Springtime grilling with a twist
By: Jonathan Munshaw, Editor-in-Chief
It’s starting to get warmer again, which means it’s grill season. I mean, it’s not quite 70 yet, but even if the temperature touches the 50s, it’s totally acceptable to fire up the grill (or the George Foreman, which is also acceptable).
When most people think of a grill they think of burgers and sausages or steaks, the usual. But this week’s recipe will maximize the flavors a grill brings out to your craft fajitas.
It’s somewhat low-calorie (depending upon what kind of tortillas you use and what toppings you use) and makes a large amount of food.
I just came up with this recipe on my own, simply throwing things together in a container and trying out the seasoning before cooking, and just made it on Sunday for four people.
In the end, it’ll leave you with leftovers, and is the perfect dish to make for multiple people because once you make the fajita mixture, your guests or family or roommates can prepare it any way they want it.
I made this with chicken, mainly because it’s cheaper and doesn’t take as long to grill, but you can also use steak if you feel like splurging, or really any meat. If you’re a vegetarian, tofu would absorb the flavors of the seasoning nicely (but frankly I have no idea if grilled tofu is a thing).
Grilled Fajitas
Ingredients
- 1 package of thin-sliced chicken breasts
- 2 tbl. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- 6 tbl. ground cumin
- 6 tbl. chili powder
- 4 tbl. paprika
- 4 tbl. garlic powder
- 2 limes
- 2 bell peppers, any color
- 2 onions, any color
- Whole wheat tortillas (or you can use corn tortillas, anything is healthier than plain flour)
- Guacamole (my recipe is something I will take to my death bed)
- Sour cream
- Lettuce
- Refried beans, if desired as a topping
Directions
- About six hours before you plan to grill, take the (thawed or unfrozen) chicken and put it on a plate or in a Tupperware container with a tablespoon of the olive oil and half of the dry ingredients.
- Pull apart some of the cilantro, and place that on top of the chicken.
- Allow to marinate for several hours before the grilling process begins.
- Cut the peppers and onions in half.
- Grill the vegetables and chicken together, drizzling the veggies with olive oil right before they go on the grill.
- Cook until the chicken is done (no more than 10 minutes) and the vegetables meet your desired texture (some people like to have theirs crunchier but for fajitas, I prefer that they are cooked all the way through).
- Remove the chicken and veggies from the grill and move onto a plate.
- Use a knife to cut the chicken and veggies into strips and place in a frying pan.
- Add ¼ cup of water to the frying pan along with the remaining dry ingredients and the juice of the two limes.
- Allow to cook for a few minutes until everything is coated in the seasoning.
- Serve with desired toppings.