Beef, Chicken, or Vegetable Fajitas
This homemade fajita recipe shows you how to make fajitas that are bold, customizable, and perfect for beef, chicken, or vegetables.
Equipment
- Kitchen scale or measuring cups and spoons
- Measuring cups and spoons or kitchen scale
Ingredients
For beef fajitas:
- 1 whole beef flank or skirt steak
For chicken fajitas:
- 6 pieces boneless, skinless chicken thighs
For vegetable fajitas (use the vegetables listed below and add)
- 4 large portobello mushroom (sliced)
- 2 medium zucchini (sliced)
For the marinade and filling
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- Juice from 2 medium limes plus more for serving
- Juice from 1 medium orange
- ¼ cup (4g) chopped cilantro plus more for serving
- ½ tablespoon red pepper flakes (if you are sensitive to heat, omit or reduce to ½ teaspoon)
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chile powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit if you are sensitive to heat)
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 medium onions sliced (red, yellow, or white)
- 2 medium poblano peppers (sliced)
- 1 medium red bell pepper (sliced)
- 1 medium orange bell pepper (sliced)
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper (sliced)
Step by Step Instructions
To marinade:
- In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, orange juice, garlic, cilantro, red pepper flakes, cumin, chile powder, cayenne (if using), salt, and brown sugar. Whisk well to combine.
- Add vegetables to one shallow dish or large Ziplock bag, and your meat to another. Divide the marinade between the meat and the vegetables, and cover your dish tightly or close the Ziplock bags, pressing out any air as you do so.
- Refrigerate immediately, and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. (See note if using chicken breasts).
To cook:
- When ready to cook, drain and discard all your marinade, and pat your meat well with paper towels.
- Grilling: Heat your grill to a high heat (at least 500°F or 260°C). Once heated, carefully oil your grill grate with canola or peanut oil (do not use olive oil). I dip a halved onion in oil and run it over the grate using a grill fork.
- Stovetop: Add a thin layer of canola or peanut oil to a cast iron skillet over a high heat until shimmering (throw open your windows and turn on your ventilation fan if you have one!)
- Beef: Cook beef for 3-5 minutes on each side or until it registers 130°F (55°C) for medium-rare meat (a good temperature to ensure that flank or skirt is not overcooked). Allow to rest while you cook the vegetables.
- Chicken: Cook for 5-6 minutes per side or until a temperature inserted to the center of the meat reaches 175°F (80°C) for thighs or 165°F (74°C) for breasts. Allow to rest while you cook the vegetables.
- Vegetables: Ensure the vegetables are dry, patting with a paper towel as needed.Use a nonstick grill grate, or coat a cast iron skillet with a thin layer of canola or peanut oil (do not use olive oil) and heat over high heat until shimmering (you can also do this on your grill, using the grill grate or cast-iron pan).Cook the vegetables in batches, being very careful not to overcrowd your pan. You want your vegetables to char in spots yet remain delightfully crunchy, rather than steam into mush. You may also use more than one pan at a time to cook your vegetables. Depending on your method this may take as little as 3-5 minutes or up to 10-12 minutes. Toss once or twice while cooking.
To serve:
- Slice meat against the grain. Liberally sprinkle the meat and vegetables with fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro. Serve with warm tortillas and accompaniments, such as sour cream, cheese, guacamole, and salsas.
