Easy chicken fajita recipe | Jamie Oliver chicken recipes (2024)

FAQs

Should I cut chicken for fajitas before cooking? ›

Slicing will save you cook time.

You can avoid overcooking and drying out the chicken by slicing the peppers, onions, and chicken into 1/4-inch strips. For the chicken breast, cutting across the meat's grain will make for more tender fajitas.

Rubbery chicken can result from a cooking error or the overall quality of the chicken you buy. Fortunately, strategies such as moist cooking and buying slow-grown chickens can prevent you from having a chewy meal. And always make sure your chicken isn't undercooked!

So what exactly are Fajita Kits? They're a kit filled with everything you need to perfect this delicious Mexican meal. Put together by our experts, you can expect to find a handpicked sauce, a spice packet, and tortillas, so you can throw together a feast in minutes.

The best way to cut chicken breasts for fajitas is to slice each breast in half widthwise to create cutlets, then thinly slice each cutlet into strips. This way, the chicken is the same width and size as the bell peppers and onions which makes for a nice eating experience.

Unlike chicken breasts, chicken thighs and drumsticks actually become more tender the longer they cook. That's because of their makeup. Dark meat has an abundant amount of connective tissue, which dissolves into gelatin as the meat cooks, rendering it juicy and tender.

Thirdly, the toppings for fajitas and tacos can differ. While both dishes can be served with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream, fajitas usually have more substantial toppings, such as cheese and grilled vegetables, while tacos tend to have more traditional toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.

What makes a fajita a fajita? A traditional fajita filling is made up of onions, bell peppers and protein, all cooked in that distinctive sweet and savoury seasoning and topped with your choice of dressings.

In restaurants, the meat is usually cooked with onions and bell peppers. Popular condiments include shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, refried beans, and diced tomatoes.

Are fajitas better on grill or skillet? ›

The quick answer is all will work. If the weather is beautiful and you would like to cook your steak on the grill, that's awesome. If the weather is hot or rainy, or you want to get dinner on the table in a hurry, your grill pan, cast-iron skillet, or regular skillet all will work just fine.

To make a delicious fajita bar, make sure to add both fajita toppings and side dishes. Start with corn and flour tortillas. Add two types of salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. Then add bowls of shredded cheese, lettuce, diced tomatoes, and cilantro.

While it's possible to cook the steak as a whole strip, I find it better to slice it with the grain into five- to six-inch pieces, which are easier to handle on the grill.

After your chicken breasts are done cooking, let them rest for at least half the time that you cooked them for before slicing into them. This will ensure that the breasts stay super juicy and flavorful, and that they're fully cooked. Trust me, waiting the few extra minutes pays off big time — every time.

One of the major benefits of cutting up a bird into 8 pieces before cooking is that it's much easier to serve a crowd. If we are just doing a family dinner, a whole roast bird is perfect. But when it comes to serving lots of people, it's nice to have individual pieces for easy and quick serving.

If you're short on time and need to marinate your chicken quickly, you can poke holes in the chicken or slice it thinly to help the marinade penetrate in as little time as possible.