Chicken Fajitas

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while...I seem to have run out of recipes.... and I've been trying to not eat flour and sugar too much lately. But I ran across this recipe for Fajitas in my new Cooks Country Illustrated recipe book and tweaked it just a bit of coarse. Instead of using Flour tortilla's we put ours on Corn tortillas so it was more like a Fajita taco. I've posted a recipe for the creamy poblano peppers before but it had corn in it .. this one did not, and I used skim milk and light cream cheese instead of heavy cream to lighten it up a bit. I also used my spicy dilly beans as a garnish... gave it some crunch!  Enjoy! Also the next morning I made omelets with the leftover chicken and poblanos... delicious!!!

Chicken Fajitas

Adapted From America's Test Kitchen episode: Chicken Classics, Improved.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

CHICKEN:

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

1 1/2teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded to 1/2-inch thickness

RAJAS CON CREMA:

1 pound (3 to 4) poblano chiles, stemmed, halved, and seeded

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

4 oz. low fat cream cheese

¼ cup milk ( I used skim milk)

1 tablespoon lime juice

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

8 – 12 (6-inch) flour tortillas, warmed (I used corn tortillas)

¼ cup minced fresh cilantro

Grated cheese for garnishing

Spice Dilly beans and carrots (if desired)

Lime wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Whisk 3 tablespoons oil, lime juice, garlic, paprika, sugar, salt, cumin, pepper, and cayenne together in bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.

2. FOR THE RAJAS CON CREMA: Mean­while, adjust oven rack to highest position and heat broiler. Arrange poblanos, skin side up, on aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet and press to flatten. Broil until skin is charred and puffed, 4 to 10 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through cooking. Transfer poblanos to bowl, cover, and let steam for 10 minutes. Rub majority of skin from poblanos and discard (preserve some skin for flavor); slice into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Adjust oven racks to middle and lowest positions and heat oven to 200 degrees.

OR you can heat your outdoor grill on hi and place the peppers on the grill. Close lid and time for about 3 to 4 minutes till the skin starts to blister, turn and time again for 3 to 4 minutes. Continue turning and cooking until the outside is mostly all blistered and charred in spots. Then remove from grill to a large bowl and cover with saran wrap and let steam and cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Peel the skin from the peppers and discard. Slice into 1/4-inch thick strips. 

3. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add onion and cook until charred and just softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add cream cheese and milk; cook, stirring frequently, until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add poblano strips, lime juice, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Cover and set aside while you cook the chicken.

4. Remove chicken from marinade and wipe off excess. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in another 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook without moving it until bottom side is well charred, about 4 minutes. Flip chicken; transfer skillet to lower oven rack. Bake until chicken registers 160 degrees, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes; do not wash out skillet.

OR you can grill your chicken on your outside grill on medium high heat. Depending on the thickness of the chicken I cook 5 to 7 minutes per side (mine is usually pretty thin so I go for the 5 minutes per side) Cook until juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink in the middle, or is about 160 degrees on a meat thermometer.

5. Slice chicken crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Return chicken strips to skillet and toss to coat with pan juices. To serve, spoon few pieces of chicken into center of warmed tortilla and top with spoonful of vegetable mixture, cilantro, and Spicy Dilly beans and carrots or grated cheese. Serve with lime wedges.

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