How To Make Fajitas
All fajitas are made with a special marinade. The marinade has to be tenderizing and flavorful.
Step 1: Marinade the meat in lime juice, vegetable oil, coriander, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, sugar and salt for at least two hours.
Step 2: Prepare the vegetables by cutting into strips.
Step 3: Sauté the meat and vegetables together until done.
Step 4: Serve on tortillas with cheese, lettuce and salsa.
The first thing you need to make fajitas are the ingredients. The main component of fajitas is the meat, and you have a choice between chicken and steak. For this recipe, we will be using chicken as our meat. You will also need bell peppers and onions.
The next step is to cut up the vegetables and place them in a bowl to be set aside for later. Cut the vegetables into strips about 1/4 inch thick. Next, slice the chicken into similar strips as well.
Heat up some oil in a pan on medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the meat and cook until it is browned on all sides. Once it is browned, remove the meat from the pan, draining off any excess fat, and set it aside for later.
In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup of water with 2 tablespoons of fajita seasoning mix. Feel free to add more or less depending on your tastes – this recipe is highly customizable! When you have mixed it thoroughly, pour it over the cooked chicken and stir until all pieces are coated evenly with the spicy mixture.
Now return the chicken to the pan and reduce heat to medium low. Add your vegetables and cook until they soften; this should take
A good fajita is hard to find. Even in Texas, where fajitas became popular decades ago, the quality can vary greatly. Here’s a quick guide for what to look for.
Fajitas are usually made with beef, but chicken and shrimp are also common. In most parts of the United States, beef is king. But it’s not just any cut of beef; the best fajitas come from the shoulder of the cow (also called skirt steak). Although many restaurants use flank steak or another cut, skirt steak has much more flavor, which is especially important since it’s typically cooked well-done. Some restaurants grill their meat perfectly, but others just throw it on the fire until it looks done and then leave it sitting out until you order it. That is a recipe for disaster. A well-grilled skirt steak should be tender enough to chew easily but not so tender that you can’t tell you’re eating beef.
The vegetables that accompany fajitas should be hot enough so that they burn your mouth a little bit when you take a bite. Generally there are bell peppers and onions in addition to the meat (sometimes tomatoes as well). There should be enough grease in the pan that you can dip your tortilla in it before
Making fajitas at home is a simple, fun and delicious experience. The best part about cooking fajitas at home is you can control the spice level of your dish! If you want to keep things basic, use this recipe as a guide and follow the standard meat and vegetables – no one will complain about that! If you prefer to add some extra heat, consider adding some of these common ingredients to kick your fajita up a notch:
Sliced Jalapeños
Chipotle Peppers
Cayenne Pepper
Chili Powder
The first step in creating tasty fajitas is to think about spices. Fajitas are a Mexican dish, so you’ll need some seasonings that are common in Mexico. The key ingredients are salt, cumin, paprika and garlic powder. If you’d like a little more kick, add some chili powder. Don’t worry about the exact amounts; if you’re cooking for two, just start with a tablespoon each of salt and cumin, half tablespoon of paprika and garlic powder and one teaspoon of chili powder.
The second thing to consider is the meat. Traditionally, fajitas use skirt steak. This is very cheap and flavorful, but hard to find these days. Flank steak is more common and also makes great fajitas. Skirt steak has a lot of connective tissue in it which makes it tough unless you marinate it for several hours in an acidic marinade like lime juice or vinegar (which will also tenderize it). Flank steak has less connective tissue, so you don’t need to marinate it as long (though a short marinade never hurts anything). Whichever cut of meat you choose, slice the meat thinly against the grain before adding the spice rub and either searing or grilling
When you’re learning to cook, it helps to have a clear picture of what the finished dish should look and taste like. The description below doesn’t include every step of making fajitas, but it does give you an idea of what the process and result will be like.
So let’s make some fajitas!
Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef strips and cook, stirring often, until the beef is nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan with tongs or a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
Add a few drops of olive oil to the pan if needed (if there’s any fat left in the pan from browning the beef, you won’t need any extra oil). Add the onion and bell pepper slices and cook until softened and lightly charred in spots, about 6 minutes total. Remove from the pan with tongs or a slotted spoon and add to the plate with the meat.
If you were to make a spice mix based on what you find in Mexican grocery stores, it would be mostly salt. So I would not start there.
The key to the flavor of fajitas is a smoky taste, which can be achieved with paprika and chipotle powder. Additionally, you want some acidity and heat.
I like to make my fajita spice with chili powder (which is already a mixture of ground chiles and other spices), paprika, chipotle powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, oregano, and black pepper.
If you are not sure how much of each spice to add or what kind of heat you want, a good starting point is to add the same amount of each spice (1 tsp). You can always adjust the amounts up or down when making your next batch.
As far as amounts go, I would just add enough to get the desired taste and not worry about measuring it out exactly every time.
