eWe celebrated our sons winning third overtime shot in his basketball game with lunch at our favorite local Mexican restaurant this past Sunday. It was so fun (and delicious!) The entire family was eating off my fajita skillet by the end of the meal, and they all loved the authentic fajita recipe.
This is pretty impressive when you’re trying to appease an 8 year old, 12 year old, 43 year old and 39 year old all at the same time, right?
But, when the $58 lunch bill came I knew I had to figure out how I could replicate the authentic fajita recipe at home, just how the restaurants make them … at home. Like making my very own restaurant-style fajitas …
These “fajitas de Pollo” aren’t really along the same lines of the easy dinners that I usually offer – there’s my disclosure. However, I can promise you that the flavor and labor of love will be worth it.
Fajitas: Restaurant Style – Making the Authentic Fajitas Recipe at Home
For starters: this recipe is not hard per sé.
There are however a lot of tips that I have to offer and as long as you know these, you’re going to kill this recipe. And it’s going to be a hit.
Number one: you absolutely need a cast iron pan to get the restaurant-style fajita seasoning taste. I have the Lodge 12 inch cast iron pan like this one.
It’s perfect for about three dinner size orders of fajitas (which is a lot of fajitas by the way!)
Five must-know tips for making authentic Mexican fajitas and Fajita tacos at home:
- Preparation is important
- Cutting chicken – 15 minutes
- Cutting onions – 10 minutes
- Cutting green peppers – 10 minutes
- Cast Iron Skillet
- You must have a cast iron skillet of atleast this size.
- In fact, you’re probably even better off having this size of skillet.
- If you’re new to cooking with cast iron, there are some guidelines:
- Do not use dish soap on the pan
- Wash it with a bristle brush and water as soon as it cools down
- Dry the pan right away after washing it
- Coat the inside with a light layer of vegetable oil after drying
- If you’re new to cooking with cast iron, there are some guidelines:
- No fancy spices necessary
- Plan 90 minutes to be near the pan.
- <– this is the #1 thing that I never want for the dinners I share on my blog. But, I can’t keep this recipe from you any longer, so I’m going to go outside the box.
- Onions – 1 hour ( I KNOW! )
- Chicken – 15 minutes
- Green peppers – 15 minutes
- <– this is the #1 thing that I never want for the dinners I share on my blog. But, I can’t keep this recipe from you any longer, so I’m going to go outside the box.
- Save $30 vs. ordering takeout
- You will save $30 by making these at home vs. doing four orders of authentic restaurant chicken fajitas.
That’s it! Ha! I hope I didn’t just stress you out but these are all pretty important when you’re making authentic fajitas at home.
Cast Iron Chicken Fajita Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp fajita seasoning (I like McCormick’s)
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp peanut oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 small/medium yellow onions
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 3 bell peppers
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (don’t skip this!)
- For serving fajitas:
- tortillas
- sour cream (optional)
- cheese/queso (optional) ** If I don’t make my own queso, I buy this queso. It is delicious and perfect for these fajitas!
- guacamole (optional)
Authentic Mexican Restaurant Chicken Fajitas Recipe and Chicken Fajita Marinade Directions:
Cut onions, green peppers and chicken into 1/4 inch slices.
Store onions and green peppers in separate gallon size baggies.
Place chicken, water, fajita seasoning, olive oil and lime juice in a gallon size baggie. Press air out, close baggie and seal for 30 minutes to two hours.
When 90 minutes out from eating: Heat cast iron pan to high, add in peanut oil, coat bottom of pan.
Add onions to cast iron pan, turn heat down to medium. Add 1/2 tsp salt and butter once temp has gone down. I prefer using a really fine Himalayan salt in the kitchen
Stir onions every 5-10 minutes.
Once onions have cooked for one hour, transfer to covered dish to keep warm. They’ll look like this, good luck keeping your fork out of them. 🙂
Get chicken, drain as much of the chicken fajita marinade out of the chicken as you can.
Add chicken to (with onion remnants!) cast iron pan.
Turn up the heat on the oven to medium high heat to cook chicken until desired color, 15 minutes or so.
