I totally admit to buying store-bought pre-seasoned fajitas before moving to Germany about 5 1/2 years ago. Fajitas aren’t a thing over here, meaning taking the easy way out with pre-marinated fajitas was out, so I begrudgingly switched over to homemade fajitas. I’m ridiculously happy I did because these are SO much better. We fight over these leftovers and I hate leftovers (unless it’s mac and cheese!) We’ve even had several “Fajita Fridays!” to help educate people about the wonders of fajitas and good tortillas. I like to think of myself as a food ambassador. :)
Tortillas have become easier to find in stores but when I first arrived, they weren’t so common, were expensive and unappetizing enough to get me to make my own. I went through about a dozen terrible recipes before I tried these homemade flour tortillas from Homesick Texan.
I’ve had several Hispanic roommates which resulted in me eating their mothers’ homemade tortillas on a regular basis. They were made with quite a bit of lard. These are made with 2 teaspoons of oil (I use coconut oil) and are honestly just as good!
You can make them with all whole wheat or whole spelt, but they’ll of course taste clearly of whole grains. Or you can use white whole wheat or a mix of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. It’s a pretty hard recipe to mess up! You may need to add a little more flour or liquid depending on what type of flour you use but it’s such a small amount it doesn’t throw the other ingredients off.
I’d love to at least link to a grain-free tortilla recipe but every one I’ve tried has been inedible. Until then, all I can recommend is a lettuce leaf, which is 99.9% less delicious than a tortilla.
The fajita marinade is simple and the only way you can really mess it up is if you add too much chicken. I’ve done that a few times and the chicken doesn’t come out as flavorful that way.
Mr. Texanerin is a veggie lover so while I load my tortillas with just chicken and cheese, he gets more fancy + healthy and adds a ton of onions and peppers. To make the onions extra spicy, we add a sliced onion to the bag of chicken marinade. Cook the chicken, reserving the marinade, and then cook the peppers and onion in the reserved marinade. If you just dump the onions in with the chicken, then the chicken will more or less boil, rather than fry. Not so good.
If you want to try a fun variation of regular fajitas, try this veggie fajita pasta from Go Dairy Free!
Mr. T and I are off to Warsaw tomorrow. It’ll be our first trip together since last May and I’m beyond ready! Any Polish food recommendations?
Healthy Chicken Fajitas
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 2 pounds chicken
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (118 milliliters) lime juice
- 1/4 cup (59 milliliters) olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke1
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin, optional
- 2 pounds (907 grams) of skinless, boneless chicken breast
- sliced onions and peppers if pan frying, optional
Directions
- Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make two thinner chicken breast cutlets.
- Combine all the ingredients except the peppers in a Ziploc bag and marinade the chicken overnight. If you're really in a rush, marinade for at least three hours.
- You can either grill or pan fry. Pan fry at medium-high heat until chicken is cooked through. It'll depend how thick your meat is, but normally I do it 3 - 5 minutes per side. Instead of just dumping all the contents in the pan, take out the pieces of chicken, leaving the marinade and onions in the bag.
- After the chicken is cooked, remove to a plate and cover. Add the sliced onions, marinade and peppers to the pan and stir.
- Turn heat to high and cook for about 5 minutes or until they're cooked enough for your liking.
Notes
- This gives the chicken its smokey taste! I don't recommend omitting it. If you don't have it, try adding some smoked paprika.
(first posted in May 2012)
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25 comments on “Healthy Chicken Fajitas” — Add one!
I’m so glad I saw this just as I was planning (ok more like “planning”) my menu for the week. I hear you on the grain-free tortillas. I have never seen one that gets the consistency right!
They’re seriously so, so bad! I hate throwing away food but the ones I’ve tried have been inedible.
These fajitas are so full of flavor. I definitely need to try this!
I hope you will and that you’ll love them as much as we do! :)
These fajitas sound very good. Even though I’m a Texan (El Paso, right on the border), I’ve never made fajitas before. I’ll have to try these.
I make my own tortillas all the time, and maybe it’s because I like making them real thin, but I fine that more fat in them keeps them more pliable for a longer time (that may not matter as much if they get eaten as soon as they’re made). So I use ½ cup of lard or butter for 5 cups of flour. The ones I make call for 4 cups of whole wheat flour & 1 of all purpose flour, but I usually sub the all purpose with mesquite flour, which gives the tortillas a wonderful taste.
Is it because they’re so good there you don’t need to make your own? I loved the pre-seasoned ones from HEB. :) And I’m the opposite – I love my tortillas nice and thick! I’ve never tried mesquite flour but would love to try it. Thanks for the tip!
Did you make your own tortillas? If so, did ou post that and I have just mssed it?
Never mind……..I am having one of those days!
No problem! :)
Watson – Thanks a bunch for your feedback! We absolutely love these fajitas and it's definitely a favorite meal around here. Thanks again. :)
Texanerin – amazing recipe. It was a hit with the family. This recipe will see repeats in our house. Thank you for sharing.
Yudith – Whoops, sorry I missed your comment. Welcome to my blog and thanks for stopping by to say hi. I'm happy that you like what you see. :)
Honey – Thanks! And if you haven't noticed that makes me happy. :) Thanks a bunch for your nice comment!
omg, i love Mexican food and your dish looks delicious. You know, I don't think I've ever seen a non-baked item on your blog.. really love your work.
Oh, this looks delicious. I don't know of anyone celebrating Cinco de Mayo… but again, I live in Iowa ;-) Nice blog Erin, first time visitor here, and I'd be back for sure.
Nora – Thank you! I hope you had a nice Cinco de Mayo and are enjoying your Sunday. :)
Amy – Yeah, it's super dorky but I love writing invitation emails to "Fajita Friday!" People always love it. :)
these look fantastic! + i love the idea of fajita fridays – might have to try that next friday. =) hope you're having a fab weekend!
Happy Cinco de Mayo! These look like the perfect dish to be served today! :) Nice job miss Erin, as always! Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!
Sara – Yeah, do it! I'm sure you'll love them. Let me know how it turns out. :) And I'm about to hop in bed but I'm going to check out those cupcakes tomorrow! They look yummy just from the quick glimpse I took.
YUM! I think I'll make these to eat with (or before) my Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes! It's going to be a delicious weekend!
Rachel – That's what I think it must be for most people. St. Patrick's Day but with a Mexican flare! Unless you're Mexican and celebrating your Mexican heritage, that is. :)
Yum!! I'm loving the extra excuse to eat Mexican and drink :)
Cassie – They really are! Spicy and smokey and just… yum!
Thriftytravelmama – I use both and don't even notice a difference. There's a difference when you smell them in the bottle, but both are delicious. I don't favor one over another! Before you order, let me check my stash. I had 6 bottles at one point but I don't know what I'm down to now. I'll let you know on the weekend!
YUM!! So if I'm going to order liquid smoke, which is better – mesquite or hickory?
Yes! These are so perfect for cinco de mayo. I love fajitas. Actually, I love any Mexican food. These sound perfect!