + 1 tsp salt (+ chipotle). Twenty-five minutes is enough to matter and four hours is the ceiling — the acid works on the surface only, and beyond that it turns the outer layer opaque and mealy rather than seasoning it more deeply
- Slice8 minpeppers and onion cut thick — about 1 cm — onion pole to pole not acrosspeppers + onion sliced deliberately thick. Thin strips collapse into softness before they can take colour, and the point of a fajita vegetable is char with some bite left. Cutting the onion pole to pole rather than into rings follows the cell structure, so the pieces hold together instead of falling apart into shreds
- Sear8 mincast iron, remaining oil, smoking hot, chicken in one uncrowded layer, undisturbed 2-3 minuteschicken wiped free of excess marinade and seared hard, in two batches, until browned in patches and just cooked through, then removed. Wipe it dry — wet marinade steams instead of searing, and its sugars burn to bitter carbon. Do not stir for the first two minutes; contact time is what builds the crust
- Char7 minsame pan, still very hot, peppers and onion, barely stirred+ peppers + onion in the chicken fat and residue, left to blister and blacken in spots before turning. You are aiming for actual char, not softness — those black patches are where the flavour that distinguishes fajitas from a stir-fry comes from. Salt them now, not earlier; salt draws water to the surface and wet vegetables cannot char
- Fold3 minchicken returned, off the heat, remaining salt and a squeeze of lime+ chicken + remaining salt + a final squeeze of lime, tossed briefly to combine and pick up the pan residue. Fresh acid at the end is doing a different job from the acid in the marinade — that one seasoned and tenderised, this one lifts and brightens, and its aroma survives only because nothing cooks it off
- Toast4 mintortillas over a dry pan or open flame, 20 seconds a side, stacked in a toweltortillas warmed until pliable and lightly spotted, then stacked in a folded cloth so they steam each other soft. A cold tortilla cracks when rolled; a stack wrapped in cloth stays warm and flexible for twenty minutes. Serve immediately (+ sour cream, + guacamole, + cheese, + cilantro)