Add chicken to onions.
Add green peppers to hot skillet, stirring constantly.
Add 1/2 tsp salt to green peppers, turn heat down to medium.
Add garlic to green peppers, cook to desired doneness.
Add chicken, onions and tomato paste to cast iron skillet, give it a good, gentle stir.
Enjoy!
Don’t get scared off from this recipe because of all of the chicken fajita seasoning and cooking steps… it is worth it and it becomes second nature once you’ve made it a time or two – I can guarantee that this will become a go-to recipe for you!
Plus, you’re likely to have leftovers, which are awesome for making quesadillas later!
Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions about an authentic fajita recipe:
What is a real fajita?
A real fajita is any stripped grilled meat with stripped peppers and onions that are usually served on a flour or corn tortilla.
The question of “what is a fajita” would usually be referred to as sliced skirt steak, the cut of beef first used in the dish. In restaurants, the meat is usually cooked with onions and bell peppers and toppings that are served on the side.
How are fajitas made in Mexico?
Fajitas are made in Mexica the same way that they’re made by me in Iowa 🙂
A little back story: Fajitas were created by Mexican ranch workers who received skirt stake as part of their pay.
They would cook the skirt steak on a fire or grill, then wrap it in a flour tortilla. Easy meal!
What is traditional fajita meat?
Skirt steak is the traditional cut used for fajitas. It used to be inexpensive, but now it’s not so cheap; oftentimes flank steak costs less. Or, like we enjoy and costs much less to make at home, is chicken.
Chicken is also a great meat for mexican restaurant fajitas at home, too! Or shrimp can be substituted easily in this authentic fajita recipe.
What is fajita sauce made of?
I don’t mind a fajita seasoning, but you certainly can make your own fajita seasoning by combining cornstarch, chili powder, salt, paprika, sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and cumin to taste.
A Closer Look at the Ingredients
Chicken breast
A pound and a half, sliced a quarter inch thick against the grain. Thin slices cook in minutes over high heat and stay tender. Thick strips go dry on the outside before the middle is done.
The marinade
A tablespoon of fajita seasoning, two tablespoons of water, a quarter cup of olive oil, and a tablespoon of lime juice in a zip bag. Thirty minutes is enough. Two hours is better.
Peanut oil and butter
Peanut oil takes the high heat of a cast iron pan without smoking. The two tablespoons of butter go in with the onions once the heat comes down, for flavor.
Onions
Two small to medium yellow onions, sliced a quarter inch. They cook for a full hour, which is the restaurant secret. Sweet onions work too.
Bell peppers
Three peppers, mixed colors if you can. They go in after the chicken and cook fast, so they stay a little crisp.
Garlic and tomato paste
Two cloves of garlic in with the peppers, and a tablespoon of tomato paste stirred in at the very end. The tomato paste is the one thing people cannot place, and the recipe says not to skip it.
The Ninety Minute Timeline
Earlier in the day
Slice the onions and peppers and bag them separately. Slice the chicken, mix the marinade in its bag, and refrigerate. All the knife work is done.
Ninety minutes out: the onions
Heat the cast iron on high, add the peanut oil, then the onions. Turn the heat to medium, add a half teaspoon of salt and the butter, and stir every five to ten minutes for an hour.
Thirty minutes out: the chicken
Move the onions to a covered dish. Drain the marinade off the chicken well and add the chicken to the same pan over medium high. Fifteen minutes or so until it has color.
Fifteen minutes out: the peppers
Chicken into the dish with the onions. Peppers into the hot pan with a half teaspoon of salt, then the garlic, stirring constantly, until they are as soft as you like.
Serving time
Everything back into the skillet with the tomato paste, one gentle stir, and bring the pan to the table. Warm tortillas and toppings on the side.
Why the Onions Take an Hour
An hour over medium heat turns the onions soft, sweet, and brown. That is the flavor you taste at the restaurant and cannot get from ten minutes of sauteing.
If the pan looks dry partway through, add a tablespoon of water and scrape. The brown bits on the bottom are flavor, not burnt.
