CHICKEN FAJITAS ALA TYLER FLORENCE

It was a little more than a year ago that I made Fajitas for the first time and raved about Tyler Florence’s recipe.  His marinade did something very special to the dish and completely sold me on fajitas.  But the problem is one of cholesterol.  How much beef can a person eat when they have elevated cholesterol levels?  So I decided to try chicken instead of beef.  Using the exact same recipe, I just substituted chicken for the beef.  And the fajitas were just as outstanding, even though I used green peppers instead of red.
This is a great recipe for an informal dinner (double the amounts if you want more).  What’s nice about it is that you don’t need another thing – it’s a complete meal in itself.   Corn on the cob, in season, would be a nice accompaniment, but the dish can stand alone, if need be.  Now I’m wondering about fish fajitas.

CHICKEN FAJITAS, ALA TYLER FLORENCE Adapted from Tyler Florence Rating:  10 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:  Marinade:  1/4 cup orange juice 2 Tbsp.  lime  juice 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 garlic clove, chopped 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce 1-1/2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro 1/4 tsp. ground cumin 1/2 tsp. sea salt Fajitas:  1 lb. boneless chicken breasts Sea salt and black pepper to taste 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced 1 Tbsp. olive oil 2 Tbsp. lime juice 6 flour tortillas Purchased or homemade guacamole Purchased or homemade tomato salsa Combine all marinade ingredients in blender; puree till smooth.  Transfer to resealable plastic bag and add chicken breasts; seal and shake to distribute ingredients.  Refrigerate 2-4 hours to tenderize and flavor the chicken. Preheat a ridged grill pan (or gas or charcoal grill) on high heat.  Drain marinade from chicken.  Lightly oil outside grill or indoor grill pan.  Season chicken liberally with  salt and pepper.  Grill about 4 minutes each side, or till chicken is no longer pink inside.  Transfer to cutting board and let rest.   Toss  peppers and onions with olive oil and lime juice.  Outside:  place in foil packet and grill about 6-8 minutes.  Inside:  grill the veggies till limp. Heat tortillas over a low flame, briefly, about 30 seconds each side; transfer to clean towel, covered, to steam and keep warm.  (You can also heat tortillas in a microwave.  Lightly dampen a tea towel with some water, wrap the tortillas in the damp towel and heat in microwave for about 1 minute.  Check to see if they are warm; if not, repeat the heating and 1 minute intervals until they are warm and pliable.) Slice the chicken on diagonal, or shred it.  Spread some guacamole on a tortilla. Top with a few slices of chicken, peppers and onions, and salsa.    Roll up the tortilla to enclose the filling.  Serve with sour cream and shredded cheese, if desired.  Yield:  6 servings