FAJITAS!

Here is the amazing fajita recipe I mentioned when I posted the Tortellini recipe.  I love fajitas! There is something about fresh bell peppers mixed with tender, juicy and flavorful chicken, mixed with fresh greens, cheese and sour cream. But for some reason (insert: made this dish so often we got sick of it) I haven't made this in almost a year! Yikes! I was reminded of it on Mel's Kitchen Cafe (used to be Mykitchencafe). My friend Erin had given the recipe to me while we lived in Missouri and I instantly fell in love with the flavors of the chicken. Perfect!  I hope you all enjoy them as much as I do. I think they will be making an appearance more often around here!

Chicken Fajitas
Marinade:
¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 3-4 limes)
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons apple cider or red wine vinegar
2 easpoons soy sauce
½ teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon liquid smoke
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Fajitas:
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts (about 3 large chicken breasts)
1 yellow onion, cut into thin strips
1 green pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red (or orange) pepper, cut into thin strips
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon fresh lime juice (a quick squeeze of a cut lime)
dash of salt and pepper
Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade ingredients over the top. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator and let marinate for 2-3 hours.
After marinading, take chicken out of the bag and discard the marinade. Grill or broil the chicken 4-5 minutes per side.  Remove from pan and tent with foil to keep warm.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat and add the onion, mushrooms and peppers. Stir fry until softened but still crisp tender. Add soy sauce, water, lime juice and salt and pepper. Cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Slice chicken thinly on the diagonal and toss with the vegetables in the skillet. Serve immediately with flour tortillas and top with tomatoes, lettuce, guacamole, cheese, sour cream…the options are endless!  I also decided to make brown rice and ended up putting it in my fajita (I know, not traditional) and it made it that much better!  Since it is so simple, give it a try and let me know what you think!

Note: please do not skimp on the liquid smoke.  It really gives the chicken an amazing smokey flavor!

Note: this is another recipe (like my Chicken Corn Chowder or Tortellini), where I use the fresh bell peppers that I bought during their best season, then cut them into strips and froze them.  I just pull out how many I need and it makes dinner fast and easy (who doesn't need that?)!