Simple Fajitas

The trick to deliciously tender beef or chicken fajitas is as simple as dressing a salad. Serve these flavorful Fajitas with avocado, Pico de Gallo and warm tortillas at your next backyard barbecue.

Sliced red and green bell peppers sautéed with onions are arranged on a platter with beef and chicken to make fajitas.

Fantastic Fajitas

Fajitas are a favorite family dinner I was first introduced to back in Texas. My husband and I bought our first home there, in a neighborhood with other young families from around the country. Living in that community we all came to rely on each other as neighbors and friends. We walked dogs together, cared for each others children, celebrated birthdays, and gathered for backyard barbecues. Many of those cookouts shared with friends centered around a Tex-Mex favorite: Fajitas.

Fajitas are easy to prepare and easy to serve. The meat is grilled and sliced, then arranged on a platter surrounded by a variety of sides and condiments. Everyone just takes the elements they want and assembles their own creation. There is no need to worry about catering to individual preferences.

Fajitas are traditionally made from skirt steak, a tough but flavorful cut of beef. They can also be made with chicken breasts. The secret to creating tender fajitas, using beef or chicken, is in marinating the meat. The biggest question is what to marinate it in. I have seen a lot of recipes for fajita marinades. Some include chili peppers, others tequila. Some call for lime juice and some include lots of spices. What they all contain is some oil and some vinegar, or citrus juice, to tenderize and moisten the meat. In fact, the recipe for a fajita marinade often sounds a lot like the recipe for a zesty salad dressing.

Beef Fajitas on a metal platter beside chicken, peppers and onions.

A Practical Marinade

To keep it simple, when I make fajitas I usually just go ahead and use a good bottled salad dressing as the marinade. It is a trick I learned from those barbecues back in Texas, almost thirty years ago. When I first tasted my neighbor’s delicious fajitas I asked her how to make them. She told me all I needed was a cut of beef and some bottled Italian salad dressing. I have been a fan of her simple recipe ever since.

This time I used Newman’s Own salad dressings. I like them for a number of reasons including that they taste good and donate all profits to charity. These dressings come in a variety of types and flavors. I used Newman’s Own Italian Dressing on the chicken and Newman’s Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette on the beef. Leftovers were hard to come by. Just sayin’.

To accompany the meat, I sautéed onions, garlic and bell peppers. Simple and pretty this nutritious side adds color and texture to the presentation. Other items to serve with Fajitas include sliced avocados, grated cheese, and salsa or Pico de Gallo. Some people like sour cream. Arrange these in small dishes to serve with your fajita platter. You might even want to add a side of Pan Roasted Corn and Tomato Salad or Cowboy Caviar. At the last minute, set out a basket of tortillas that have been warming in the oven. Together it makes an inviting dinner to share with family and friends.

Simple Fajitas

Course: Main DishCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes
Total time

1

hour 

The trick to deliciously tender beef or chicken Fajitas is as simple as dressing a salad. Serve them with avocado, Pico de Gallo and warm tortillas at your next backyard barbecue.

Ingredients

  • 3 or 4 chicken breast halves

  • 1 -2 pounds flank steak or skirt steak

  • 2 cups bottled Italian or vinaigrette salad dressing

  • 1 package flour tortillas

  • 1 or 2 Tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and sliced

  • 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

  • 1 large onion, sliced thin

  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic

  • avocados

  • grated cheese

  • salsa and/or pico de gallo

Directions

  • Do Ahead:
  • Up to 24 hours and at least a few hours in advance, place the beef and chicken in separate gallon Ziploc freezer bags (or shallow glass pans if you prefer). Pour 1 cup of your favorite Italian dressing or vinaigrette over each meat. Seal the bag and squish the dressing around to coat (or simply cover the glass pans). Place meat in the refrigerator, turning occasionally to redistribute the marinade, until ready to cook.
  • When you are ready to cook:
  • Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Wrap the stack of flour tortillas in foil and place in the oven to warm.
  • Slice and arrange avocados, grated cheese, and salsa or pico de gallo in serving dishes.
  • Remove the marinated meat from the refrigerator and drain. Discard used marinade.
  • Cook the meat on the grill (or under a broiler, if you prefer). Cook chicken at medium high heat, turning once, to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. This should take about 15-20 minutes but times vary depending on your grill and the size of the chicken breasts. Cook the skirt steak over medium high heat to desired doneness, approximately 3-6 minutes per side. Allow meat to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing chicken and beef into thin strips, across the grain.
  • Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Add the bell peppers. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender, about 6 to 7 minutes.
  • Remove tortillas from the oven and transfer to a tortilla server or warm plate.
  • Pass grilled meat and vegetables along with the cheese, avocado and salsa to be wrapped in warm tortillas.
  • Enjoy!

9 Comments

  1. Sarah from 20somethingcupcakes

    I make fajitas all the time – but have never marinated the meat! Usually just brown it then let it finish cooking with all the veggies and spices. I am so trying this! Also – I have some mojo in the fridge – I bet that would be good! xxSAS

  2. cedar chest

    This looks special to me! I like the presentation! This is a really nice dinner.

  3. Katherine Roberts Aucoin

    My family loves fajitas and I have to say, I'm anxious to try yours!

  4. theUngourmet

    The dressing is a brilliant idea! These look fantastic!

  5. This looks absolutly delicious!!

  6. fajitas are always welcome in this belly of mine–i love the components and i love that you can pick exactly how much of each one that you want. happy cinco de mayo, lisa!

  7. They look delicious Lisa! What a great idea using bottled dressing as a marinade.I'll be trying that soon.

  8. Kendra Logan

    I love fajitas! Red peppers are one of my favorite foods 😀

    ~Kendra

  9. Kathy Walker

    I want to come to your house for dinner. These look delicious!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.