Y’all, I know my new favorite summer dinner. It’s a mid-week save, and who doesn’t love that?, a one-pan hack and a meal which will jettison you out of your boneless, skinless chicken dinner rut. These fajitas can even be stuffed with leftover beef or pork. Over the weekend my husband, Jimmy, picked up some gorgeous pork chops, lean, boneless and over two inches thick. In his excitement he ordered six. There are only three of us so there were plenty of leftovers. Normally I would put 2nd dinner pork in the crock pot for a little pulled pork but these were rather costly and I didn’t want their flavor to be overshadowed by BBQ sauce. I cut the chops in thin strips, dusted them with a little fajita seasoning and mixed them in with the vegetables the last three or four minutes of baking/ broiling. The meat came out tender and flavorful with a lovely smattering of char marks. The same could be done with steak. If you’re able to purchase organic bell peppers do it as conventional bell peppers are loaded with pesticides… that’s why they’re a member of the “Dirty Dozen”, those conventional fruits and vegetables most toxic to us. For fajitas I enjoy Mission brand, 100% whole wheat. I typically get the smaller size so we don’t have to wrestle with the fajitas falling apart or fillings tumbling out. By the way, these are great in the pool. Happy weekend!
Sheet Pan Fajitas
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, lean pork chops or steak
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4-5 tablespoons fajita seasoning, divided, recipe below
- 4 bell peppers of assorted colors
- 1 large red onion
- 1 bunch cilantro, washed, dried and leaves chopped
- 8-12 flour tortillas, 6 1/2-inches in diameter (those are the smaller ones), 2 or 3 fajitas per person
- Cut chicken or meat in thin strips, about 3-inches long, and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the olive oil over the chicken. Spread half the fajita seasoning over the chicken or meat and toss well making certain the seasoning is coating the chicken completely. Sometimes it’s easier to use your hands for this part. Set the remaining seasoning aside.
- Cut all the peppers into strips no more than half an inch wide and put in bowl with the chicken.
- Cut the onion in 1-inch chunks and separate the layers with your hands. Add to the bowl of chicken and sprinkle the remaining seasoning on top of the onion and peppers.
- Toss well, making certain all ingredients are covered with the fajita seasoning. Again, the easiest way is using your hands.
- Cover the bowl and marinate for one hour. If you don’t have the time available to marinate and need to get going they’ll still turn out great going straight into the oven..
- Pre-heat oven to 400°. Spread the meat and vegetables in one even layer over a large, rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. For some pretty char marks, broil for an additional 2-3 minutes. They color up quickly so keep your eye on the oven.
- Remove from the oven. Place the tortillas on a microwave-proof plate and cover completely with a damp paper towel. Warm according to package directions, I warm 6 tortillas for about 45-60 seconds.
- While the tortillas are warming, scatter the chopped cilantro over the chicken and peppers. Toss well with a large spoon and serve.
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
- 1 tablespoon chipotle powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Combine all the seasonings in a small bowl and mix well. This makes about two batches of fajitas. Store leftover seasoning mix in an airtight jar. Keeps indefinitely.
The Irreverent Kitchen 