Getting the Sizzle
For the restaurant effect, get the skillet screaming hot before everything goes back in for the final stir. A squeeze of lime over the pan as it hits the table is the sizzle.
Set the skillet on a trivet or a folded towel. Cast iron holds heat for a long time and will scorch a table.
Warming the Tortillas
Wrap a stack of flour tortillas in foil and set them in a 300 oven for ten minutes while the peppers cook. Or warm them one at a time in a dry skillet for twenty seconds a side.
Keep them wrapped in a towel at the table. Cold tortillas crack when you fold them.
Toppings for the Table
- Sour cream and shredded cheese
- Queso blanco for spooning over the top
- Guacamole or sliced avocado
- Pico de gallo or salsa
- Lime wedges and chopped cilantro
- Pickled jalapenos for the adults
Steak, Shrimp or Vegetables
Steak fajitas
A pound of flank or skirt steak, sliced thin against the grain, in the same marinade. Cook it in two batches over high heat for two minutes a side.
Shrimp fajitas
A pound of peeled shrimp, marinated only fifteen minutes. They cook in three minutes, so they go in after the peppers, not before.
Vegetable fajitas
Skip the chicken and double the peppers, adding a sliced zucchini and a handful of mushrooms with the peppers. Everything else stays the same.
Leftovers and Reheating
Leftovers keep covered for three days. Reheat them in a hot skillet for two or three minutes rather than the microwave, which steams the peppers soft.
Leftover fajita filling inside a tortilla with cheese, pressed in a skillet, is a quesadilla that beats most takeout.
Questions I Get About These Fajitas
What if I do not have cast iron?
A heavy stainless skillet works. Nonstick does not get hot enough for the sear. A grill pan outside is a good option in summer.
Can I cook the onions ahead?
Yes, up to a day ahead. Refrigerate them and warm them in the skillet while the chicken rests. It makes the dinner itself a thirty minute job.
Why is my chicken soggy instead of browned?
Too much marinade went in the pan, or the pan was crowded. Drain the chicken well and cook it in two batches if the pan is small.
Is it spicy?
Mild, with most packaged fajita seasonings. The heat comes from the toppings people choose.
Can I make my own fajita seasoning?
A teaspoon each of chili powder and cumin, a half teaspoon each of paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder, and a quarter teaspoon of salt is about one tablespoon.
More Mexican Dinners From My Kitchen
- Crockpot Pork Carnitas
- Crock Pot Shredded Beef Tacos
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- White Chicken Enchiladas
Cast Iron Chicken Fajitas
Equipment
- 12-15 inch Cast Iron Pan
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp fajita seasoning I like McCormick's
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp peanut oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 small/medium yellow onions
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 3 bell peppers
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste don't skip this!
For serving fajitas:
- tortillas
- sour cream optional
- cheese/queso optional
- guacamole optional
Instructions
- Cut onions, green peppers and chicken into 1/4 inch slices.
- Store onions and green peppers in separate gallon size baggies.
- Place chicken, water, fajita seasoning, olive oil and lime juice in a gallon size baggie. Press air out, close baggie and seal for 30 minutes to two hours.
- When 90 minutes out from eating: Heat cast iron pan to high, add in peanut oil, coat bottom of pan.
- Add onions to cast iron pan, turn heat down to medium. Add 1/2 tsp salt and butter once temp has gone down. I prefer using a really fine Himalayan salt in the kitchen
- Stir onions every 5-10 minutes.
- Once onions have cooked for one hour, transfer to covered dish to keep warm.
- Get chicken, drain as much of the marinade out of the chicken as you can.
- Add chicken to (dirty with onion remnants!) cast iron pan.
- Turn up the heat on the oven to medium high heat to cook chicken until desired color, 15 minutes or so.
- Add chicken to onions.
- Add green peppers to hot skillet, stirring constantly.
- Add 1/2 tsp salt to green peppers, turn heat down to medium.
- Add garlic to green peppers, cook to desired doneness.
- Add chicken, onions and tomato paste to cast iron skillet, give it a good, gentle stir.