Fajita Bar Party!

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

Hooey! What a busy week I’ve had so I’m just now getting around to writing about the Father’s Day Fajita Bar Party I threw last weekend. I cooked and marinated a few pounds of chicken for this feast, so technically these weren’t fajitas since a fajita refers to a cut of beef. However, since so many restaurants now serve chicken fajitas, I think this term is now widely accepted. I remembered to snap a few shots off while preparing this feast, however when it came to actual chow time, I never did end up with a picture of the table laid out with all the fixin’s. I’m sure you’ll forgive me.

Grilled Peppers and Onion

The day before the party, I sliced the chicken breasts in half lengthwise since they were so thick. This worked perfectly because I could cook a batch in only 10 minutes. I wasn’t sure how many no-shows I would have (there were two) so I just elected not to cook all of the chicken at once. When every deemed themselves full and happy, I bagged up the remaining uncooked chicken and threw it in the freezer for a quick and easy meal later.

Chicken Fajita Marinade

4-5 squeezed limes (enough to make about 1/2 cup lime juice)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
8 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 dried ancho chiles, stems removed
Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb blend (optional)
Black pepper, to taste
3-4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise if really thick

Chicken Fajita Marinade

Put all the ingredients in a blender except the chicken, and blend until smooth. Place the chicken in a non-metal container or gallon-sized baggie. I used a large Tupperware container. Maybe it’s Rubbermaid. But you know what I mean. Pour the marinade over the chicken, and marinate at least several hours or overnight. I did mine overnight and flipped it over in the morning. When ready to cook, fire up the grill to medium-hot heat, and grill each side about 5 minutes or until the inside is no longer pink. Serve on flour tortillas with condiments of choice. Ours included a homemade pico de gallo, recipe here: Pico de Gallo. Update: I wanted to note that I quadrupled the recipe for the Pico de Gallo I linked to.

Pico de Gallo

We also had guacamole, grilled red and yellow peppers, grilled onions, cheese, cilantro, black beans, and sour cream. I grilled the peppers and onion first, then sliced the peppers up thinner and kept them warm in a foil pan on the upper rack while I grilled the chicken. Great time, great food, and easy clean-up!

Note: The marinade was adapted from Lisa Fain’s recipe on her website http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/

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