Jen's Chicken Fajitas

We have not had fajitas in a while, so I thought I would make them tonight...with a variation. I typically do not make chicken fajitas, because I find them boring. I like steak much better. I guess I am just weird that way. I am really trying to eat red meat only once a week, and supplement vegetarian three times a week (which has been easier than anticipated). Since that leaves three other days to fill in, I am then left with chicken, pork, turkey, or fish as my protein choices. Don't get me wrong, those items are good...but I sometimes get stuck in a rut with those ingredients. (I was going to do a fish dish this week, but I think I will save it until Sunday night instead.) I have been racking my brain all morning to figure out a way to make chicken fajitas more exciting and I think I have a great solution. Bacon! Yup...BACON! That is exciting isn't it???? Bacon is great, and you don't need to use that much of it to get it's rich bacony flavor. One of my favorite fajita combinations is chicken, bacon, onions, peppers, and lots of Monterrey Jack cheese. Yum. Also, I have some avocados to use up; I think those will make their way onto our fajitas as well. All I need to do is improvise a marinade for my chicken and then I will be in business (fajita dinner business, that it).
I am a little tired of beans, so I think I will make a rice dish. I am actually craving red, Mexican rice. I have never made red, Mexican rice so I will need to do some digging to find a recipe for it. I know it is typically not a fast dish to make, so I am starting my research early today. I will post the rice recipe seperately, and I will let you know how it all turns out after we eat. With my little twists thrown into the mix, I am now looking forward to dressing up boring ol' chicken fajitas.

Jen's Chicken Fajitas

For marinade:
Combine the following ingredients with 2-4 boneless, skinkess chicken breasts in a 1 gallon plastic storage bag and marinate in the refrigerator for minimum 1 hour. I try to marinate mine for 4 hours, turning every 1/2 hour. Discard marinade/bag when finished.

Olive or Canola Oil
white wine, champagne, or apple cider vinegar
1-2 garlic cloves, smashed
1-2 chipotle peppers, with some adobo sauce
Worsteshire sauce
brown sugar (about 1 tablespoon)
garlic powder
onion powder
ancho chile powder
cumin
coriander
paprika
cayenne pepper
lime juice
fresh cilantro
dried oregano
salt
pepper

For fajita veggies:
Below, I have listed some of my favorite accompaniments to go with the chicken. Use what you like, and let me know if you find anything different that is tasty & unusual. I tend to use the basics. I always cook the veggies until soft and slightly caramelized.
On the occasion that I use bacon; I cook that first, until crisp and all the bacon fat is rendered out. Then, I take the bacon out and set it aside, leave the dripping in the pan and saute the veggies in the bacon fat. Healthy? No. Tasty? Yes! When everything is cooked, I unite the bacon with the veggies back in the pan. Yum.

mushrooms
onions
peppers (green, red, yellow, or a combo)
green chiles
bacon

Directions:
Grill chicken over medium high grill until cooked thoroughly. Once chicken is off the grill, let rest for minimum 5 minutes before slicing. This will allow the juices to redistribute.

In a separate skillet, drizzle a little olive or canola oil in pan (approximately 1-2 tablespoons) and saute veggies of your choice.

Build fajita tacos with chicken and veggies. Garnish with cheese, sour cream,salsa, and/or guacamole.

The Result:
UMMMM, so good...........see photo in next post.