Chicken Fajitas

Chicken Fajitas

Ever since my good friend Cooper arrived from Minnesota last week, he has been asking for fajitas. As many of you may know, Outside Lands was this weekend, so that was way too ambitious for us party people to make happen. I was lucky enough to catch the cooking fever again tonight, and made it happen. I found an intermediate recipe on Food Network, but I think it's only ranked intermediate because of the grill part of it. You can find it here.

The recipe didn't wow me, but I only say that now having eaten it. I think there's something missing from this recipe, and I can't put my finger on it. Cooper gave me a B+ anyways, so I'll take it. This is the second fajitas recipe I have tried, and I promise you I will find an A+ recipe sometime hopefurry soon. I did enjoy, however, the sauces in this recipe. Oui oui!

Apologize for not having a picture of the chicken and vegetables turned over on the grill. We got too excited...

Ingredients:

1 cup packed cilantro leaves, plus extra for serving
1/4 cup lime juice, about 2 limes
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno, seeded if desired
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 red onion, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds
2 orange and/or yellow bell peppers, quartered, seeds removed
1 ripe avocado, halved, seeded and peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 cup fat-free Greek Yogurt
12 corn tortillas

Directions:

1. Put the cilantro, lime juice, broth, scallions, garlic, jalapeno, honey, and salt in a blender, puree until smooth. Reserve 2 tablespoons; do not wash out the blender.

Put chicken breasts in a medium bowl and the peppers and onions in another. Divide the remaining cilantro puree evenly between the chicken and the peppers and onions. Toss well to coat the chicken and vegetables and let stand, at room temperature, for 30 minutes.

2. Add the avocado, 1/2 cup water, and the reserved 2 tablespoons cilantro sauce to the blender. Puree until smooth and season with salt. Set aside.

3. Heat the oil in a small skillet set over medium heat until hot. Add the cumin and coriander and continue to cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Pour the spices over the yogurt and set aside for the flavors to blend. Stir before serving.

4. Preheat a grill for medium-high/direct heat cooking. Oil the grill grates. Grill the chicken and vegetables, turning, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees, about 5 to 8 minutes for the vegetables and 12 to 15 minutes for the chicken. Let chicken rest 5 minutes. Place the tortillas on the grill until just warmed through, about 30 seconds.

5. To assemble the fajitas: slice the onions and peppers into thin strips and then slice the chicken. Place some peppers, onions, chicken and cilantro in a tortilla topped with the spiced yogurt and the avocado sauce.