10.28.2008

RECIPE: Very simple Fajitas and Cilantro Rice

I used to buy those Fajita flavor packets whenever making this dish because I didn't want to mess with adding random spices myself. Then I found this recipe. EASY and very yummy. My husband is pleased every time.
I usually make our fajitas with chicken (using about 8 of the boneless chicken tenders), a red and green bell pepper, and an onion. But since you know I don't actually like eating onions, I pull most of them out of the dish right before serving. They do add nice flavor though.
And to pay homage to my favorite up-scale fast-food place (Chipotle), here's my version of their cilantro rice. It never tastes quite as good as theirs (since I probably don't add enough butter) but it's still yummy!
Here are the details...

LIME CHICKEN FAJITAS
MARINADE:
Juice of 1 Lime
1 Tbl Rice Vinegar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Cumin
* optional: Tbl finely chopped jalepeno pepper

Appx 8 boneless chicken tenders or 4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces.
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 onion (or less if preferred), cut into rings/strips

I make the above recipe twice. Mix everything together in a bowl and pour each recipe into two separate bags. In one bag add the chicken. In the other bag add the peppers and chicken.
Shake the bags around and allow the mixtures to marinade in the fridge for at least a 1/2 hour or up to 8 hours.

When ready to cook, heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan and pour in the pepper/onion mixture. Cook 5-6 minutes. Remove mixture, add more oil and cook the chicken. When chicken is done add peppers and onion back in. You're ready to eat! (after you've made the rice recipe below, that is). Serve on a tortilla with cilantro rice, cheese, low-fat sour cream, salsa, and a chopped lettuce/cabbage mixture. The cabbage adds a nice crunch. I prefer the snack size Diana's brand tortillas, found at Food 4 Less.

CILANTRO RICE 1 cup medium-grain white rice (you can use long-grain but I prefer medium)
2 cups water
1 Tbl butter
Juice of 1/2 of a lime
2-3 Tbl chopped cilantro
Salt/Pepper to taste

Bring water, rice, and butter to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes. Do not take off the lid while the rice cooks. When 15 minutes is over, turn off heat, keep lid on and allow rice to sit for a few minutes. Then add the juice of a lime, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. I prefer to eat my rice inside my tacos. But it works as a delicious side dish as well. If you are not a cilantro person, just leave it out!

10 comments:

Jean said...

Yum, this meal looks so good!! I love that there's lots of lime and cilantro in it.

Linsey said...

These look divine!

The Facks of Life said...

Yummers! I'm going to try it. Matt's going to love this one...maybe even as much as your ice cream sandwiches. :)

The Facks of Life said...

btw...i love your support prop 8 keep it straight picture. i'm laughing!

Saunja said...

Ooooh, that sounds really good! Thanks for the recipes!

Joe and Marci said...

Wow, that looks good. Looks like it's fajitas tonight.

Sara said...

that looks so good right now!

Nat said...

Thanks for the recipe, Dana! I made this tonight and it was delish. I'm thinking we're adding this to the regular rotation for sure. :)

megan said...

major yum!! ok, so I've made that rice recipe before, but it didn't turn out very good. I think it's b/c I used brown rice. thanks for reminding me to buy white rice and give it a go again!

Miriam Oh Painter said...

perfectly good rice, ruined by cilantro. blech.