The perfect easy weeknight dinner!
So as many of my readers know, I am actually a really lazy cook when it comes to non blog related culinary adventures. Cooking after a long day at the office is not something I find especially relaxing, so I'm a big believer in cooking something big on the weekend and then rationing the leftovers over the course of the rest of the week. Because of that, I'm constantly on the look out for new things to add to my repertoire of dishes that create lots of leftovers.
Take the humble fajita for example! This Tex-Mex classic is a great option if you're looking for something that you can put your own spin on, or follow a recipe that will get you a hot and tasty dinner on the table in about half an hour. Read on to see how you can make these for yourself!
Take the humble fajita for example! This Tex-Mex classic is a great option if you're looking for something that you can put your own spin on, or follow a recipe that will get you a hot and tasty dinner on the table in about half an hour. Read on to see how you can make these for yourself!
Now the fajita isn't technically something that would have been enjoyed on ranchos in what would become New Mexico in the 1820's. The word "fajita" first appeared in print in the 1970's, and food historians have been able to trace the history of the dish - which originally used skirt steak rather than the chicken I've made today - back to at least the 1930's. Vaqueros would be given cuts of cattle during cattle drives for food. They would cook them over open flames, wrap them in tortillas with veggies, and enjoy them just like we do today.
Even if they weren't called fajitas in Josefina's time, this basic formula for meal prep definitely would have been something Josefina and her family would have enjoyed! For a lot of farming families, a dish like this would have been saved for a slightly special occasion, as chickens or other animals were generally raised for other products they could provide like eggs, wool, or milk, not just as sources of meat. Cheese, tortillas, and veggies all would have been staples of their meals, and so even if this isn't wholly authentic to Josefina's books and time period, you can still feel pretty good about making this for a Josefina inspired party or meal.
When I make fajitas, I mix together about a tablespoon of olive oil, the juice from half a lime, two teaspoons of chili powder, and then a half teaspoon each of onion powder, cumin, black pepper, and salt, along with a dash of cayenne pepper if I'm in the mood for something spicy versus just flavorful. Mix this all together, and drop in three or four chicken breasts which have been sliced into more or less even pieces. Toss them in the spices, and then add them to a hot pan with some olive oil. Cook about half your strips for five minutes, remove them from the pan, and cook the rest of your chicken. Set it aside while you cook your veggies.
Even if they weren't called fajitas in Josefina's time, this basic formula for meal prep definitely would have been something Josefina and her family would have enjoyed! For a lot of farming families, a dish like this would have been saved for a slightly special occasion, as chickens or other animals were generally raised for other products they could provide like eggs, wool, or milk, not just as sources of meat. Cheese, tortillas, and veggies all would have been staples of their meals, and so even if this isn't wholly authentic to Josefina's books and time period, you can still feel pretty good about making this for a Josefina inspired party or meal.
When I make fajitas, I mix together about a tablespoon of olive oil, the juice from half a lime, two teaspoons of chili powder, and then a half teaspoon each of onion powder, cumin, black pepper, and salt, along with a dash of cayenne pepper if I'm in the mood for something spicy versus just flavorful. Mix this all together, and drop in three or four chicken breasts which have been sliced into more or less even pieces. Toss them in the spices, and then add them to a hot pan with some olive oil. Cook about half your strips for five minutes, remove them from the pan, and cook the rest of your chicken. Set it aside while you cook your veggies.
Cut a medium sized onion and three bell peppers into strips. Add the onions to the pan you cooked the chicken in and cook them for two minutes on medium high heat, then add the peppers and cook them for an additional two minutes. Once that's done, return the chicken to the pan to get everything nice and hot, drizzle the juice from the other lime half over the chicken and veggies, and then you're ready to assemble your fajitas!
Spoon your filling over corn or flour tortillas, and top with whatever toppings suit your fancy. I usually add some shredded Monterey jack cheese and cilantro on top of mine, but you can do sour cream, chives, avocado, more lime juice... whatever floats your boat! You can also make these with different proteins, but I usually go with chicken because chicken is one of my favorite proteins.
So there you go: easy chicken fajitas. Again, not exactly the most historically accurate thing one could make from Josefina's time period, but versions of this dish have been around for a very, very long time, and it's very straight forward to make yourself.
I like this recipe because it comes together very quickly and it produces a flavorful, uncomplicated hot meal that's perfect all year round. It can be really satisfying on a cold day, but also is a lighter dish that isn't as heavy and filling as some other winter classics might be.
Tex-Mex or Tex-Mex inspired dishes are some of my favorites to make for weeknight dinners, and I had a great time showing one of my go to recipes with all of you.
Do you have some go to favorite week night recipes? I'd love to hear about them!
I like this recipe because it comes together very quickly and it produces a flavorful, uncomplicated hot meal that's perfect all year round. It can be really satisfying on a cold day, but also is a lighter dish that isn't as heavy and filling as some other winter classics might be.
Tex-Mex or Tex-Mex inspired dishes are some of my favorites to make for weeknight dinners, and I had a great time showing one of my go to recipes with all of you.
Do you have some go to favorite week night recipes? I'd love to hear about them!
As much as I might like to, one can't live on fajitas alone!
My quick go to is sloppy joe. Mom used to make it. Grandma used to make it. I still make it the same except now I do not add any additional sugar. It doesn't need it.
ReplyDeleteI have taken to doing fajitas or tacos with pork tenderloin. I buy the big four packs from Costco and bake them over onion and celery with a wine pourover, salt, pepper and Nature's Seasonings for a little over an hour. We eat one for dinner as a "roast" then I chill the other two. The next day I thinly slice one for sandwiches (on baguettes! We all stuff our sandwiches differently and have come up with some interesting ones over the last year.) and cut the other into strips or bites to be seasoned for something with a tortilla. I do it just like you did above but it requires minimal pan time for the meat because you are just reheating. Very economical for us.
Unfortunately the wife isn't into pork, but that sounds delicious! Maybe I'll make some when she's out of town.
DeleteI am pretty much a non-cook. I just throw things together.
ReplyDeleteI would say my "go to" meal is couscous. I can make that like minute rice (really fast). I usually mix in some shredded cheese. Of course, one could add a salad. I usually don't though. That involves too many steps (laugh).
Couscous is super tasty! A very nice go to. :)
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