Grilled Chicken, Fajitas

I think people over think food.  I think they worry about too many seasonings, too much futzing and are too concerned with timing, and coordinating courses. 

I think cooking, and food, are about joy.  Simple is always best.  My friend has a recipe for chili that he proudly states includes in excess of 38 ingredients.  Really?  Why?  There is no way it all matters, no matter how complex and sophisticated you consider your pallet, there's no way that number of ingredients matters.

Friday night, beautiful weather in Austin, Texas.  Husband won't be home till close to 8, as per usual, and Connor and I will die of hunger before then.  Enter fajita night.

There are few things a BBQ grill won't enhance. I have a gas grill but am just as happy to use charcoal.

When I was at the store today I picked a family pack of chicken thighs (boneless and skinless) and a I had a couple of breasts I'd boned out a few days ago.

In a big bowl I tossed all the chicken with some salt, pepper, a little oil. If you want to be chef-y, add cumin and garlic but I just wanted the flavor of chicken and the flavor of grill :)  In another bowl I tossed a couple red peppers, a green pepper, 2 zucchini cut length wise and 3 onions, cut n/s (through the stem so they stay together.

Preheat grill to 10,000 degrees.  Hot hot hot!

Char the vegetables and toss them back in the metal bowl with a cloth over them.  When you're hungry later, peel them, slice them and throw them on a tortilla with, oh look at that chicken!  Grill it high and hot hot hot.  Flip it a few times, let the edges get good and crunchy, crispy.  Toss the whole pieces of chicken and onions in another oven dish and cover it with foil.

Cook some tortillas, slice the meat and add some vegetables.  You will be very, VERY, happy and it didn't take any time at all, didn't matter when anyone could sit down, this is one of those 'it waits for you' meals.  Most excellent.

Beauty shots!

 

     
It's all happily sitting and waiting, I have some fresh tomato and some beautiful avocados what I'll slice up and add when I make the tortillas.  Ah, grilled dinner in the palm of my hands.  You'd hardly know it's only for 3!

The veggies all slices up... I love the charred ends of the onions.  Connor is a purist, meat, cheese, sour cream. I'm a little bit of everything sort of girl.  The grilled zucchini rocked!
   

more, just because
 

Go grill something.

/enjoy

Fajitas

Busy weeknight, day on the road under the auspice of running errands and getting things "done" but really it was a day hanging with some of my mommy friends. We did coffee for a ridiculous number of hours. I went to 3 stores to try to find a bra, luckily at store 3 I found one that actually fit so I cleared them out of one of every color, I don't want to go do that again for a while.

I met a friend for a late, lingering lunch and we munched on enchiladas and had a cocktail so by the time I grabbed Connor from school and dashed home there was a finite amount of time to get food on the table.

Enter fajita night.

Four skinless breasts, two peppers, one onion. Flour and lard for the tortillas and bingo! DINNER!

Let's play, here's how it went:

Salt, pepper and lightly the oil the breasts and lay them in a screaming hot cast iron pan. I crowd them slightly because they shrink and frankly I can't be bothered to get out a larger pan. I managed to use my new pink retro pyrex dish as holder for the sliced veg.

Turn it when it's quite brown and then cover it with a piece of tin foil. It keeps it moister I think and it speeds it up a bit. Flip a couple of times until you peek into a fat bit and it's just barely cooked through. Wrap it in thick foil and leave it on the side. It'll steam a bit, cook through a bit more and stay ridiculously juicy!

Toss the sliced onions into the pan and toss them around a bit, I put the comal on top and you see the foil chicken package was on it, I just wanted a little steam.

When they are slightly soft and slightly crunchy and a little brown around the edges, toss in the peppers, salt and pepper. Toss them around a little, plunk the chicken package on top and toss the whole pan into a 300 degree oven. DONE!

Heat a cast iron skillet or comal on medium high heat. Toss a tortilla on it and leave it there until you get a few bubbles, Connor timed it at 38 seconds. Flip it and cook it till it puffs... maybe 20 seconds? *you can buy tortillas or make your own, your choice. I have a recipe and process for flour tortillas, go there if you want to make EASY fresh tortillas!!

Pull the peppers out of the oven, if there's a ton of juice, toss them on high heat to boil it off. Slice the chicken thickly and toss it in with the peppers.

Take your yummy warmed tortillas and stuff them full! Add sour cream, cheese and I like avocado. There were leftovers that I may use in scrambled eggs and do a breakfast taco or two, or three :)

I love fajitas and I don't make them nearly enough. They are quick and easy and really delicious and I think you should stop reading and go make some, now!

/enoy