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It’s been a while since I’ve shared a recipe – adjusting to life with a toddler. But now I’m back and hoping to pick it up for the alfresco dining season. As it happens, we kicked off our outdoor dining season with a fajita night. Fajita night is a favorite in our house for many reasons. First, whenever I make fajitas, I also whip up guacamole and pico de Gallo. This usually results in a mini hour with chips and dips. Yeah – just make sure to save enough for fajita toppings! Second, fajitas are pretty quick and easy – sautee a few veggies and grill some meat. Cook time is 20 minutes top. Finally, and most importantly, fajitas are delicious and fun to eat. Wrap your meat and veggies up with warm tortillas, and top with fresh pico, guacamole, and sour cream!
While the quick prep time makes these fajitas perfect for weeknights, they are also great for entertaining. Who doesn’t like flavorful colorful fajitas with all the fixings? The recipe is really easy to scale up too if you want to feed a crowd. It’s also easy to mix and match steak and chicken (or even shrimp). Make sure to have plenty of guacamole and pico de gallo on hand!
Why you will love this recipe
The marinade for this recipe works great for steak or chicken (or even shrimp). The simple base is one part soy sauce, olive oil, and lime juice (your salt, oil, and acid). Then you add a little seasoning – some brown sugar for sweetness and balance and chili, cumin, and garlic for flavor. Feel free to tweak the spice mix as desired. The actual cook time is pretty minimal. Just make sure to allow for marinade time. Factor in chopping time for pico de gallo and guacamole if you plan to make your own.
Note! If you’ve got vegetarians in your crowd, whip up some seasoned black beans as a meat substitute.
Ingredient Notes
Steak: When it comes to fajitas, steak is my favorite, and skirt steak is my favorite cut. Flank steak is runner-up. Unfortunately, both skirt steak and flank steak have gotten a bit pricey due to high demand. It was up to 14.99 a pound at our Whole Foods last month – but I snagged some on sale there for 8.99. Aldi also has skirt steak for good prices.
Chicken: Chicken is the most budget-friendly option here. I’ve tried various chicken cuts for fajitas but I think boneless skinless thighs are my favorite. Boneless skinless breasts are pretty good too. If you pick this option, pound them to about ½ inch thickness for easy grilling and slicing.
Shrimp: For shrimp fajitas, I prefer larger-sized shrimp – large or extra large. I think they are easier to grill. I usually grill my shrimp on skewers to make turning easier.
Print
Simple Fajitas – Chicken, Steak, or Shrimp
- Prep Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
Fajitas are a weeknight favorite in our house. I think this marinade works great for steak or chicken so take your pick!
Ingredients
Marinade
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lime juice (3–4 limes), I add the zest of 1 lime too
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Fajitas
- 1 pound skirt steak (ok to substitute flank steak) or 1 pound boneless skinless chicken (breasts* or thighs) or 1 pound shrimp (shelled, deveined, and tails removed).
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 bell peppers, sliced (use a mix of colors)
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- guacamole
- pico de gallo
- sour cream
- flour tortillas, warmed (see notes)
Instructions
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Transfer to gallon size Ziploc bag and add steak, chicken, or shrimp. Place in refrigerator to marinade. Remove 30 minutes before you plan to grill Steak should marinate for 3 to 8 hours. Chicken 1 to 8 hours. Shimp really only needs 30 minutes (don’t marinate for more than an hour).
- Heat your grill. In the meantime, heat oil in a large cast iron skillet. Add onion and peppers and toss well until the veggies are coated in oil. Sprinkle with salt or steak seasoning. Sautee over medium heat for 10 to 20 minutes – until nice and soft. Turn off heat and cover when done.
- When the grill is hot, grill the meat. Skirt steak usually needs 3 to 5 minutes a side. About the same amount of time works well for the chicken. Meat should be nice and browned and cooked through. Shrimp typically only need 1 to 2 minutes a side. I like to grill my shrimp on skewers – makes it very easy to flip them.
- Remove meat from the grill and let it rest – give steak at least 10 minutes. Slice meat into strips. I usually toss the sliced meat into the pan with the veggies for serving ease.
- Serve with tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream.
Notes
- When using chicken breasts, I pound them to about ½ inch thickness before marinating. This makes them quicker to grill and easier to slice. See Kitchn for tips on pounding.
- I warm tortillas in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350. Wrap up to 5 tortillas in aluminum foil (you can have multiple packages). Leave in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Keywords: Mexican, skirt steak, chicken, shrimp, grill, fajita
